Christ Jesus hath sealed up a new covenant in his own bloud conscience is freed from that former Rom. 3.28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law For though justifying faith never be without the sincere doing of the law yet the deeds of the law have no influence into justification Conscience is freed from seeking justification thereby Thirdly the conscience of the regenerate is freed from the rigour of the law They are bound in conscience to use the law as a rule of their life and in sinceritie to obey it but are not bound by the gospel to the rigour of it that they are freed from and so they are not under the law but under grace I grant that all carnall people who are yet out of Christ do all lie under the rigour of the law and as long as they submit not to Jesus Christ nor get into him they are bound in conscience to keep it though they cannot They cannot sinne in one tittle but conscience will condemne them before God They shall be condemned for every vain thought for every idle word for every the least sinne for every the least lust for any the least omission of good They lie under the rigour of the law and they are bound in conscience to keep it and they shall be countable for every transgression because they are under the law But the conscience of the regenerate is free from this rigour because they are under grace and therefore they are delivered from the law The Lord hath deliverd them by the body of Christ and therefore they are not bound by the gospel to all that obedience that the law in rigour requireth Fourthly the conscience of the regenerate is freed from the curse of the morall law For though the law doth condemne yet their conscience needeth not fear it because they are in Christ There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus which walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Indeed those that are not regenerate not ingraffed into Christ they are still in the mouth of the gunshot the law doth condemne them and they have no shelter and their conscience is bound by it and they shall find one day that by it their conscience will condemne them to hell It may be now for the present their conscience is quiet and they choke it and so it letteth them alone yet they are condemned in conscience and one day they shall find it But the regenerate are by Christ freed in conscience from all this condemnation Thus farre we grant But the Antinomists and I know not what Marcionites would have more They cannot abide to heare that a regenerate person is bound to any sincere obedience to Gods law as the rule of their life They crie out against the morall law as once the Babylonians did against Jerusalem Down with it down with it even to the ground O ye do not preach Christ if ye talk of the law Beloved these are drunken opinions fitter to be preached among drunkards and Epicures and monsters then among the peculiar ones of God The law of God doth bind the conscience of all the people of God so that they are bound to make it a rule of life Nay the Scripture calleth it Christs bond whereby he bindeth his people to him The Kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying Let us break their bonds and cast away their cords from us Tush we will not be tied by his laws nor be so precisely strait-laced with such commandments as these Here the laws of the Lord are called bonds and cords Gods people are bound to him by them But the wicked they stand out and refuse to be bound Now if the law be called a bond I pray what bond is it but of conscience It is not a bond like a prisoners fetters to be put about their legs This is a spirituall bond that bindeth the conscience But let me prove it to you by arguments There be sundrie arguments to prove it First That which hath power to say to the conscience of the regenerate This is thy dutie and this must be done that bindeth the conscience But the law of God hath power to say thus to the conscience This is your dutie Who can tell better then Christ When ye have done all these things that are commanded you say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our dutie to do Mark He speaketh of Gods law things commanded now the law is nothing else but a â—atalogue of those things that God hath commanded us When ye have done all these things saith our Saviour know it is your dutie Here ye see the law hath power to say to the conscience This is your dutie But ye will object We are under faith and do ye tell us of law I answer as Chrysostome answereth out of Paul Do we then make void the law through faith God forbid Yea we establish the law See how the Apostle doth abhorre this thought God forbid saith he As if he had said Farre be it from me to teach such an abominable doctrine No no we establish the law Heare what Christ saith himself Think not that I am come to destroy the law I am not come to destroy but to fulfill it O thought some If we believe in Christ then we hope we shall have done with the law No no saith Christ ye shall as soon pull the heavens and the earth out of their place as disannull one tittle of the law Secondly That which hath this authoritie that the breach of it is a sinne bindeth conscience but the law hath this authoritie that neither regenerate nor unregenerate can transgresse it but they sinne therefore the law bindeth their consciences For the regenerate and all are bound in conscience to take heed of sinne Whosoever committeth sinne transgresseth also the law David was a regenerate man yet when he had defiled Bathsheba I have sinned saith he Joseph was a regenerate man yet confesseth if he should transgresse the Lords commandment he should sinne How shall I do this great wickednesse and so sinne against God But ye will object This is old testament What of that I hope you will not take up the old damned heresie again of the Cerdonians and Cainites and Apellites and Manichees and Severians and other such cursed hereticks condemned by the Church of God Their heresie was To hedge out the regenerate from the old testament And S t Augustine proved it against them That the morall law of God was ever the rule of obedience and shall so continue with the gospel to the end of the world and every transgression thereof is sinne The breach of the ceremoniall law was a sinne once but now it is not because once it bound the conscience now it doth not But the breach of the
what he had vowed Or if a man should promise marriage to a woman and before the time of nuptials she be found unchast this is a farre greater consequence and he is not bound in conscience to marry her These kinds of vows do not bind in conscience But all other do bind us 1. Use We may learn from hence never to vow but with good judgement and counsel For either we must keep our promise or not If we must that is a signe it is good and therefore had need of deliberation If we must not keep it then it is a signe of rashnesse and inconsideratenesse and besides it may prove scandalous and offensive to them to whom we make it and also to them that shall heare of it And therefore it requireth good judgement and advise to vow What a rash vow was that of good Jephthah If thou wilt deliver Ammon into my hand whatsoever meeteth me I will offer it for a burnt-offering How if a dog had first met him what a sinne had it been How if his daughter what a thing had that been And indeed it proved to be his daughter Vows without judgement do but increase our sinnes and aggravate our transgressions against God 2. Use This teacheth us to keep our good vows whatsoever they be that we make Indeed it is hard to keep a good yea it is hard to make a good vow in that manner as we should It requireth a great deal of faith and self-deniall and humilitie and strength of resolution But when we have made it our sinne is the greater if we do not then keep it Better it is not to vow then that thou shouldst vow and not pay Hast thou vowed a vow then deferre not to pay it God hath no pleasure in fools As if the holy Ghost had said It is the part of a fool to vow before he consider and be absolutely resolved to perform to be off and on with the Lord God of hosts The Lord hath no pleasure in fools Therefore pay all thy good vows and be humbled for thy rash vows But we are fallen into bad times when truth and equitie is perished from among men Every one is a deceitfull bow yea the best almost is a briar Nothing so common as vows and promises but few make conscience of performing them Nay men are carelesse of their grand vow which they have made vnto God in their baptisme O this is a very fearfull sinne Ye have all made a vow unto God in your baptisme that ye would live otherwise then ye do and ye make no conscience to keep it Baptisme is a very weightie thing If there were no other thing to bind you to holinesse and obedience and faith but onely the vow ye entred into in your baptisme did ye consider what a vow it is it would move you alone It is said of Apollos that he was fervent in spirit though he knew nothing but the baptisme of John Apollos considered what a vow he had made unto God in his baptisme that though he knew nothing else it made him zealous for God Baptisme is a very great binder of conscience It bindeth a man to believe and to go out of himself and to submit to Jesus Christ The wicked Pharisees saw this to be true If we shall say that Johns baptisme was from heaven he will say Why did ye not then believe Beloved was not your baptisme from heaven was it not an ordinance of God and did ye not solemnly then vow unto God Why then do ye not believe why do ye not denie your selves your works your wayes and take up Christs crosse As Christ saith of John Baptist Among them that are born of women there hath not been a greater then John the Baptist so may I say of bonds and of vows and covenants Among all the vows and covenants that ever were made there hath not been a greater then this of Baptisme And therefore ye had best look to the performing of what ye then vowed If ye do not ye are grievous breakers of covenant with God which sinne will surely stand against you for evil It is most certain that Baptisme doth greatly bind us in conscience to walk answerably to it in all righteousnesse and true holinesse And we can never be saved though we are baptized except we can answer with a good conscience that we live as we vowed in our Baptisme 1. Pet. 3.21 The like figure whereunto even Baptisme doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience towards God Mark Unlesse we can answer with a good conscience that we live according to our promises in it our Baptisme cannot save us I pray consider that speech of St Paul We are buried with Christ by Baptisme into his death that like as Christ was raised up from thâ— dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newnesse of life Mark There is the vow that we made unto God in our Baptisme And the Apostle there telleth us we are bound in conscience to keep this vow otherwise we had better have been without our Baptisme Do not think that God will be mocked Ye are content to go for Christians but if ye be Christians consider ye are under a great vow and if ye do not keep it Gods covenant hath a quarrel against you and ye shall be broken in judgement There is no sinne that ye live in no lust that your conscience telleth you hath enterteinment in your hearts but it is sacramentall perjurie against the vow that ye made unto God in your Baptisme Are ye dead to good duties Ye vowed in your Baptisme ye would not be so Do ye not dayly mortifie and subdue your affections Ye vowed in your Baptisme ye would Do ye not dayly fight against sinne and the flesh like the faithfull souldiers of Christ Ye vowed in your Baptisme ye would What a horrible perjurie is this Nay it is worse it is a sacramentall perjurie When the Apostles saw any sinne in the people presently they tell them of Baptisme as if they should say Do ye live thus and thus when ye vowed the contrarie in your Baptisme When there were divisions in Corinth Some would be of Cephas and some of Apollos and some of Paul Paul then telleth them of their Baptisme Were ye baptized in the name of Paul As if he had said I pray consider how contrary this is unto your Baptisme Ye were baptized into Christ and are ye thus divided among your selves So when there was corruption crept into the people of Galatia S t Paul telleth them of their Baptisme As many of you saith he as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ As if he had said This corruption of yours is contrarie to your Baptisme Ye were baptized into Christ and ye have vowed to put on Christ and do ye yield to such
The Souls Looking-Glasse lively representing its Estate before GOD With a Treatise of CONSCIENCE Wherein the definitions and distinctions thereof are unfolded and severall Cases resolved By that reverend and faithfull Minister of the Word WILLIAM FENNER B.D. Sometimes Fellow of PEMBROKE-HALL in CAMBRIDGE and late Parson of Rochford in Essex ACTS 24.16 I exercise my self to have alwayes a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men CAMBRIDGE Printed by Roger Daniel Printer to the Universitie For John Rothwell at the Sunne in Pauls church-yard 1643. To the Christian Reader IT was the saying of Solon That there were many good laws made but there wanted one law to make us put all those laws in execution The like may be said concerning the books that are written now adayes There are many good books written but there wanteth one book to make us to put those good books in practice Such a book were worth writing and worth reading And I know no reason but that this book if the Spirit of God write it in our hearts may have this happie effect For it is a book that will teach us how to get into the State of grace and how to get and keep a good Conscience And whosoever readeth a book with a good conscience will make conscience to practice what he readeth For a good conscience is as Aristotle saith of Justice a Synopsis and Epitome of all virtues It is a Panacea to cure all soul-diseases It is a medicine to digest all book-surfetting There are foure sorts of Consciences Some bad and unquiet some bad and quiet some good and unquiet some good and quiet For a conscience to be bad and quiet is the worst temper that can be Better have a bad unquiet then a bad and quiet conscience better have a tormenting Tophet in the soul then a fools Paradise The best frame of Conscience is the good and quiet conscience This is a Paradise upon earth a prâ—gustation and prelibation of heaven a mansion for the Trinitie to dwell in Now this ensuing treatise will teach us how to purchase this precious jewel of a good and quiet conscience A treatise very necessary in these unconscionable dayes wherein most people make no conscience to sinne against conscience and some have sinned so long against conscience as that they have lost all conscience of sinne As S. Augustine saith of the name of a Christian so may I say of conscience Multi conscientiam habent non ad remedium sed ad judicium Many have a conscience for their condemnation and not for their salvatition Conscience it is the house of the soul But this house lieth waste and is much ruinated and decayed in these times wherein never more science but never lesse conscience Conscience it is a private judgement-day before the publick day of judgement And it is an ill presage that most people will never stand upright in the court of heaven because they stand accused and condemned in the court of conscience Conscience is Gods preacher in our bosomes And it is a most certain rule That that man that will not regard the preacher in his bosome will never regard the preacher in the pulpit And the reason why the preacher in the pulpit doth no more good is because the preacher in the bosome is so much despised and neglected And therefore I doubt not but this book these motives considered will be very acceptable to all those that have or desire to have a good and quiet conscience For as S. Bernard most excellently saith Every mans conscience is his book and all books are written to discover and amend the errours of the book of conscience Let those that reade this book of coÌ„science look into the book of their own conscience and amend all the faults of that book