Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A53981
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A sermon preached before the king and queen at White-Hall, December 13th. 1691 by Edward Pelling ... ; published by Her Majesties special command.
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Pelling, Edward, d. 1718.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing P1102; ESTC R33044
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8,209
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28
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not find when your last Hour shall come For how slightly soever some have spoken of Mortality I am confident no Man ever yet repented of it on his Death-bed nor can any thing be a greater Comfort to a Man at the last than to consider that the care of his Life has been to keep a Conscience void of Offence 'T is a Comfort that will stick to him to endless Ages Some of the Primitive Writers have mention'd a few Occasional Expressions of our Blessed Saviour which we do not find recorded in any part of the Sacred History of his Life how they came by them is not material for us to enquire But Justin Martyr tells us this was one of his Sayings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According as I find you at your Death so I shall judge you 'T is like that of Salomon Eccles 11. 3. In the place where the Tree falleth there it shall be If a Man doth diligently endeavour to perform his Duty in that manner and to that extent which the Laws of Religion do require his Works will bear him company to Heaven and Crown him with unspeakable Comfort to all Eternity A good Conscience is part of that Banquet upon which we shall feast with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God and so is a guilty Conscience part of those Torments which are the sad Portion of the Damned For there is no half-way House between Hell and Heaven for Men to shift themselves from those pollutions wherein they die nor does Death so alter the State of a Man as that the sense of Guilt and sting of Conscience doth therefore cease No the Powers and Capacities of the Soul are raised and enlarged upon it's Separation from the Body and Conscience becomes more Quick and Sensible than while it was srifled and immured in a heap of Flesh so that instead of being lost or abated the Torments of Conscience are aggravated and heightned and were there no other Fire in Hell yet that in ones own Breast would yield a Smoke that would ascend for ever and ever There the Worm dyeth not saith our Saviour which may be understood of the Gnawings of Conscience as well as of the fearful Visitations of an Angry and Just God These things being duly consider'd what can be so adviseable for us for the securing of our best and dearest Interest our Peace in this World and in the next What can be so necessary for us as to have a Care of our Consciences and in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity to have our Conversation in the World Alas we have no abiding place here The Things of this Life will soon slip out of our Hands that little Good there is in this World we shall lose in a short time nor can we carry hence any thing with us but the Remembrance of what we have done And that the Remembrance thereof may not be painful I crave the liberty to offer briefly these few things the Point being altogether Practical 1. That we give all Moral Diligence to inform our Consciences rightly of the Lawfulness of all we do This was the fault of St. Paul before his Conversion that he took things upon trust and went upon Presumptions Had he diligently examin'd the Christian Institution and consider'd all the Reasons and Arguments on its side he might have been convinc'd of the Truth of it without a Miracle from Heaven But he took for granted that the Mosaical Law in all its parts was to continue for ever and so he Persecuted the Disciples of Christ as Apostates from the Law not looking upon all this as injurious Dealing but as condign Punishment He verily thought himself bound to do those things And what a chargeable thought was that to the Church of Christ What an expence of Blood did it put them to What Imprisonments and other Sufferings did it not cost them that one Thought of his Therefore to have a Conscience void of Offence it is absolutely necessary to use all proper means for the removing and curing of Mistakes such as unprejudiced Meditation reading of good Books conference with skilful and upright Teachers and the like For tho' we are all subject to mistakes by reason of our Nature and tho' there be few who are not at all mistaken in one particular or other yet as long as a Mistake is not wilful proceeding from the Neglect of proper means the Man is acquitted tho' he be Erroneous God himself the searcher of Hearts and the Judge of all the Earth doth pardon involuntary Ignorances upon a general Repentance And this should ever be a fixt Rule for our Charity to one another where our Opinions are different to bear like Brethren with each others Infirmities as long as there are tolerable reasons to believe that Mens Hearts are sincere and honest and their Errors involuntary However tho' we live in an uncharitable and censorious World yet we shall be sure not to miss of Peace and Satisfaction in our own Minds if we be not wanting to our selves in our endeavours to inform our Judgments rightly A good Conscience and an Error are not things inconsistent I am sure our Apostles Errors were in some measure wilful and yet he obtain'd mercy because what he had done he did through Ignorance 2. Our endeavours being thus honestly employed the next way to have a Conscience void of Offence is to follow its Dictates Great is the Power which every one's Conscience hath over him and those who speak so slightingly of its Obligations either have no Conscience themselves or else understand not what the Office and Power of it is It hath by the appointment of God himself the immediate Government of us so that the very Word of God doth no otherwise guide us than by the Light which it affords the Conscience Tho' the Divine Will be the Supreme Rule yet Conscience is the inward and immediate Measure of our Actions and on that account the Command is so peremptory that every one is to be fully perswaded in his own Mind and the determination is so possitive that whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin Hence it evidently follows that Conscience must be obey'd For if it be a sin to Act without some conviction of the Lawfulness of the Action what a sin is it to Act quite contrary to one's Conviction against one's Judgment and Perswasion and in spight of all the Dictates and Out-cries of Conscience touching the direct unlawfulness of what a Man does All agree that this is utterly inconsistent with a good Conscience nay some learned Casuists tells us that he is far less a Criminal who committeth Evil when he thinks it to be Good than he is who doeth Good when he thinks it to be Evil for in the former Case the