by this The reverend Authour of this book was a Minister very conscientious and one that had a great abilitie given him by God to preach unto and work upon the consciences of people to awaken the sleepie conscience to inform the erroneous conscience to settle the doubtfull conscience and to comfort the wounded conscience his sermons were all dipt in conscience And therefore a subject of Conscience must needs be welcome from such a preacher It is true that this birth is Posthumum opus and cometh out after the death of the Authour But I hope it will be the more pleasing to revive the memory of him whose life and labours were deservedly precious in the esteem of Gods people And if conscience though for a while blind dumbe and seared put out of all office will notwithstanding at last be put into office and made to see speak and feel to the utter destruction of an impenitent sinner why may not a discourse of Conscience though long ago preached be suffered to revive and live for the salvation of those that shall have grace to reade it aright especially considering that these sermons were perfected by himself in his life time Much I could say in commendation of this worthie Divine both in regard of his unwearisome pains in preaching consuming his own bodie to save the souls of others as also of his learning and exemplarie pietie but I forbear All that I will say is this They that fully knew him did love and reverence him and if any did disesteem him it was because they did not fully know him He is now a shining starre in the firmameÌ„t of heaven And there are hundreds of people that will blesse God to all eternity for his pains He needeth not our praises but our imitation All that I desire from you that reade this short treatise is this That ye would either get a good conscience by the reading of this book or bring a good conscience to the reading of it Labour to make an addition to the heavenly joyes of this faithfull servant of God by making this book a means to bring thy soul to those heavenly joyes which are at Gods right hand for evermore which are joyes unspeakable and glorious so great that as S. Augustine saith If one drop of the joyes of heaven should fall into hell it would swallow up all the bitternesse of Hell And that God would make you heirs of this joy is the prayer of your soul-friend EDM. C. A Table of the Contents An Enquiry after a mans estate before God Coloss 4.8 WHat a mans estate before God is pag. 1 Ministers are to enquire after the estate of their people 3 Every man is either in an estate of grace or sinne 8 This estate may be known 11 Why every man ought to enquire after his own estate 14 Means whereby a man may come to know what estate he is in 15 Impediments which hinder this knowledge 18 Motives to be diligent in this enquirie 19 2. A treatise of Conscience Rom. 2.15 WHat conscience is 21 I. Proposition There is in every man
he is in a good estate 1. For the first That there is an estate that every one is in either of grace or sin See this in Simon Magus I perceive saith S. Peter thou art in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity See he telleth him what estate he was in viz. a very bad estate in a desperate and damnable condition In this state of sin and misery are all they that are not renewed by Christ Jesus And for the other see an example Rom. 16.7 Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord The text there telleth us what estate he was in a very good estate He was a man in Christ a choise man that is a man in the state of grace and salvation In this estate are all they that are called and sanctified and made new creatures unto God Every man is in one of the two estates there is no middle estate which is neither the one nor the other but in one of these two are all the whole world The reason is 1. From everlasting the world was divided onely into two ranks either Elect or Reprobates 2. Here in this life the world is divided onely into two companies either Godly or Ungodlie 3. At the day of judgement the Lord will divide the whole world onely into two sorts either Sheep or Goats II. For the second proposition This estate may be known Especially every man may come to the knowledge of his own estate before God I do not say that every man may know whether he be elect or reprobate yet this I say too That a godly soul may know that it is elected to life The Apostle exhorteth all that are godly to give diligence to make their election sure 2. Pet. 1.10 He that atteineth to that faith which the Apostle calleth the faith of Gods elect Titus 1.1 and receiveth the word of God as Paul saith the Thessalonians did and thence concludeth they were chosen of God 1. Thess 1.4 5. he may attein to much assurance of his election But though a godly man may know he is elected of God yet for reprobation the case is not alike 1. Because ungodlinesse is not alwayes joyned with perseverance 2. Besides God hath many reasons why he doth not reveal mens reprobation unto them They would then be outragious in evil desperate in wickednesse there could be no order or government in humane life Besides that the form of Christs administration of his kingdome could not be so as it now is for Christ hath bid his ministers preach the Gospel to every creature to whole parishes and towns and except none Christ will not tell his ministers which be reprobates and which not that they may preach unto all and labour to work upon every soul and there is none in a parish but the minister must look upon him as one who may be saved Christ will not tell his people which be reprobates that they may look upon every one as one that may be wonne to the faith for any thing they know Christ will not tell the reprobates themselves that they are reprobates that every one of them may come to the use of the means How do they know but they may find grace yea and the Lord doth seriously call them and it is their fault if they obey not It is Gods infinite mercy that election which is such a comfortable point may be revealed to Gods children and that reprobation which is so intolerable and bitter is not revealed to the reprobate Neverthelesse let me adde That some particular men have known their own reprobation as Cain and Judas c. And there be shrewd signes of it I do not speak it as though I meant to perswade any man that he is one but onely that he may take heed of them 1. Malicing the known truth is a very shrewd signe As when men know that godlinesse is pleasing to God and yet they hate a man for it when men know the minister is commanded to rebuke sinne and yet they will spite him for so doing this is a very shrewd signe Paul persecuted the truth but yet saith he I obteined mercy because I did it ignorantly 1. Tim. 1.13 intimating that if he had done it against knowledge he had been in danger to have found no mercy And therefore ye that mock and hate those wayes which God hath commanded I beseech you take heed lest ye sin unpardonably 2. Absolute apostasie is a shrewd signe too of reprobation When men have been very forward in the profession of the truth and fall totally away and prove miserably profane as the Apostle sheweth Heb. 6.6 3. Finall impenitency This is an infallible signe of reprobation when a man liveth in sin dieth in sin goeth away without repentance Luke 13.3 Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish There be many of us have stood out long in impenitency let us take heed lest if we stay any longer we fall upon this great evil I return to the point A man may come to the knowledge of his own estate before God I do not mean Whether he be in the state of election or reprobation but he may know Whether he be in the state of salvation or damnation that is Whether he be in the way that leadeth to heaven or hell Whether he be in such a case that if he die now he shall be saved or not saved Every man may thus know in what estate he is Because the word of God sheweth a man this As for example He that committeth sinne is of the devil Mark the Apostle telleth us what estate that man is in that liveth in sinne in a very bad estate So on the contrary He that hath this hope purgeth himself Mark the Apostle telleth us what estate that man is in who purgeth himself he is in a very good estate in a state of true hope in Christ And so 1. Cor. 6.10 the Apostle nameth divers who are not in the state of salvation but of damnation if they die in such case they cannot inherit the kingdome of heaven So that if a man will but search the word and believe that God doth say true he may know his estate 2. Without this knowledge a man cannot have an accusing or an excusing conscience in respect of his estate but men may have yea many men have a conscience accusing them of being in a very bad estate and many men have an excusing conscience that plainly doth witnesse that they are in a very good and gracious estate I and my people are wicked saith Pharaoh His conscience did accuse him of being in a bad estate I am holy saith David I am thy servant His conscience told him he was in the state of grace So that ye need not go farre to know what estate you are in there is that in your bosome that can decide the matter 3. Men cannot desire nor flie fâ— o an unknown estate
But men are commanded to flie from a bad estate and seek out a good one Therefore they may know the one and the other O generation of vipers who hath warned you to flie from the wrath to come Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance saith John to the Pharisees He supposeth these men might easily know that they were in a very bad estate or else how could he say thus unto them Before I come to the Uses let us consider these three things 1. That every man living is born in a very bad estate We all know it well but oh that we would consider it We are all by nature children of wrath Now here lieth the question When did we change our estates We are in the same state of damnation wherein we were born except we are come out of it I say here lieth the question Whether we are come out of it or no whether we have mended our estate 2. Consider that the greatest part of the world never mend their estates But as they were born in a cursed estate so they live and die in it And I speak not this of heathen onely but alas how many in the visible church do so How many were there in the church of Philippi whom the Apostle could not think of without weeping when he considered in what estate they were So in the church of Corinth not many wise not many rich not many noble called but commonly the meanest in the eye of the world were in the best estate towards God Nay more then so Many of them who seek to get into a good estate misse of it and perish See Luke 13.24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate Mark it 's a strait gate and letteth but few in for many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able Here and there a few even where the constant ministery is 3. Consider that it is a marvellous hard thing to passe from state unto state from a bad to a good estate There is a very vast gulf between the state of sinne and the state of grace and it is marvellous hard to passe it These things premised the Uses follow 1. This point may be many wayes usefull First for instruction If God hath made it possible unto us to find out what estate every one of us is in then sure he would have us go about it and enquire after it God might have left us to perish in our naturall blindnesse never to have known in what case we had been untill we were past recovery First we are all wanderers from God and from the wayes of peace and therefore God might justly have suffered us for ever to have wandred and never to have been able to find out whether we had been right or wrong Secondly God hath dealt so with some He hath suffered some to go on all their dayes blindfold to hell Thus the Lord dealt with the scribes and Pharisees Let them alone saith he they be blind leaders of the blind and if the blind lead the blind they will both fall into the ditch Ye see the Lord hath dealt so with some and it is his mercy he hath not dealt so with us Sith God hath made it possible for us to know it is our duty to enquire after it And that yet further for these reasons 1. First because the Lord commandeth it Examine your own selves whether ye be in the faith prove your selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Where ye see the Apostle commandeth the duty of self-triall And consider how he presseth it upon us 1. Do ye not know what estate you are in then examine and enquire 2 Do ye think ye are in a good estate look ye prove it and be sure ye be not in an errour Do ye object ye do not know neither can ye know No then your estate is very bad find out some good tokens in you except ye be reprobates This command makes it a clear duty 2. But a second reason to prove it our duty to enquire what estate we are in is because without the knowledge thereof we can never have any true peace in our consciences The conscience must needs be without peace so long as we are ignorant of what estate we are in Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ First the Apostle sheweth their estate they were in a state of justification and from the knowledge thereof they had peace We are bound to get true peace to our consciences Oh what a lamentable maze are vve in till our consciences have peace and this they cannot have untill vve are fully acquainted in vvhat case vve stand before God Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace 3. Thirdly vve can never be fit for any duty of Gods vvorship as long as vve knovv not vvhat estate vve are in We can never be fit for any holy duty to heare pray receive the sacrament Let a man examine himself and so let him eat c. First he must examine in vvhat estate he is before he can be fit for that high service So for repentance Let us search and try our wayes and turn again to the Lord first find our selves in an ill estate and then return So for joy It is a duty to rejoyce in the Lord But vve are never fit for rejoycing till vve have proved vvhat estate vve are in Let every man prove his own work so shall he have rejoycing We can never be fit for any duty untill vve knovv in vvhat estate vve are in because every duty varieth according as the estate of every man is To instance in prayer He that is not in the state of grace must pray one vvay and he that is in the state of salvation must pray another vvay the one that he may be converted and brought home to God the other that he may be strengthened and encreased in grace And so for the duty of hearing c. The second use is for direction to let us understand by vvhat means vve may knovv vvhat estate vve are in There be foure means to know this 1. By our outward and inward actions I do not say by our outward actions For a man may be in the state of hypocrisie and yet his outward actions may be good Neither do I say by our inward actions alone For a man may be in the state of self-deceit and yet say his heart is good and his meaning and mind good But I say by them both put together Our Saviour setteth it out by a tree Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit So if the heart bringeth forth the fruit of righteousnesse joy in good things patience meeknesse gentlenesse love obedience godly conversation c. these evidence a good estate but if the heart
conscience never stirreth about Secondly the knowledge of our selves is needfull else conscience cannot act neither Though we know what Gods law requireth and what not what is good and what not yet unlesse we know whether we go with it or against it conscience cannot accuse nor excuse As for example A close hypocrite he knoweth well enough that the Lord hath condemned hypocrisie and that hypocrites must have their portion in hell yet if he do not know himself to be an hypocrite his conscience can never condemne him for being one And therefore both these knowledges are necessary as vvell the knovvledge of a mans self as of Gods lavv Many vvho had a hand in crucifying our Saviour sinned grievously yet they sinned not against knovvledge because they knevv not vvhat they did Father forgive them they know not what they do Thirdly It is a contradiction to say a blind conscience in act The conscience cannot be blind and yet actually condemne Indeed the conscience it self may be blind but it can never act and be blind If it truly accuse or excuse it must have some light It is true it may erroneously excuse or accuse and yet have no true light Seeming light is enough to do that seeming knovvledge is enough to make conscience erroneously excuse As they vvho killed the Apostles their consciences excused them and told them they did God good service they seemed to knovv it vvas good service to God and therefore their consciences excused them c. Thus ye see that the light that conscience vvorketh by is knovvledge The use of this point is first to let us see the infinite necessity of knovvledge As good have no conscience at all as conscience vvithout knowledge for it cannot act and perform its office This is the reason vvhy so many thousands go on in their sinnes vvithout repentance because being ignorant they have no conscience to prick them thereunto as Jer. 8.6 No man repenteth him of his wickednesse saying What have I done Why vvhat vvas the reason that conscience did not prick them and say This thou hast done and that Thus ye have rebelled c The text answereth in the next verse My people know not the judgement of the Lord. The stork knoweth her time and the turtle and the swallow but my people do not know their duties Another use is to exhort us that we would labour to perfect the light of conscience that it may be able to guide us and direct us unto heaven Our conscience hath knowledge enough by the light of nature to make us inexcusable and to clear the justice of God though he should damne us for ever but there must be a greater light then that that must guide us to heaven O let us pray to Christ the true light to set up this light in us that we may never be at a losse in our way to happinesse never step out of the right path but our conscience may be able to put us in again never go slowly but our conscience may spurre us on faster that our conscience may not be like the snuff of a candle in a socket that flameth up now and then and then is dark again and again it flameth out and is dark again A man may see his book by it but he cannot see to reade he may see his pen and ink by it but he cannot see to write a woman may see her needle and cloth by it but she cannot see to work so it is with some mens consciences Their light is so dimme that they can see the duties but they cannot see to do them they can see the commandments of God but they cannot see to obey them O labour to perfect the light of your consciences that ye may see to walk by them And thus much also of the second proposition The light that conscience acteth by is knowledge Now I should come to the third proposition which as I first propounded them was this The bond that bindeth conscience is Gods law But I will now a little alter the method and make the other which was propounded last to be the third in the handling and it is this Proposition III. The office of Conscience is to bear witnesse to accuse or excuse COnscience is put into this office by God himself It is Gods officer Not onely his register-book that shall be opened at the day of judgement wherein is set down our thoughts words and deeds but it is a preacher also to tell us our duty both towards God and towards man yea it is a powerfull preacher it exhorteth urgeth provoketh yea the most powerfull preacher that can be it will cause the stoutest and stubbornest heart under heaven to quake now and then it will never let us alone till it have brought us either to God or to the devil Conscience is joyned in commission with Gods own spirit to be an instructour unto us in the way we should walk so that the spirit and it are resisted or obeyed together grieved or delighted together We cannot sinne against conscience but we sinne also against Gods spirit we cannot check our own consciences but we check and quench the holy spirit of God The office of conscience to our selves is to bear witnesse My conscience beareth me witnesse saith Paul Conscience is alwayes ready to do this office if it shall at any time be invited unto it For conscience looketh sometimes for inviting sometimes it will not bear witnesse unlesse we invite it and call upon it so to do But there will come a time when it will do it and must do it and shall do it namely at death or at judgement then it will bear witnesse whether men invite it or no. Now it may be suppressed and silenced and kept under from witnessing but then it must bear witnesse and shall either excusing or accusing acquitting or condemning when God shall judge the secrets of mens hearts as the Apostle speaketh The properties that are given unto conscience in the discharge of its office are foure 1. It is supreme 2. It is impartiall 3. It is faithfull 4. It is privie 1. It is supreme It hath highest authoritie it is the most uncontrollable and ablest witnesse that can be the greatest weightiest witnesse in the world better then ten thousand witnesses Though all the world do condemne us yet if our own consciences do not we need not fear And so on the contrary if conscience do condemne us it will be small comfort though all the world flatter and commend and excuse us It is a supreme witnesse Though all the Angels in heaven should come and bear witnesse their witnesse is not so uncontrollable as conscience is There is no appealing from the witnesse of conscience we must â—e tried by it If conscience do accâ—se and condemne us the Lord onely is greater then our conscience 1. John 3.20 and will give judgement with it when it doth its office And if our conscience
saith He that hungreth and thirsteth after righteousnesse shall be filled He that doeth these things shall never fall c. Get the rule of your hearts and lives to meet and ye have what ye desire O what infinite mercy is this to all godly souls that the Lord hath planted this conscience in their bosomes that they need not go farre for their comfort their own consciences and the rule may preach it to them Secondly The wicked on the other side if they continue as they are may hence gather arguments for their own damnation If the rule and conscience might be heard they would speak bitter things against them and give a fearfull sentence on them It may be they can smother their consciences now for a time but they will one day reade them a fearfull lecture I speak not now onely of those who drown their consciences in their cups and fear their consciences by their grosse sinnes but of those who would seem godly and perform good duties but with hypocriticall hearts and carnall minds O that they would heare but conscience argue a little in this manner To be carnally minded is death that is is an evident signe of a man that is in the state of death and damnation But saith conscience I am carnally minded or we are carnally minded Therefore we have an argument about us of death and damnation And so also for all other sinnes There is not a wicked man under heaven but he may argue out of his own miserable estate by his conscience or he might if it were awaked as one day it will be Thirdly this may serve for instruction No matter what opinions men have of us in the world The question is What is the judgement of our own consciences upon us It may be thou art taken for a man of great knowledge and a forward man in godlinesse it may be the godly dare not judge otherwise of thee but the question is What is the judgement of conscience Doth not thy conscience tell thee thou art but a proud fool conceited of thy knowledge and lovest to heare thy self talk And so for thy performance of good duties what testimony doth conscience give of the manner of doing of them The testimoniall of conscience is above all testimonials in the world all the good opinions of the world are not worth a rush without this If conscienâ—â— can say that in our wayes we seek to please God and allow not our selves in any evil vvay this testimony is full and satisfactory and onely this Yet further concerning this judiciall vvitnesse of conscience It is either about things to be done or omitted or things already done or omitted The judiciall vvitnesse of conscience about things to be done or omitted is double 1. To judge out of Gods lavv vvhether it be good or evil 2 To counsel out of our ovvn judgements either to do it or forbear it according as the nature of the action is If it be good conscience vvill counsel us to do it if bad to forbear it The judiciall vvitnesse of conscience about things already done is fourefold 1. To approve 2. To absolve 3. To mislike 4. To condemne I begin vvith the first the judiciall vvitnesse of conscience about things to be done or omitted vvhere I shall consider first the Office of conscience in this behalf viz. 1. To judge 2. To counsel and then the Adjuncts of conscience in discharging this office 1. Conscience judgeth of the thing to be done vvhether it be good or evil lavvfull or unlavvfull As vve trie the vveight of gold by a pair of balances so conscience trieth all our actions by Gods vvord It is the oracle of God As the Jevvs vvent to Gods oracle to enquire of the Lord so our conscience is Gods oracle to enquire of and to determine of things whether they be good or evil It is a judge in the bosome When the question in Corinth was whether women should be uncovered when they pray the Apostle sendeth them to conscience for judgement Judge in your selves saith he whether it be comely or no that is Put it to the judgement of your own consciences So say the disciples to the Jews Whether it be better to obey God or man judge ye Put it to your own consciences Thus ye see it is the office of conscience to judge of an action to be done whether it be good or bad lawfull or unlawfull 2. The second office of conscience is to counsel for the doing of that which is good and forbearing of that which is evil This is that faithfull friend in our bosome that voyce within us and behind us saying This is the way walk in it Mark the words there ye see these two offices of conscience This is the way there is the judgement of conscience and walk in it there is the counsel of conscience Nay conscience doth not onely give good counsel but if it have leave it will bring arguments to perswade to follow it it will tell us the thing is well-pleasing to God of good report that which will bring peace to our hearts And so on the contrary if it be evil conscience will counsell us to forbear yea bring arguments to disswade O do it not it will tend to the dishonour of God and be offensive to others and wound our souls c. It was conscience that withheld David from killing Saul and prest him from it by a strong argument O he is the Lords Anointed It was conscience that withheld Joseph from yielding to the enticings of his mistresse and yielded him an argument to disswade him from it How shall I do this great wickednesse and so sinne against God It was conscience that disswaded Nehemiah from flying Should such a man as I flie And if one argument will not serve conscience will use more The use of this may be first for Instruction Hence we learn that naturall men may have a conscience urging to good and restraining from evil There is no man so evil or ignorant but he hath naturally some light with him by which conscience is set on work to advise and to counsel and to say This is very good do it This is very sinfull forbear it This therefore is no signe of grace in any man to have his conscience calling upon him to do good or disswading him from evil The very heathen had so according to their light yea and in many of them it was forcible to restrain them from many sinnes which they were inclined unto And so may many men be put upon many good duties not for any love or liking of that which is good but because they would please and satisfie conscience which otherwise will not suffer them to be quiet It was conscience that kept Abimelech from defiling Sarah and yet a carnall man Here then a question may be asked Whether a mere naturall man can avoid sinne for conscience sake I
if thou hast not light in thy conscience to direct thee what wilt thou do II. An erroneous conscience SEcondly an erroneous conscience is vvhen conscience not understanding Gods lavv or misapplying it doth judge amisse and direct amisse So Josephs conscience for a while was in an errour when Mary was found vvith child His conscience informed him that he must either make her a publick example or put her away privily Here his conscience erred about this particular untill the Angel had better informed him There is a question here raised by Divines and it is Whether we ought to follow conscience erring or no A question very necessary to be handled partly because of mens ignorance in this kind and partly because of the frequency of the case I answer thus First vve must not obey conscience erring or counselling to that vvhich is evil For our errour of conscience doth not make the transgression of the lavv to be no sinne though an erroneous conscience lead us to transgresse it 1. Because the lavv of God is above conscience and therefore the commandment of Gods lavv standeth in full force though conscience command contrary to it Suppose a man should think in his conscience he might not take an oath though never so lawfully called thereunto by the magistrate and in never so necessary a case when as the word of God commandeth us to swear in truth in righteousnesse and in judgement I must follow the commandment of God rather then conscience because Gods law is above conscience 2. Because if I follovv my conscience vvhen it is in an errour I offend not onely against Gods lavv but I offend also my conscience For though for the present while conscience is erroneous it doth not take offense yet vvhen it cometh to see its ovvn errour then it will Therefore this is our first ansvver We must not obey conscience erring or counselling to that which is evil If our conscience should counsel us to tell a lie to help our neighbour that is evil and against Gods lavv and therefore if in doing it vve do obey conscience vve sinne Secondly vve answer That an erroneous conscience vvhatever it commandeth though the lavv of God commandeth the clean contrary yet vve cannot disobey it vvithout sinne For this is a constant rule We alwayes sinne vvhen vve disobey conscience If conscience erre not then in disobeying it vve sinne double against the law and against conscience if conscience do erre and vve disobey it vve sinne too for though vve do not sinne against the lavv yet vve sinne against conscience and so against the lavv too not as though vve vvere bound to obey conscience vvhen it erreth and yet vve sinne if vve disobey it Thirdly Albeit it be alvvayes a sinne to disobey conscience though it erre yet it is not alvvayes a sinne to obey conscience when it erreth Let us consider three propositions and you shall see vvhat I mean First If conscience think that to be commanded which is absolutely forbidden or that to be forbidden vvhich is expressely commanded then vve sinne vvhich side soever we take As if an ignorant man thinks in his conscience that he is bound to pray to Saints departed which thing the Lord hath expressely forbidden if this man do pray unto Saints he sinneth because the Lord hath expressely forbid him to do it if he do not pray unto Saints he sinneth too because his conscience telleth him he is commanded to pray unto them The second proposition is this If conscience hold a thing indifferent to do or not to do which yet is not indifferent but absolutely commanded then it is alwayes a sinne not to do it but it is no sinne to do it The third proposition is this If conscience hold a thing necessarie which God hath left indifferent as if a man in conscience thought that he oâ—ght to pray foure times a day which thing yet God hath left indifferent in this he is bound to obey conscience though it erre And it is no sinne to obey conscience thus erring though it be a sinne in conscience thus to erre The use of this is I. To let us see vvhat a sacred sovereigne thing a mans conscience is It is alvvayes a sinne to disobey conscience vvhether it erre or no as it is alvvayes a sinne to disobey God A man can never go against his conscience but he sinneth 1. Because conscience is our guide It is our invvard and our inseparable guide vve can never come by any direction but by conscience vve can never let in the commandment of God but onely by conscience and therefore the Lord hath made it a very sovereigne thing 2. Because vve break a commandment through the loyns of a sinne vvhen vve go against conscience Ajax light upon a beast and slevv it his conscience thought verily it vvas a man Kill it not saith conscience it is a man he goeth against his conscience and killeth it His conscience here vvas in an errour yet he as truly guilty of murder before God as if he had indeed slain a man because he slevv a man through the loyns of this beast His bloudy mind looked at a man and smote at a man and slevv a man So vvhen conscience is erroneous and thinketh this is a commandment of God it is not so but he thinketh it so in his conscience if he do contrary he breaketh a commandment though it be none because the errour of his conscience made it one to him Was not Herod truly guilty of the murder of Christ He thought in his conscience that Christ had been among the infants slain at Bethlehem Thus conscience is a sovereigne thing It is alvvayes a sinne to go against it erre or not erre and if it be a sinne to go against conscience vvhen it erreth vvhat a sinne is it to go against it vvhen it doth not erre II. This may serve for a vvord of exhortation to exhort men to bevvare lest they sinne against conscience especially vvhen conscience is in the right Conscience is as Gods face in a man when conscience looketh on thee the Lord looketh on thee It is true the Lord looketh on thee alvvayes but thou mayest see the Lords looking upon thee vvhen conscience looketh on thee And therefore thou never sinnest against conscience but thou provokest the Lord to his face vvhen not onely God seeth thee but thou seest him Thy conscience shevveth thee the Lord it presenteth God before thine eyes commanding or forbidding Wilt thou do the evil now Wilt thou omit the good duty now When conscience findeth fault thou dost novv provoke the Lord to his face If it be such a sinne to sinne against conscience in an errour it is much more a sinne to sinne against conscience it being in the right Thus much of a conscience erring III. A doubting conscience A Doubting conscience is such a conscience as so hangeth in suspense that it knoweth not which way
them and of evil and give warning to avoid them 2. As a faithfull conscience is watchfull so also it is rigid and severe In every cause it delivereth its judgement nothing can escape its sentence it will not favour our lusts in any particular If there be any opportunity of duty to God or man it maketh us to heare of it though it be such a duty as none other will call upon us for or it may be dare not put us in mind of as of love and care and help towards inferiours yet conscience will It titheth mint and cumine and will tell us of the least duty And so on the other side it will not swallow the least sinne As it will not swallow a camel so it will strain at a gâ—at A faithfull conscience is faithfull in the least If David sinne but in the lap of a garment conscience smiteth him for it It made Abraham so precise to a thread or a shoe-latchet he would not take so much as that of the king of Sodom It made Moses strict to a very hoof It made Paul find fault with the Corinthians about their hair It made Augustine condemne himself for an apple 3. As a faithfull conscience is watchfull and severe so also it is importunate in all its counsels It doth not onely deliver its judgement but doth with importunitie urge the following of its counsel It will have no nay but will be obeyed Iâ— leadeth us bound in the spirit to do it as Paul said I go bound in the spirit See how importunate this faithfull conscience was with the Psalmist I will not give sleep to mine eyes nor slumber to mine eye-lids untill I find out a place for the Lord. It will not take any nay say we whaâ— we will say we be sleepie say we be busie say we be loth and full of excuses it will be importunate and that with vehemencie It will follow a man if he will not heare it with a hue and crie of inward checks It will sometime promise sometimes threaten urge us with hope fear danger c. As we would be saved we must dâ— this As we would escape the wrath to come we must forbear that Thus importunate is a faithfull conscience I. We see here what a great blessing it is to have such a faithfull conscience such a faithfull friend in our bosome which will be carefull to tell us of all our dutie and perswade us to it and of every evil and disswade us from it It will not flatter us in any thing but tell us plainly This ye should do This ye should not do It regardeth not what pleaseth us but what is good for us that it looketh to and that it perswadeth to and that it urgeth O what a blessing is this This blessing had those willing Israelites who gave so freely and largely towards the building of the tabernacle The text saith that their heart stirred them up and their spirit made them willing Mark their heart that is their conscience stirred them up Ye have bracelets offer them saith conscience Ye have ear-rings and jewels c. part with them too saith conscience to further this pious work in hand Their spirit made them willing their faithfull friend in their bosome conscience overcame them with arguments and strong perswasions This is a great blessing to have such a faithfull conscience It will make a man part with all his lusts pride self-love covetousnesse carnall delights for Gods glorie and our own true good II. It is a signe that God meaneth well to that man to whom he hath given a faithfull conscience O this is an Angel keeper indeed Did not Christ mean well to his Church in the Canticles when he gave her such a conscience as carried her on wheels unto him Or ever I was aware my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib Return return O Shulamite return return Return return saith conscience and again Return return Hath the Lord given thee such an importunate conscience as will have no nay will not let thee alone in omitting good or committing evil will not let thee slumber and sleep in securitie but continually joggeth and awaketh thee Hath he given thee a severe a precise conscience that will not favour thee in the least evil It is a most comfortable signe that the Lord meaneth well unto thy soul III. Labour to be a friend unto conscience that it may continue faithfull unto thee True friends will deal faithfully and plainly one with another and will be importunate to do one another good Conscience will not deal thus with thee unlesse thou be a friend unto conscience Now then are we friends unto conscience when we do what conscience requireth As our Saviour said to the Disciples Ye are my friends if ye do whatever I command you So I may say of conscience For conscience if it be truly illightned will command nothing but what Christ commandeth If we deal so in our constant course with conscience be willing to hearken to it and be ruled by it then if we be out of the way now and then conscience will be true to us and be importunate with us for our good IV. Be sure thou stand not out against conscience when once it is importunate It is a great sinne to stand out against conscience though it be not importunate but it is a sinne a thousand times greater to stand out against it when it is importunate The greatest standing out against conscience is the greatest sinne it is a sinne which cometh nearest that against the holy Ghost which accompanied with some other adjuncts is the greatest standing out against conscience There is no sinne that doth more harden the heart then to do evil when conscience is importunate to disswade from it This sinne was the cause why Saul was rejected of God I forced my self saith he He forced his conscience his conscience was importunate to have him stay according to the commandment of God but he forced himself to the contrary I confesse if conscience be importunate to the utmost as it is with Gods children men cannot with any force put it by it will have no nay Sometimes it is so with the wicked in some particular thing but often conscience in them is importunate and yet will suffer it self to be born down Now to bear conscience down is a very high sinne and exceedingly hardeneth the heart therefore take heed of it VI. An Vnfaithfull conscience THus I have handled a faithfull conscience The second affection now followeth which is an Unfaithfull conscience I do not mean such an one as is overtaken with evil for the best conscience hath its failings but such a conscience as so giveth in that it suffereth a man to forsake God and to serve the devil and his own lusts This is an unfaithfull conscience and it also hath three properties 1. It is a silent
is great If I have not given my bread to the hungry or if I have rejoyced at the misery of mine enemie then let it be thus and thus to me His conscience absolved him as clear of those sinnes Nay the conscience of a child of God doth not onely absolve him from the guilt of those sinnes which he never committed but also from the guilt of those sinnes which he hath committed against God or against man It can tell him he hath truly repented and truly been humbled and truly got pardon Ye know David had committed divers sinnes yet when he had humbled his soul before God and obtained pardon his conscience telleth him as much and absolveth him Psal 103.3 Blesse the Lord O my soul c. who forgiveth all thy sinnes Nay though a child of God have many infirmities dayly and hourly yet his conscience doth absolve him It is no more I that do it saith his conscience but sinne that dwelleth in me If I distrust it is no more I for I fight against it If I be overtaken by any weaknesse it is no more I for I laboured against it and do bewail it III. A misliking conscience THe third part of consciences office in things done is to mislike if we have done ill There be imperfections in the best obedience of Gods dearest servants What I do I allow not saith Paul His conscience misliked something done by him But that mislike of conscience which now I speak of is of things that are ill done that is not done in truth and sincerity Thus it is in all that are not renewed by the holy Ghost The office of their conscience indeed is to mislike what they do When they have prayed their conscience can mislike it and say I have not prayed with a heavenly mind a holy heart When they have been at a Sacrament conscience can truly mislike it and say I have not been a fit guest at Christs table c. When they are crossed and tempted their consciences truly mislike their carriage and say I do not fight and resist but readily and willingly yield to every invitation to evil Do ye not think that Jeroboams conscience misliked his altering Gods worship his innovating religion his making Israel to sinne do not ye think his conscience misliked him for these things Do not ye think that Nabals conscience misliked his griping and Doegs conscience misliked his slandering and Pashurs conscience misliked his opposing and misusing Jeremie and the old prophets conscience misliked his lying Who would have thought but Balaam said well Whatsoever the Lord saith unto me that will I speak and I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord to do lesse or more no not for Balaks house full of gold who vvould have thought but that this was well said yet his own conscience could not choose but mislike it being not spoken in sinceritie Many a man hath gone for a Christian twentie or thirtie years and every one liketh him and yet it may be his conscience hath disliked him all the while IV. A condemning conscience THe fourth part of consciences office in this behalf is to condemne if we have done evil and contrarie to Gods law Conscience hath an office not onely to mislike us but also to condemne us nay it will hasten more to condemne us then God We see it in Adam When Adam had sinned his conscience condemned him before God did he knew he was naked that he had made his soul shamefully naked his conscience condemned him for an apostate before the Lord came to passe sentence upon him Nay it condemneth us oftner then God God will condemne a sinner but once for all viz. at the last day but conscience condemneth him many thousand times before that Many men and women who do seem godly in the worlds eyes God knoweth how many of them have condemning consciences in their bosomes for all their civilities and formalities and crying God mercie and patched up hopes many who would say that man were uncharitable who should condemne them for such and such who it may be find conscience within so uncharitable and saying plainly Ye are so like the conscience of Pauls heretick who is said to be condemned of himself I. This serveth for the praise of the justice of God That he may be just when he judgeth the Lord needeth no other witnesse against us but our own consciences they make way for the just judgement of God Ye may see this in this portion of Scripture which we have in hand wherein is shewed both that God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world vers 16. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of all men according to my Gospel and then in the verse going before the Apostle sheweth that now in the mean while every mans conscience maketh way for this just judgement of God their conscience bearing witnesse and their thoughts in the mean time accusing or excusing one another At the last day every man shall be judged according to his conscience a child of God according to his a carnall man according to his The Lord shall absolve all his children and their own consciences shall absolve them The Lord shall condemne all the rest and their own consciences shall condemne them This is the book that every mans life is set down in Every passage of conversation both of the godly and the wicked is recorded dayly in this book And according to what is written therein will the Lord judge every soul at the last day as Rev. 20.12 The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the book according to their works The Apostle there speaketh prophetically and putteth the past time for the future they were judged that is they shall be judged So that ye see that by the judgement of conscience way is made for the just judgement of God II. This should be a means to keep us from sinne and to keep us in a holy life for according to our works so will be the evidences of our consciences whether they be good or evil We had need to take heed what we write in our consciences for according to what is written there so shall we be judged Therefore if any sinne standeth upon record in our consciences we had need get it blotted out by the bloud of Christ Repent be humbled beg for pardon rest not till thou seest this debt-book conscience crossed and thy sinnes stand there cancelled and discharged THus I have shewed you the offices of conscience about things heretofore done Now let me shew you the affections of conscience in the discharge of these offices Ye have heard that conscience hath foure offices in things heretofore done 1. an office to approve 2. an office to absolve 3. an office to dislike 4. an office to condemne The two former when we have done well and lived well then the office of conscience is to approve and absolve The
man hath a conscience and the reasons why God hath given us a conscience the light that it acteth by the offices of it and the affections of it Now from all these proceed two other adjuncts of conscience 1. A quiet conscience 2. An unquiet conscience A quiet conscience COncerning a quiet conscience three things are to be considered 1. What a quiet conscience is 2. How it differeth from that quiet conscience which is in the wicked 3. The examination whether we have this quiet conscience or no. I. For the first What a quiet conscience is It is that which neither doth nor can accuse us but giveth an honourable testimony of us in the course of our lives and conversations ever since we were regenerate I put that in too for 1. we do not begin to live till we be regenerate and 2. we can never have a true quiet conscience till then Such a quiet conscience had good Obadiah I fear the Lord from my youth saith his conscience This was a very honourable testimony that his conscience gave him Such a quiet conscience had Enoch Before his translation he received this testimony that he pleased God Haymo saith this testimony was the testimony of Scripture Gen. 5.24 where it is said that he walked with God This is true but this is not all The text saith not there was such a testimony given of him but he had it and that before his translation but the testimony of Moses was after his translation Therefore it was the testimony of his conscience that bore witnesse within that he pleased God So that this is a quiet conscience which neither doth nor can accuse us but giveth an honourable testimony of us in the whole course of our life and conversation Now to such a quiet conscience there be three things necessary 1. Uprightnesse 2. Puritie 3. Assurance of Gods love and favour First uprightnesse is when a man is obedient indeed Many will be obedient but they are not obedient indeed not humbled indeed not reformed indeed What it is to be obedient indeed ye may see Exod. 23.22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voyce and do all that I shall speak c. Mark that is obedience indeed when we do all that God speaketh and are obedient in all things This is an upright conscience when the heart is bent to obedience in all things An example we meet with in Paul I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day His conscience could not accuse him of any root of wickednesse and corruption allowed and cherished in him That is an upright conscience Hast thou such a conscience as this My conscience can truly bear witnesse there is no sinne I favour my self in allow my self in but condemne all strive against all Thus David proveth that his conscience was upright If I regard iniquitie in my heart the Lord will not heare my prayer The regarding of any iniquity will not stand with uprightnesse A second thing required to a true quiet conscience is puritie Though our heart be upright and stand generally bent to the Lords will yet if we be guiltie of some particular sinne this will hinder the quiet of our conscience Therefore saith Paul I know nothing by my self that is nothing to accuse me no corruption no root of unbelief reigning in him Infirmities he had many and frailties he had many and he knew them but be knew nothing to accuse him Whatever was amisse in him his conscience told him he used all holy means against it If thy conscience can truly say thus also of thee then hast thou a truly quiet conscience Thirdly Assurance of Gods love favour and pardon Though we have fallen into great sins yet our consciences may have quiet if we can be truly assured of Gods love and favour in the pardon of them The Apostle proveth that the sacrifices of the law could not purge away sinne but onely Christs bloud can do it His argument to prove it is this Because those sacrifices could not free a man from having conscience of sinne they could not purge the conscience but Christs bloud can After assurance of pardon in Christs bloud conscience can no more condemne for sinne how many or how great soever the sinnes were which have been committed These are the three things required to a true quiet conscience Furthermore a quiet conscience implieth two things 1. A calmnesse of spirit 2. A chearfull merry and comfortable heart These two I mean when I speak of a quiet conscience 1. A calmnesse of spirit or a quietnesse of mind not troubled with the burden of sinne nor the wrath of God nor terrified with the judgements due unto sinne This quietnesse and calmnesse of spirit is promised to all them that truly hearken unto Christ and obey him Who so hearkeneth to me shall be quiet from fear of evil 2. A chearfull merry and joyfull heart When our conscience giveth a comfortable testimonie of us it cannot but make our hearts joyfull This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience saith Paul The comfortable testimony which his conscience gave of him made him to rejoyce A wicked man cannot truly rejoyce no though he be merrie and joviall and laugh yet his carnall estate is a snare he can have no true joy but the righteous sing and rejoyce Prov. 29.6 No mirth like the mirth of a good conscience All other joy is but outside painted seeming joy That is onely true joy that is rooted in the comfortable testimonie of an upright good conscience which telleth a man his peace is made with God and that whether he be in sicknesse or in health God loveth him whether he live or die he is the Lords Thus ye see what a quiet conscience is How a quiet conscience in the godly differeth from the quiet conscience that is in the wicked THe second thing propounded to be considered about a quiet conscience is How it differeth from that quiet conscience which is in the wicked 1. I confesse that the wicked seem to have a very quiet conscience Many thousands of carnall people seem to live and die in quiet Look into alehouses lewd houses into all places who so merrie and brisk and heart-whole as they say as they who have no saving grace Yet 2. this quiet conscience in them must needs differ from the quiet conscience of the children of God Certainly the Lord will not give the childrens bread unto dogs neither will he smile upon their souls neither doth he pardon the sinnes nor accept the persons of the ungodly And therefore if they have a quiet conscience it must needs differ from that in the godly Must not copper needs differ from gold And we who are the Lords messengers must teach you the difference They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane Now the question is this Wherein lieth the difference between the quiet conscience
of the righteous and the quiet conscience of the wicked Answ The difference between them lieth in foure things 1. In the thing it self 2. In the cause 3. In the effect 4. In the continuance I. In the thing it self The quiet conscience in the godly is double not onely apparentiall and nominall but reall and substantiall It is quiet and quiet too peace and peace too I create the fruit of the lips peace peace Mark peace and peace too peace in appearance and peace in truth and substance also But the peace and quiet of conscience which the wicked have is not such peace It is peace and no peace peace in appearance but no peace in truth Their god is the god of this world and he perswadeth them they have peace But my God saith the prophet speaketh otherwise There is no peace to the wicked saith my God They talk of a good conscience sometimes and boast they have a good conscience but the truth is they cannot have true peace within for saith the prophet the wicked is like the troubled sea which cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt So doth a wicked mans conscience secretly cast up mire and dirt in his face His peace can onely be outward and apparentiall II. There is a difference in the cause The quiet of a good conscience ariseth from one cause and the quiet of a bad conscience ariseth from another 1. The quiet of a good conscience ariseth from a distinct knowledge of the word of God and of the precepts and promises conteined in it But the quiet of an evil conscience ariseth from ignorance When men know not God nor his holy word which should bind conscience they fear nothing because they see nothing they know not the danger of sinne Like a blind man standing before the mouth of a cannon he feareth no danger because he seeth none so carnall men fear not because they know not what cause they have to fear Their very prayers that they make are an abomination to God and they know it not their good duties they do are all like cockatrices egs and they know it not they know not that they are in the bond of iniquitie in the snare of the devil Their consciences are quiet because they know not what cause they have to be otherwise This is one difference The quiet and peace of a good conscience ariseth from light and from knowledge the quiet and peace of an evil conscience from darknesse and ignorance 2. The quiet of a good conscience ariseth from a due examination of our selves by the word and purging of our consciences Conscience never can be good without purging and sprinkling no nor without a due examination the quiet of a good conscience ariseth from this Whereas the quiet of a wicked mans conscience ariseth from want of this He never examineth his conscience but letteth it sleep till God awake it with horrour I say a wicked mans conscience sleepeth and that maketh it quiet and he is not troubled nor molested with it Like a baillif or sergeant fallen asleep by the way the desperate debtour whom he lieth in wait for may passe by him then and find him very quiet and not offer to arrest him or like a curst dog fallen asleep a stranger may passe by him then and not be meddled with Such like is this quiet evil conscience 3. The quiet of a good conscience ariseth from a good ground from the works of Gods Spirit from true saving grace from righteousnesse Rom. 14.17 we reade of righteousnesse and peace True peace of conscience ariseth from righteousnesse Whereas the false peace of the wicked ariseth onely from vain hopes and conceits They are not guiltie of such and such great sins or They are not so bad as some others As the Pharisee's conscience was quiet why God I thank thee I am not as other men are no drunkard extortioner nor like this publicane Or perhaps from this ground their peace ariseth The Lord is very mercifull and The Lord Jesus died for sinners Or perhaps this is their plea They are good comers to church They have prayers in their families They have been professours of Christ Jesus so many years From hence they dream of peace upon false grounds whenas the way of peace they have not known When conscience shall be awaked then it will tell them how they have by flattery deceived their own souls and that having no true righteousnesse they could have no true peace 4. The quiet of a good conscience ariseth from tendernesse and from life Therefore the Apostle joyneth together life and peace Rom. 8.6 True peace of conscience ariseth from life whereas the quiet of a wicked conscience ariseth from searednesse and benumbednesse and deadnesse when men being past feeling of sinne are not troubled at the committing of it Thus ye see the second thing wherein the difference lieth namely in the cause III. They differ in the effect First The effect of the quiet of a good conscience is comfort and rejoycing Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ What followeth By whom we have accesse by faith rejoycing c. Mark The peace of conscience bringeth forth rejoycing And so in other places peace and joy are joyned together But the evil conscience though quiet wanteth this rejoycing If carnall men had no more mirth then what the quiet and peace of their consciences doth help them to they would not be so merrie as most of them be Secondly Another effect of true peace of conscience is It sanctifieth the soul it purgeth the heart purifieth the life and reformeth the whole man It is the instrument whereby God sanctifieth his people more and more The God of peace sanctifie you wholly Observe the title which the Apostle there giveth unto God when he sanctifieth his people he calleth him the God of peace he sanctifieth his people by peace It maketh them think thus We must not do thus or thus as others do we shall lose the peace of our conscience if we do This maketh them strive against sinne denie their own wills and carnall appetites If I should not do so I should have no peace This peace sanctifieth But the peace which carnall men seem to have doth not sanctifie the soul they are never the more holy for the same Again another effect of the peace of a good conscience is to put life into us in the performance of good duties it maketh us with gladnesse and delight perform the duties of our generall and particular callings But the false peace of an evil conscience suffereth the wicked to be dead and dull to good duties The true peace keepeth our hearts and our minds We should lose our minds in the things of this life but this peace doth keep them upon God we should lose our hearts upon our profits and pleasures and affairs in the world but the peace of conscience doth keep them
men thou hast honour enough if thou hast this peace Rom. 2.10 To every one that doth good glory and honour and peace Mark how it is accompanied namely with glory and honour But shame and confusion and dishonour is upon all them that have it not III. Examination Whether we have a quiet conscience COncerning a quiet conscience I propounded three things 1. What it is 2. How it differeth from that quiet conscience that is in the wicked 3. The examination whether we have this quiet conscience yea or no. The two former we have handled already namely What a quiet conscience is and How it differeth from that quiet conscience which is in the wicked Let us passe on now unto the third namely to an examination of our selves whether we have a true quiet conscience yea or no. A quiet good conscience is such a marvellous blessing that it cannot possibly be but we must like it and wish O that we had it Let us then examine our selves and see whether we have it or no. Many have peace and quietnesse as hath been shewed alreadie arising from false grounds they have peace of conscience because they know not what belongeth to trouble of conscience or if they know that a little as some of the wicked do yet they do not consider that sorrow which one â—â—y will burst in upon them and sink them uttâ—rly Let us trie then our peace by these notes I. Iâ— the quiet of our consciences be good it is such as we have carefully sought for at the mercies of God in the bloud of Jesus Christ when being pinched with the burden of our sinnes we did fly to the promises of God to seek comfort to the bloud of Christ to find ease and to get assurance of Gods favour If our peace come not this way it is naught and we were better to be without it then have it It may be we speak peace to our selves but doth the Lord speak peace to our consciences I will heare what the Lord will speak for he shall speak peace to his people and to his saints but let them not turn again to folly for that will break all their peace O go to God then and heare whether he speaketh peace to your consciences whether it be God in Christ reeonciling the world to himself that speaketh it to you It is not true peace without we have sought for it at the throne of grace without it be peace of Gods making Now the Lord speaketh peace to his people who come to him for peace three wayes 1. He speaketh peace to them by his word This speaking is thus When the word promiseth peace to those who walk by such a rule and they walk by that rule then Gods word speaketh peace to their souls The rule is set down Gal. 6.15 In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature and then followeth As many as walk according to this rule peace be upon them 2. God speaketh peace to his people in their consciences This speaking is thus When the conscience can say I am in Christ I am engraffed into Christ then the Lord speaketh peace by the conscience peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus so also when the conscience can say I hunger after righteousnesse I truly mourn for sinne I desire in all my wayes to please God Thirdly God speaketh peace by his Spirit This speaking is thus When the word hath spoken peace by the promise and when the conscience speaketh I am thus and thus qualified and therefore I have peace then the Spirit of God cometh in and witnesseth Yea you say right peace belongeth unto you indeed and I say Amen to it When the Spirit of God doth say thus then the Lord speaketh peace to the soul The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace Peace is the fruit of the Spirit it speaketh it to the soul breedeth it in the soul Now beloved examine your selves Is your peace of this stamp do ye seek it of God and get it in the bloud of Christ Jesus do ye get it by the word and by your truespeaking conscience and by the holy Spirit of God If ye get it on this wise then it is true peace of conscience indeed If ye get it by your own vain hopes and by your good meanings c. this peace will not hold alwayes when your consciences come to be awaked your peace will all vanish away and be no more This is the first note to try and examine your selves by II. If our quiet and peace of conscience be good it is accompanied with such a life as is agreeable to the will of God it avoideth sinne as the thing that disturbeth the peace How can any man have true peace of conscience when his life doth not please God but provoketh his wrath against him It cannot be that he should have true peace who in his heart doth regard sinne There is no peace to the wicked saith my God No whereever true peace of conscience doth inhabit it dwelleth with godlinesse of life and unblamablenesse of conversation as the Apostle Peter joyneth them together 2. Pet. 3.14 Wherefore beloved seeing ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse Mark the words In peace without spot and blamelesse If ever we would be found in true peace we must live without spot and blamelesse A wicked mans conscience may seem to have peace and tell him he hath served God This day I have paid my vowes saith the conscience of the whore but this is a rotten and deceitfull peace True peace of conscience is ever accompanied with such a kind of life as is agreeable to the will of God in his word III. If our peace be good it will make us endure to heare any point in Gods word with joy and delight A wicked heart can heare points of mercie and comfort with joy so long his peace lasteth Every man that calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved If we confesse our sinnes God is just to forgive us our sinnes If any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Whoever shall confesse that Jesus is the Sonne of God God dwelleth in him and he in God Such points as these a wicked heart can reade with delight though if they were truly opened and expounded they would yield him cold comfort yet he can heare them with delight in the lump But if a searching point or some terrible point cometh he is afraid to heare that Ahab had a quiet conscience but onely when Michaiah did preach Felix had a quiet conscience no doubt yet he trembled to heare Paul preach of death and of judgement Acts 24.25 One would have thought that Paul a prisoner should rather have been afraid but Paul had true peace of conscience and therefore he could think and speak of death with
conscience will be worth then When Paul was accused and hardly thought of by some of the Corinthians this was his comfort I know nothing by my self saith his conscience I count it a very sâ—all thing to be judged of you Nay he goeth further His conscience telleth him he hath the Lord Jesus who justifieth him to judge him he hath a sweeter Judge then his own conscience even his Saviour to judge him O there is no created comfort in the world like the comfort of a peaceable conscience The heathen Menaâ—der could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conscience is a little pettie god We may not give it such a big title but this is most certain The conscience is Gods echo of peace to the soul in life in death in judgement it is unspeakable comfort Is there any then that want this Let them above all things labour to get it It is more worth then all things else Whatever we neglect let us not neglect this It is safer to neglect bodie health means maintenance friends and all that ever we have in the world then to neglect this The more we have the worse it is for us if we have not this Had we all this worlds good it is like a stone in a serpents head or a toads head or a pearl in an oyster not our perfection but our disease Again you who have a peaceable conscience 1. Labour to maintain it Be often in communion with God be not strangers to him the light of whose countenance is the peace of your souls It is the walking with God that breedeth true peace and preserveth it It is said of Levi that he walked with God in peace O let us stirre up our selves to walk close with God that so we may have peace No sweet peace but in so doing 2. We must take heed we do not trouble nor disquiet it that we do not resist it or offer violence unto it by committing sinne against the peace of it but endeavour to maintain the peace of it by obeying the voyce of it Get the fear of God which is wisdome and to depart from evil which is true understanding All her paths are peace Prov. 3 17. We cannot walk in any one path of true wisdome but we shall find in it peace There is peace in humilitie and peace in charity and peace in godlinesse and peace in obedience c. Break any of these things and ye break the peace Ye heare what an admirable thing the peace of conscience is O then if ye have it make much of it nay if ye have it ye will for certain make much of it The very having of it will teach you the worth of it and learn you to prize it and make you above all things unwilling to leave it And thus much of the first viz. a quiet conscience An unquiet conscience I Have already handled a quiet conscience I come now to speak of a troubled and unquiet conscience Concerning which I shall shew you three things 1. What it is 2. The degrees of it 3. The difference of the trouble that may be in a good and that may be in a bad conscience I. What a troubled conscience is It is a conscience accusing for sinne and affrighting with apprehensions of Gods wrath And here I would have you consider two things 1. What are the causes of it 2. Wherein it consisteth First The causes of it are these five 1. The guilt of sinne When a man hath done evil and his conscience doth know it then doth the conscience crie guiltie when he knoweth it saith the text then he shall be guilty This is it which woundeth and pierceth conscience this is the sad voyce of conscience Like Judas I have sinned in betraying the innocent bloud Like Cain My sinne is greater then can be forgiven So the brethren of Joseph We are guilty say they concerning our brother It is like the head of an arrow sticking in the flesh or like a dreadfull object continually presenting it self before our eyes My sinne is ever before me saith David When we have transgressed Gods law and our conscience can cry guiltie when the guilt of sinne lieth upon conscience this is one cause of the trouble of it 2. Another cause is the apprehension of Gods wrath for sinne When knowing that we have sinned and offended God we apprehend his wrath in our minds and behold the revenging eye of his justice against us This is a very grievous thing so terrible that no man or angel is able to abide it As we see the kings and potentates the mighty men of the earth call for the mountains to fall upon them and the hills to cover them from the wrath of God Rev. 6.15 16. When we have incurred Gods displeasure and our consciences see it when his anger resteth upon us and our consciences feel it this is another cause of the trouble of conscience 3. A third cause of the trouble of conscience is the fear of death and of hell When we know we have offended Gods law and we know also what our sinnes do deserve namely death and judgement aad damnation for ever this doth most trouble and disquiet conscience when it fastneth on the apprehension of it The Apostle calleth it a fearfull looking for of judgement When conscience looketh for nothing else but for hell and damnation this must needs trouble conscience 4. Another cause is privative want of supportance when God doth withhold from conscience the help of his Spirit Ye know the Spirit can inable conscience to undergo all its troubles the Spirit can prompt it with mercies and the promises of God and hold it up but when the Lord bereaveth the conscience of this help and doth not at all support it this must needs also trouble conscience 5. When God doth fasten on the conscience such thoughts as may affright and terrifie it as thus God doth not love me Christ will not own me I have sinned I am a reprobate past hope c. When such thoughts as these fasten on the conscience it cannot choose then but be troubled Thus I have shewed you what are the causes of the trouble of conscience Secondly This trouble of conscience consisteth in two things First in want of comfort It cannot apply to it self neither the promises of this life nor of that which is to come Conscience crieth This belongeth not to me This mercy this comfort is not my portion Secondly In a terrour and anguish of mind from these three heads 1. From the guilt of sinne 2. From the apprehension of Gods wrath 3. From fear of death and of judgement This is the three-stringed whip wherewith conscience is lashed These ye shall find upon the conscience of Adam and Eve when they had sinned against God Their conscience was whipped 1. With the guilt of sinne they saw they were naked Gen. 3.7 2. With the apprehension of Gods wrath they hid themselves from the
should not be so apt to think themselves forsaken of God by reason of temptations as sometimes they are they should rather count it joy as James speaketh chap. 1.2 But yet many of the wicked despair finally by this means Because they do so often fall into temptations therefore they conclude they are forsaken of God 3. Ignorance of Gods word When the guiltinesse of sinne meeteth with minds not instructed in the doctrine of free grace and reconciliation by Christ this is a cause of despair 4. So also inured custome of sinning is another cause When men are often quickned and grow dead again then quickned again for a fit and then hardned again in the end they fall to despair These and the like are the causes of despairing consciences And thus I have shewed also the second thing propounded to be handled namely the sundry degrees of troubled consciences III. The third thing is the difference between the troubled conscience in the godly and in the wicked The consciences of Gods children may be troubled and are many times and the consciences of the wicked they are troubled too now the question is How do they differ I answer 1. That trouble in the conscience of wicked men is accompanied with impenitency and sometimes with blasphemy I would I were able to resist God saith Francis Spira like those in the Revelation who blasphemed God because of their torments Sometimes it is accompanied with cursings as Isai 8.21 sometimes with infinite murmuring But in Gods children it is not so When their conscience is troubled they justifie God and clear God and give him the glory of all and submit under his hand and subdue their hearts unto him as David in his trouble did not fret and murmure against God but saith he If God have no pleasure in me lo here I am let him do with me what seemeth him good So that the trouble of conscience in the children of God and in the wicked doth much differ in this first respect 2. The trouble of conscience in the wicked ariseth onely from the apprehension of Gods wrath and fear of judgement for sinne not for the sinne it self and from the love of holinesse But that in Gods children ariseth chiefly for sinne and the want of the apprehension of Gods love unto them How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever how long wilt thou hide thy face from me Psal 13.1 Mark whence the trouble of the Psalmist came This was his trouble that God did hide his face 3. Trouble of conscience in the wicked never maketh them part with sinne never breedeth a hatred of sinne in them but that in Gods children doth True it is that a wicked mans troubled conscience may make him vomit up his sinne like a dog that vomiteth up his troublesome meat but he doth not vomit up his stomach to that meat for when the trouble is over he returneth to his vomit again So a carnall man returneth to his deadnesse of heart again and to his securitie again when the trouble is over Pharaoh whilest his conscience was troubled at the sense of Gods judgements O then saith he I have sinned I pray Moses let me have your prayers and I will let you go If the children of Israel could have packed up and departed while this trouble had lasted they might have been gone But when he saw there was respite he hardned his heart again Mark His trouble of conscience did not make him part with his sinne But that in Gods children doth 4. That in the wicked driveth them from God They have little heart to come unto him They see nothing but wrath and they rather go about to seek ease in other things then to seek his favour as Saul sought ease in musick and Cain in building castles and cities and Judas in a desperate course Their trouble fetcheth them not to God But the trouble in Gods children worketh otherwise In the midst of trouble of conscience they rest upon God as Heman crieth O Lord God of my salvation in the midst of the troubles of his soul The eyes of Gods children are still towards heaven they think still they should have some help from God They pray and cry and though God seemeth to neglect them yet they cannot give over They will not be beaten off from waiting on God when he will speak comfort to them 5. That trouble that is in the wicked maketh their heart sullen but that in the godly melteth their heart My soul is like melting wax saith David in his troubles of conscience His soul melted before God and was even poured out before him Psal 22.13 This is a kindly working Thus ye see the difference Vses 1. BY this we see what a miserable thing it is to have such a troubled conscience It is the greatest misery that can be it is even a hell to men here upon earth it is like a dismall ghost to terrifie the soul it is like a burning furnace in the bosome it maketh the life bitter In a word the spirit of man is not able to bear it The spirit of man will sustein its infirmities but a wounded spirit who can bear As long as a mans spirit is sound it will bear any thing Some have born agues fevers stones colicks convulsions rackings torturings as long as a mans spirit is sound he is able to bear any of them all of them but a wounded spirit who can bear Never was there man that was able to bear a wounded spirit We may see by many of Gods children how heavy it is David rored with the anguish of it a strange phrase Heman was ready even to runne out of his wits with it While I suffer thy terrours saith he I am distracted Psal 88.15 Moses putteth himself into the number We are even consumed by thine anger Psal 90.7 Ethan complaineth that it was like a burning fever How long O Lord wilt thou hide thy face for ever shall thy wrath burn like fire Psal 89.46 If it be thus with Gods children what may we think of the wicked If we could search into the bosomes of some wicked men who are enemies to God then we might see and understand the true weight and burden of this troubled conscience Cain crieth out of more then he can bear Judas thought to find more ease in hell then in his own heart So terrible was the torture of his troubled conscience that he murdered himself thinking verily that hell could not be worse 2. See here what an infinite misery every sinner shall one day be in Though he be not troubled with this harpye for the present though he be not yet gastered with this furious hag yet the day will come when he shall I say the time will come when all ye that are wicked shall be haunted with this hellish agony of a troubled conscience either here before ye die or when ye die or at the furthest when your souls are
what his decree and purpose is from eternitie As soon as an arrow is shot into the conscience and the conscience cometh to be humbled commonly the heart layeth about it Anâ— how if God have reprobated me and what if he have appointed me to wrath how then Beloved ye must take heed of this If your hearts fasten upon reprobation that will marre all that will quite discourage a poore soul from going to God 2. Understand the word right Do not think that because God hath not in particular named thee therefore he hath excluded thee Gods promises are made in generall to all that believe and they are to be applyed in particular to all them that believe why then shouldst thou exclude thy self when God doth not exclude thee Wouldst thou have Christ Christ to justifie thee Christ to sanctifie thee Christ to rule thee Wouldst thou be under Christs regiment and live at his will Come and welcome no soul is excepted Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Ye see there is a Quicunque vult Whosoever will Indeed if thou hast not a will to be in Christ but thou wilt do thus and thus and thou wilt have thy will and this lust and that friend and such a course and Tush this is too strict nay if you be there thou art not for Christ I have nothing for thee but hell and damnation But if thou wouldst have Christ indeed and be in Christ indeed thy heart in Christ thy will in Christ thy whole self in Christ then arise he calleth thee Thus understand the word right the gospel doth not exclude thee whosoever thou art 3. Thou must not for fear of shame or losse c. keep from restitution wheresoever thou hast done wrong or satisfaction wheresoever thou hast cozened or reformation wheresoever thou art accustomed to any evil or the doing any thing that may procure ease and quiet to thy conscience It may be one is troubled in conscience for his wronging his neighbour in twentie pounds and if he would make restitution he might have sound peace but he will not no he daubeth up his conscience some other way Another it may be suffereth disorders in his familie and foul abuses which if he would redresse he might have peace but he will not Another if he would down with his pride another if he would be acquainted with Gods servants or if he would take any pains in good duties be more diligent for the work of repentance c. but these things will not be done Men plaister up their consciences I know not how some other way and so go to hell for not taking the right way But if any of you be troubled in conscience keep back nothing hold back nothing that may make for your true peace and quiet 4. Thou must wait on God Cast thy self at his feet humbly desire him to give thee the true peace of conscience But wait Gods leisure knowing thou hast deserved to be utterly deprived of it and thus doing thou shalt find it to thy great comfort at last Blessed are all they that wait for him that is when the Lord will be mercifull He will do it with judgement he will do it when it may do thee the most good when it may bring himself most glorie therefore it is fit thou shouldst wait for his time of comforting Now because many do misconstrue this waiting Gods leisure As for example one is dead to all good duties O â—aith he I wait the Lords leisure till he quicken me My heart is much hardned saith another but I wait the Lords leisure till he be pleased to soften it Thus men are lazie in the mean while and yet they think they wait the Lords leisure O beloved this is not the waiting the Lord meaneth this will not stay conscience conscience is guiltie for all this waiting therefore I beseech you consider what waiting I mean 1. Wait upon the Lord and keep his way thou dost not wait else unlesse thou keep praying and striving and meditating and enquiring and watching thine own heart lest it should slip aside 2. Thou must wait as a servant waiteth upon his master If his master calleth he cometh if he sendeth he goeth if he beckeneth he taketh notice So thou must wait As servants wait upon their masters so our eyes wait upon the Lord till he have mercie upon us Be obedient in the mean time go when he sendeth come when he calleth observe when he beckeneth be diligent to be doing his pleasure 3. Thou must wait onely upon God not upon thy lusts too and upon other things too but thou must wait onely upon God My soul wait thou onely upon God saith David Psal 62.5 If thou wait upon any thing else this is not to wait upon God One waiteth a time to be revenged another waiteth a time to satisfie this or that lust this is not to wait upon God at all 4. Take heed of healing thy self and comforting thy self or daubing up thy conscience thy self If thou dost so thou dost not wait upon God to do it If thou dost it thy self and snatchest at comfort thy self before he do give it then thou dost not wait till he give it Suppose a man hath done thee an injury the Lord he will right thee if thou wilt wait but if thou go and recompense evil for evil and right thy self thou dost not wait upon God as Solomon adviseth Say not thou I will recompense evil but wait on the Lord and he will save thee Mark thou must not save thy self thine own credit c. by revenging but wait on God for all So here if thy conscience be troubled thou must wait upon God to comfort it If thou goest and daubest up the matter thy self and criest Peace peace to thy self thou dost not wait upon God Thus I have answered the last question How if a man have a burdened and troubled conscience what must such a man do to be freed from it And hitherto we have spoken of the two last adjuncts of conscience a Quiet conscience and an Unquiet conscience What they be and How they differ and we have resolved and answered the questions and difficulties about them Conscience beareth witnesse of our persons COncerning the witnesse of conscience I told you that conscience beareth witnesse of two things 1. It beareth witnesse of our actions 2. It beareth witnesse of our persons The former hath been declared unto you at large I come now to the latter Conscience beareth witnesse also of our persons whether we be good or evil whether in Christ or in sinne And here I will shew you foure things 1. That every mans conscience may inform him what state he is in whether of salvation or damnation whether of grace or of nature 2. How conscience doth it 3. When conscience doth it 4. How it cometh to passe then that so many thousands mistake and are ignorant and deluded about their estates
set upon things that are spirituall therefore I have life and peace So conscience also judgeth of the state of sinne Those that live after the flesh shall die saith the word But saith conscience my life is led after the flesh and the lusts of it therefore I shall die He that believeth not is condemned already saith the word But saith conscience I do not believe therefore I am in the state of condemnation The word saith A good tree bringeth forth good fruit and a corrupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit But saith conscience my works and my courses are corrupt and naught therefore so is my heart Thus ye see that conscience doth it by reasoning And this conscience can very well do 1. Because conscience hath a very good judgement It is a very wise and judicious facultie in the soul of man Some make it an act of judgement We do not take it so It is not an act of judgement but it is a reflexive facultie of the soul having a very good judgement Whether it be right to obey you rather then God judge ye saith Peter Acts 4.19 appealing to their own consciences to judge in the point So that conscience is a facultie of a good judgement Now if it be judicious it must needs be able to reason and to argue about our estates and find out whether they be good or no. It is the judgement of man that is able to argue and able to hold an argument We thus judge saith the Apostle that if one died for all then are all dead 2. Cor. 5.14 Mark His proposition he would prove was That all the believers in Christ are dead to themselves and alive unto God Now ye may see how his judgement maketh here an argument If Christ died for them all then they are all dead but Christ died for them all therefore they are all dead Judgement is able to make arguments and therefore if conscience be a reflexive faculty that hath a very good judgement it must needs be able to frame arguments and so make out what our estates are 2. Because there is naturall logick in every mans conscience It can frame syllogismes thus As many as be led by the spirit of God are the sonnes of God saith the word But saith a godly mans conscience I am led by Gods spirit and I am carefull to follow the leading of Gods holy spirit therefore I am one of Gods sonnes And so on the other side Ye will say How can a countrey-mans conscience make syllogismes It is onely for scholars and such as have studied logick in the schools to make syllogismes I answer It is true Artificiall logick is onely among scholars But there is naturall logick in conscience which doth not stand upon forms The godly people at Rome were never brought up at Universitie yet the Apostle telleth them they had logick enough to argue themselves to be dead unto sinne and alive unto God through Christ Likewise also saith he reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exercise so much logick in your selves Like good logicians prove your selves to be dead unto sinne and alive to God So that ye see there is naturall logick in conscience and therefore conscience is able to frame arguments about our estate and to inform us what it is III. The third thing I propounded to consider is When conscience doth this This is a very necessarie point and indeed so they are all but this more especially I have shewed that conscience is able to inform us what estate we are in whether of grace or nature but when doth it perform this I answer I need not so much speak of the godly because they do mark conscience But let me speak of such as are foolish disobedient serving divers lusts who never had yet the washing of regeneration nor the renewing of the holy Ghost I answer about them 1. Their conscience must needs have a time when to do it I do remember my faults this day saith Pharaohs butler Gen. 41.9 His conscience did inform him and there was a time when his conscience did inform him 2. Conscience would choose a time by it self it would inform a wicked man solemnly and punctually of his rotten and cursed estate he is in I say it would have a solemn time by it self for this if it could have it but a wicked man taketh an order with his conscience that it shall not tell him solemnly how it is with him neither will he find a time to suffer it As it was with Felix When his conscience began to grumble against him when Paul had told him of righteousnesse and of judgement he trembled his conscience began to stirre and would then have solemnly dealt with him indeed but he shuffled it off and would not find time Go thy way at this time saith he to Paul I will heare thee at a more convenient time And so he said to his conscience too Conscience would take a solemn and set time to inform men what their estates are but men will not suffer them and therefore conscience is fain to take such sudden times as it can get Ye will ask What times be they I answer First when conscience interlineth As for example in the hearing of the word While men are hearing the word it may be the preacher preacheth of holinesse and a wicked man heareth it But I have it not saith his conscience Mark his conscience interlineth It may be the preacher is preaching how desperately carelesse men are of their souls how they look to every thing more then to them conscience interlineth This is my case It may be he is preaching against adulterie This sinne I have committed saith a guiltie conscience or against rushing upon Gods ordinances without preparation This is my constant course saith an evil mans conscience It may be the preacher is preaching of conversion and becoming a new creature in Christ This I am yet to seek in saith conscience Thus conscience interlineth Though the man heareth on and it may be taketh little to heart yet conscience interlineth a sudden information of his wretched estate Like a biâ—d that flieth by or like a swift-shot arrow that is presently out of sight so it may be a man taketh very litâ—le notice of it Like the forenamed Felix as Paul was preaching of righteousnesse and temperance I have it not saith his conscience and of judgement to come What shall I do then saith his conscience Thus conscience interlined and made him tremble on a sudden like a sudden shivering of a cold or a sudden startle of a man affrighted and away it was gone quickly I beseech you observe your own bosomes Do ye not feel this now and then at a sermon when ye heare it do not your consciences interline our sermons and put in parentheses now and then When ye
they were convicted of their consciences their consciences dealt honestly with them and told them the truth that they were wicked sinners themselves This is the naturall goodnesse in conscience 2. A renewed good conscience I call it a renewed good conscience because when a man is renewed all the man is renewed all his mind and the spirit of it is renewed Ephes 4.23 That ye may be renewed in the spirit of your mind If the man be renewed all the mind must be renewed and therefore the conscience must be renewed too for the mind and the conscience ever go together nay conscience is mainly seated in the mind and therefore if the mind be renewed so is the conscience and if the mind be defiled so is the conscience To them that are defiled is nothing pure but their minds and consciences are defiled Mark When they are defiled they are defiled together so when they are washed and renewed they are washed and renewed together Now this renewed conscience is either perfect or defective 1. Perfect I mean not perfect in every degree of goodnesse For so no mans conscience in the world is perfect But I mean perfect in every part and condition of goodnesse 2. A defective good renewed conscience is that which faileth in some conditions of goodnesse We call it a weak conscience which is apt to be polluted and defiled again 1. Cor. 8.7 Their conscience being weak is defiled This is a defective good conscience a conscience renewed but imperfectly renewed I. To a good conscience that is soundly renewed five things are necessary 1. Knowledge of Gods will and that which doth follow the true knowledge of his will namely true humiliation and fear By nature the conscience is blind and sturdy and venturous and therefore it is necessary that it should be illightened to understand the will of God and to presse it and again it is necessary that the heart should be humbled or else it will not stoop to Gods will and it is necessary also that this holy fear should fall upon the heart that it may not dare to transgresse S t Peter being to speak of a good conscience premiseth all these as necessarie thereunto First he adviseth that Christians have knowledge to be able to give a reason of the hope that is in them and then that they should have meeknesse and fear for to do it with meeknesse and fear saith he having a good conscience Mark Knowledge and meeknesse and fear are required to make a good conscience without them the conscience cannot be good By nature we are all blind and stubborn and fearlesse of sinning and therefore till we be cured of these evils our consciences cannot be good 2. The second thing is a watchfulnesse and warfare against sinne This is required too to a renewed good conscience By nature we are drowsie and carelesse and secure and do not stand upon our guard to wage warre against our lusts and the desires of our flesh and so long our consciences can never be good and therefore this spirituall watchfulnesse and mainteining warre against sinne is required to the having a good conscience That thou maist warre a good warrefare saith Paul to Timothie having faith and a good conscience 1. Tim. 1.18 19. Some who seemed to have a good conscience because they did not maintein this holy warfare against sinne and the flesh they have lost it Therefore this is another requisite required to a good conscience 3. The third is tendernesse of conscience By nature our hearts are seared and dead and unclean and therefore we must get us tender and pure hearts if we would have good renewed consciences The end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and good conscience and faith unfeigned 1. Tim. 1.5 See how the Apostle compoundeth them together a pure heart and a good conscience We must get our hearts purged and quickened that they may be sensible of the least evil and then our consciences will be good and be as a bridle to hold us from evil A hard heart and a good conscience can never stand together 4. The fourth is the cleannesse of conscience by the washing of Christs bloud This is the main and the principall of all Yea indeed the bloud of Christ is the sole and onely cause of a good conscience I would not be mistaken I named indeed other causes Knowledge and Humbling and a holy Fear a Combat against sinne and Tendernesse but I do not mean as though a good conscience were partly beholding to them and partly to Christs bloud For it is wholly and onely beholding to Christs bloud for its goodnesse his bloud is the onely price of it But my meaning is this That though Christs bloud be the one onely cause of redemption yet in the application of redemption the Lord useth all those forenamed graces while he applieth it to the conscience Therefore this now I adde The washing of Christs bloud this is chiefly required to the goodnesse of conscience We have two places of Scripture to prove it The one Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the bloud of Christ purge your consciences from dead works It is that onely can do it The other text is 1. Pet. 3.21 The answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ Where the Apostle first giveth this title to a renewed conscience to be called a good conscience Secondly he nameth the cause that maketh it to be good the power of Christs resurrection When the resurrection of Christ Jesus is powerfull upon us then conscience becometh good 5. The fifth is quietnesse By nature nothing is so fierce and violent if it be once awaked as conscience is O it is unspeakably furious Thus is conscience by nature and therefore it can never be good untill we get it appeased with the assurance of the pardon of our sinnes and so true peace and comfort established in it This is the reason why the Scripture joyneth a good conscience and faith so often together as 1. Tim. 3.9 Holding the mysterie of faith in a pure conscience It cannot be a pure or good conscience if faith be not held in it As long as the conscience is not underpropped by faith the conscience must needs be in a wildernesse Perhaps my sinnes are imputed unto me perhaps they are pardoned Perhaps they are covered perhaps not As long as the conscience lieth under these uncertainties it cannot be firm and soundly good indeed therefore we must labour for assurance of pardon by faith Thus much of a good renewed conscience that is perfectly and soundly renewed II. Secondly There is a good conscience renewed but not soundly renewed very much as yet defective and imperfect The former conscience is called conscientia firma a firm conscience This is called conscientia infirma an infirm conscience Rom. 15.1 We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak This infirm conscience is a good
corruptions as these So also when there was want of love and unitie and affection between one another among the Ephesians S t Paul telleth them of their Baptisme O saith he There is one God one faith one baptisme As if he should say This is contrarie to your baptisme Ye were all baptized with one baptisme and do not ye live in peace and is there not unitie of spirit one with another among you What and were all baptized with one baptisme Beloved ye never do that which is not good but ye go clean contrarie to your Baptisme What were ye baptized into Christ and do thus baptized into Christ and pray thus baptized into Christ and heare the word of Christ thus serve God no better then thus Your Baptisme bindeth you in conscience against every sinne and every evil way O let us take it to heart and consider it FINIS Ille verè Scripturas legit qui verba vertit in opera * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à sanandis omnibus morbis * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Laetitia bonae consciâ—ntiae paradisus est animâ—rum gâ—udium angelorum hortus deliciarum ager benedictionis templâ—m Solâ—mâ—mâ— aula Dei habitaculum Spiritús sancti Bernard * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Multi Christianum nomen ad judicium habene non ad remedium Domus animae Guil. Parisiens * Dum tempora superiora cum nostris comparo dicere consuevi plus illos conscientiae scientiae minus babuisse nos contrà scientiae plus conscientiae minus habere Beza * Prejudicium judicii Tertull. * Unicuique liber est propria conscientia ad hunc librum discutiendum emendandum omnes alii invenli sunt Praelucendo pereo * Tanta est dulcedo coelestiâ— gaudii ut si una guttula difflueret in infernum totam amaritudinem inferni absorboret What a mans estate before God is Rom. 16 1â— Ephes 4.18 Gen. 13.13 Luke 1.6 Observ Ministers are to enquire after the estate of their people Reasons 1. Prov. 27.23 1. Thess 3.5 3. Philip 2.19 Col. 4.8 Vses 1. Instruct Jer. 8.12 2. Reproof Isai 30.10 3. Exhortation 1. Observ Acts 8.23 Rom. 16.7 Matth. 25.32 2. Prop. Eâ—eâ—â—ion maâ— be kâ—own Shrewd signes of it That a man may know his estate proved Reasons 1. 1. John 3.8 1. John 3.3 II. Exod. 9.27 Psal 86.2 III. Matth. 3.7 8 Eph. 2.3 Phil. 3.17 1. Cor. 1.26 3. Vse 1. Of Instruction It is every mans duty to enquire after his estate Maâ—tâ— 15.14 Reasons 2. Cor. 13.5 Rom. 5.1 Joâ— 22.21 1. Cor. 11.28 Lam. 3 40. Gaâ— 6.4 Vse 2. Of Direction Means to know what estate we are in Matth. 7.17 Psal 119.112 1. Cor. 2.11 Prov. 20 27. Luke 24.32 Eph. 4.19 Vse 3. Impediments Jer. 4.14 Rev. 3.17 Luke 21.34 John 3.20 Rom. 3.11 Vse 4. Of Exhortation What Conscience is Rev. 19.10 Matth. 8.29 1. Cor. 11.31 Foure Propositions 1. There is in every man a conscience John 8.9 2. Cor. 1.12 Tit. 1.15 Reasons 1. 2. Vse 1. Mar. 9.44 Vse 2. 1. Cor. 11.28 verse 13. Vse 3. Prov. 14.13 Gen. 4.5 Vse 4. II. proposition Psal 18.23 Josh 7.20 1. Cor. 6.9 Luke 23.34 John 16.2 Vse 1. Vse 2. III. Proposition The office of Conscience is to bear witnesse Rom. 9.5 Foure Properties of Conscience 1. Joâ—n 2.4 Job 13.3 Vse Of Consciences single bearing witnesse Gen. 41.9 Judg. 1.7 Rom. 2.16 Psal 119.77 Ob. 1. Jer. 17.9 Answ Psal 30.6 Ob. 2. Answ Vse 1 Vse 2. Isai 38 3. 2. The judicâ—all bearing witnesse of conscience Vse 1. Matth. 5.6 1. Pâ—t 1.01 Vâ—e 2. Vse 3. 2. Cor. 1.12 1. Conscience judgeth 1. Cor. 11.13 2. Conscience counselleth Isai 30.21 1. Sam. 24.10 Nehem. 6.11 Vse 1. Object Answ Rom. 13.5 1. Pâ—t 2.19 Vse 2. 1 Sam. 24.10 Psal 4.4 Jer. 31.19 Job 27.6 Vse 3. 1. Sam. 23.2 Prov. 19.20 Vse 4. The adjuncts of conscience 1. An illightened conscience Vse 1. Psal 119.105 Vse 2. 2. An erroneous conscience Matth. 1 19. Quest Answ 2. 3. Vse 1. Vse 2. Isa 65.3 3. A doubting conscience Rom. 14.23 Rule 1. Rule 2. Rule 3. 4 A scrupulous conscience Quest. Answ Deut. 13.1 2 3 4. Vse 1. Vse 2. Prov. 29.1 Means to get knowledge 1. Psal 119 73. 2. Psal 25.9 3. Vse 3. Antonius Vse 4. 1. John 3.21 Matth. 5.23 5. A faithfull conscience Prov. 20.6 Properties 1. It is watchfull Psal 119.39 1. Cor. 9.22 2. Pet. 1.12 2. It is severe Luke 16.10 3. It is importunate Acts 20.22 Psal 132.4 Vse 1. Exod. 35.21 Vse 2. Cant. 6.12 13. Vse 3. John 15.14 Vse 4. Maxima violaâ—io consciâ—nâ—iae â—st maximepecâ—atum 1. Sam. 13.12 6. An unfaithfull conscience Properties thereof 1. It is silent Mâ—â—h 7.3 â— It is large 2. Kings 10. â—â— 3. It is remisse Deut. 29.19 Vse 2. Kings 7.9 Quest. Answ 1. Pet. 2.15 Fâ—â—d 10.29 Rom. 9.1 2. Tim. 4.7 8 1. Joâ—n 3.14 Luke 2.29 1. Sam. 12.3 Rom. 7.15 Gen 3.7 Tit. 3.11 Use 1. Rom. 2.15 Vse 2. 1. A tender conscience 1. Sam. 24 5â— 1. Sam. 6.19 Numb 15.32 36. 2. A sleepy conscience Matth. 11.28 3. A benumbed conscience Rom. 1.32 4. A seared conscience Use 1. Kings 18.12 Hâ—b 11.5 Dieâ—nte scripturâ inquit ille Acts 23.1 1. Cor. 4.4 Heb. 10.2 Prov. 1.33 2. Coâ— 1.12 Job 21.23 Ezek. 44.23 Isai 57.19 vers 21. Heb. 10 22. Rom. 5.1 Rom. 15.13 Gal. 5.22 1. Thess 5.23 Psal 119.165 Job 7.20 Job 22.21 Col. 3.15 Psal 29.11 Psal 97.11 Isai 59.8 John 14.27 Psal 35.8 â— Pet. 5.14 Gal. 5.22 Prov. 7.14 Job 15.21 Job 18.14 1. Joâ—n 4.18 2. Kings 20.3 Psal 39.13 Job 10.20 21. Phil. 1.23 1. Kings 19.4 2. Tim. 4.8 Heb. 2.14 1. Cor. 15.56 57. Psal 116.15 Matth. 27.5 2. Sam. 17.22 Jon. 4.3 1. Cor. 16.10 Psal 119.103 1. Cor. 4.3 4. Exhortation Mal. 2.6 What it is Lev. 5.4 Gen. 42.21 Psal 51.3 Psal 51.4 Psal 80.4 Desperatio est homicida animae Aug. Desperate est in infernum descendere Isià Eâ—ek 24.23 Gen. 4.13 2. Sam. 15.26 Exod. 8.15 Psal 88.1 Vse 1. Prov. 18.14 Vse 2. 1. Sam 25.37 1. Sam. 15.16 1. Kings 21.20 Psal 39.11 Vse 3. Exhortation M.M. Ezek. 18.26 1. Cor. 9.16 Job 31.23 Psal 119.120 Heb. 12.28 Rom. 14.22 Answ 2 Answ 3. Zech. 13.1 Object Sol. Answ 4. Psal 28.6 Dub. Sol. 2. Cor. 1.12 1. John 2.29 1. John 4.13 1. John 3.14 Gal. 6.16 Ephes 6.15 1. Thess 4.1 2. Cor. 5.9 Matth. â— 17 Jer. 8.11 Rev. 22.17 Isai 30.18 Psal 123.2 Prov. 20 22. 1. Every mans conscience may inform him in what state he is 2. Tim. 1 3â— Isai 59.12 Eccles 7.22 Matth. 22.12 Acts 25.16 2. How conscience doth this Psal 119.6 Prov 11 18. Rom. 8.6 Rom. 8.13 John 3.18 Rom. 6.11 3. When conscience doth this Acts 24.25 Conscience interlineth Act 2â— 25. Acts 27.23 Rom. 1.9 Conscience choketh Num. 12.4 Jer. 4.18 4 Why many are deluded about their estate Reas 2. Reas 3. Isai 66.24 Job 9.11 â— Cor. 4.2 Rom. 13.5 Acts 23. â— Concerning a good conscience John 8.9 Tit. 1.15 A firm conscience 1. Pet. 3.15 16. An infirm conscience Rom. 14.21 Rom. 14.10 Rom. 14.14 Rom. 14.15 1. Cor. 8.9 10 11. Use 1. 2. Rom. 14.13 3. Heb. 10 2â— 1. Cor. 15.55 57. Gen. 4.20 1. Sam. 28.20 The bond of conscience is Gods law Jam. 4 12. The law of God the prime bond of conscience Rom. 1.14 Acts 20.22 1. Cor. 9 1â— Acts 4.20 Reasons Heb. 4.12 vers 13. 1. Cor. 10.27 Psal 51.4 Rev. 22.18 19. Rom. 2.14 Use 1. 2. Cor. 4.2 â— Cor. 14.37 Use 2. Use 3. From what Christians are freed Rom. 6.14 Rom. 7.6 Rom. 8.1 Antiâ—â—misâ—â— Psal 2.1 2 3 Arguments That Gods laâ— bindeth the conscience of the regenerate Arg. 1. Luke 17.10 Rom. 3.31 Arg. 2. 1. John 3.4 Jam. 2.11 Arg. 3. Arg. 4. Use 4. Azorius the Jesuite reports it Psal 119.89 Prov. 29.1 Dan. 9.24 Dan. 3.16 Dan. 6.16 Rom. 14.14 1. John 5.21 Matth. 17. â—7 Obj. 1. Answ Obj. 2. Answ 1. Pet. 2.13 Obj. 3. Answ Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. 1. Sam. 25.22 Num. 30.3 Judges 11.30 Eccles. 5.5 Baptisme Acts 18.25 Matth. â—1 25 Matth. 11.11 Rom. 6.4 1. Cor. 1.13 Gal. 3.27 Ephes 4.5
labourers and we must know in what estate our work standeth else we may labour and labour and all in vain we may preach and exhort and call upon our people to heare and believe and obey and all this may still be in vain if we do not enquire in what estate they are This is the reason why Paul could not forbear sending and enquiring how it stood with the Thessalonians in what estate they were in how it went with their faith whether they kept it or no lest the tempter had tempted them and his labour should have been in vain for so it had been for all his preaching and teaching them if they had not been in a good estate therefore he sent to know Thirdly we are to take the care and the charge of your souls Now then how can we be quiet if we do not know in what estate your souls be A good father cannot be at quiet if he do not know how it is with his children How if they should be sick how if undone Oh it would comfort a good father to know his children to be in good case But if it were otherwise with them though it would grieve him much yet he had rather know it then not for if he know it he can better tell what to do So it was with the Apostle his very bowells yerned upon the Philippians Oh my poore people thought he I wonder what estate they be in How if they totter how if they miscarry how if the devil have tempted them to sinne and to apostatize how if they be in trouble of conscience He could never be at quiet till he knew their estate I trust in the Lord Jesus saith he to send Timotheus shortly unto you that I also may be of good comfort when I know your estate He had a great care of their souls and therefore it would comfort his heart to know what estate they were in Fourthly we are teachers and therefore we must know the estate of our people otherwise we are ignorant what doctrine to provide for them what points to handle among them Paul in this epistle to the Colossians knowing onely their estate in the generall delivereth abundance of generall precepts and exhortations unto them he describeth unto them the mystery of Christ admonisheth them to continue stedfast therein to embrace the preaching of the word to beware of philosophy and the vain traditions and sophistry of men to take heed of doting upon ceremonies which are all ended in Christ to set their affections on heaven to mortifie the deeds of the flesh to put off the old man he warneth them to be loving and humble he biddeth wives do their duties to their husbands and husbands to love their wives children to obey their parents and parents to encourage their children servants to obey their masters and masters to deal well with their servants all to continue in prayer watchfulnesse thanksgiving to walk wisely towards them that are without to be carefull of godly holy communication Thus knowing their estate onely for the generall he teacheth them in generall and therefore now he concludeth as if he should say I speak somewhat generally because I do not know your estates in particular and therefore I send to you Tychicus a faithfull good minister that he may learn your estates in particular and deal with you answerably It may be some of you want corrosives it may be some of you want cordials it may be some have need to be searched and humbled some of you to be encouraged and comforted I have sent him to enquire into your estates in particular that he may do accordingly Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that he may know your estate and comfort your hearts The use of this is threefold First for instruction Hence we may see that a minister doeth but his duty when he enquireth into mens estates how they stand before God It is not prying into other mens matters it is not busi-bodinesse in other mens affairs it is not a spirit of meddling No a â—inister doeth but his duty when he doeth it How can a Physician apply true and proper physick unlesse he enquire into the state of mens bodies Now a minister is a physician to mens souls and therefore he is to enquire of the state of mens souls how they stand before God They are men of Belial that say What must the minister know all and Can there be nothing done but the minister must heare of it These are very evil speeches The minister doeth but his duty when he is inquisitive The second use may be for reproof If it be the duty of a minister to enquire of mens estates before God then those people are too blame that will not make known their estates What is the reason that so many men abide in a rotten estate but because they are loth to open truly and fully what they are to Gods ministers Nay many are like them in the prophet who say to the seers See not They would not have Gods ministers see what they do nor see what they are I confesse there be some that will open something about their estates but not all they know by themselves They keep in the main like some foolish clients who misinform their Counsel making their case better then indeed it is and so their cause miscarrieth So some keep in that which would give most light to judge of their estates But this ought not so to be I can tell you an example of one that being troubled about his estate before God and some ministers being by Oh saith he I will tell you all that I know of my self I 'le not hide a syllable from you and if I be yet no better then a wretch I beseech you tell me plainly that I am so and if I be in Christ I beseech you prove it plainly unto me This man took a right course and thereby through Gods mercy came in a little space to the assurance of his own blessed estate and condition Thirdly for exhortation Let Gods ministers know of your estates that they may be able to speak to you accordingly By this means they may speak words in due season and like wise house-holders give every one his portion If you had but a cut finger would not you be glad to have the right plastre and if you had a burning fever would you not desire the right remedy how much more in curing the sicknesse of the soul Now from the text it self without any cutting up of the words we may gather foure propositions 1. That there is an estate that every man is in either an estate of grace or an estate of sinne 2. That this state may be known 3. That every man should be willing to have his estate examined that it may be known whether it be good or no. 4. That a man can never have true comfort till it be known that