Intention is good but in the Latter the Heart is obstinate and perfectly Malicious as well as the Conscience erroneous III. To despise the World when it stands in competition with our Duty is another sure way to keep one's Conscience void of Offence Because nothing is more apt to corrupt Mens Minds and to rifle them of their Integrity than the Lust of the Eyes and the Pride of Life tho' in the Judgment of our Blessed Saviour it would be the most foolish Exchange to part with one's Soul tho' to gain the whole World were an Acquest of that nature possible IV. And so to resist the first Temptations unto Sin to get such a Mastery over our own Wills as to arm our selves with firm Purposes and Resolutions against it To pray daily and heartily unto God not to lead us into Temptation And above all to have God always before our Eyes to possess our Souls with a true fear of Him to entertain Reverend and Awful thoughts of his Omniscience and Justice that he is a Spectator of all our Actions that He searcheth the very Reigns and that He looks into all the recesses of the Heart and that a time will infallibly come when He will Un-case us and lay us open and reward every one according to his Works and judge even the secrets of Men by Jesus Christ This alone would be an excellent Means to make Men keep a Conscience void of Offence For they would not dare to presume in any kind did but the true Fear of God rule in their Hearts kindly Because this must be granted by all who have any sense of God that tho' they may deceive themselves with lying Hopes and the unthinking Populace with a specious Out-side yet it is impossible to deceive the God of Heaven Nor can we suppose any Man to be so careless of his own Safety and Self-Preservation as to damn himself if he doth verily believe that Damnation will be the end of his Evil Works and that for all those things God will bring him to Judgment In short Whatsoever things are Honest whatsoever things are Just whatsoever things are Pure and Lovely and of good Report if there be any Virtue if there be any Praise let us think of those things And the very God of Peace sanctifie us wholly that our whole Spirit Soul and Body may be preserved blameless unto the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory now and ever Amen FINIS
because in the end our worst Enemy will be that in our own Bosom But there are three Cases especially wherein it highly concerns Men to have a Conscience void of Offence I. First in case of Publick Dangers when the Face of the World looks uncomfortable and dismal Seldom do the things of this Life continue at a stay The state and condition of the World ever and anon alters either by means of the different Interests and Designs of Men who labour still to turn the Wheel about or by the just Judgment of God for Peoples Wantonness and Ingratitude in times of outward Prosperity Now when Circumstances are full of Threats and Terror they will soon shew what the in-side of Men is Conscience which in such a Case is apt to tell Guilty Wretches their own will possess them with fearful apprehensions that God is their Enemy and that they have no just reason to hope for Protection from Heaven And what does this naturally tend to but to put them on the Rack when their Fears and their Sins both haunt them Whereas an inoffensive Conscience gives a Man all the Peace and Security imaginable For these are the sure Principles on which he builds his Satisfaction that God presides over the World superintending and governing all Affairs here below that not so much as a little Bird falls to the Ground without his Permission that the very Hairs of a good Man's head are all number'd that tho' here we meet with Tribulations yet Christ hath overcome the World that he will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able and that tho' Extremities should happen yet if we suffer with Christ we shall also reign with him together However some are so hardy as to scoff at Religion and strive to wear out of their Minds the sense of God yet nothing can carry a Man out in the Day of Tryal but such Principles as these And whoever he be that Relyeth upon these Principles and upon Examining his Actions finds good Reasons to believe that his Heart is sincere and upright he must needs be danger-proof in a very high degree You have an instance here in St. Paul tho' the Jews had bound themselves under a Curse that they would kill him tho' Ananias used his Authority and Tertullus his Eloquence against him tho' Men and Devils conspir'd to destroy him yet his Rejoycing was this that his constant exercise was to have a Conscience void of Offence toward God and toward Man 'T is true such evil Days and times of Danger every one of us is very apt to put far off from himself by reason of the uncertainty of them For as they may so perhaps they may not happen and every one out of fondness to himself is willing to hope they will not come at least in his time But then II. Secondly there is another Case which every day occurs against which a Wise Man will be well provided the Case of Sickness when we should have little else to do but to trim up our Lamps and exercise our Graces and so to repose our selves in the bosom of a faithful God and a merciful Redeemer Now he that makes a Conscience of his ways and studies to carry himself without offence toward God and Man will at that time have nothing in comparison to do but to wait God's Pleasure For as he foresees that such a day will come so he prepares for it before-hand He is wiser than to leave the Great and Heavy Work of eradicating sinful Habits and of changing the whole Frame and Inclination of his Heart to be done upon a sick Bed but takes an early care to die to the World and to himself daily Upon this account tho' a Disease may be very troublesome and painful and parting of those old acquaintances the Soul and the Body may be attended with violent Natural Struglings yet his Spirit must needs be full of Peace it being impossible that a Course of Vertue and Holiness should bring in any bitter remembrance at the last It was the Prayer of Hezekiah when he was bid to set his House in order Isai 38. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before Thee in Truth and with a perfect Heart and have done that which is good in thy sight What unconsionable Man is there in the World that dares say to God in his Languishings It cannot be unless his Conscience be utterly feared but his Heart must ake and his Bowels must be full of Gall and Wormwood and his Soul must be ruffled with many dismal apprehensions of a Judgment to come because his Conscience which will then awake and will speak loud and home to him must needs tell him that if he dies he is undone to all Eternity Tertullian has rightly observed that God has tinctured all Wickedness with a Natural Shame and Fear And certainly there is nothing like to an Evil Conscience to make a Man a Coward especially when he is in danger of appearing before the just Judge of all the Earth to whom Vengeance belongeth It is no marvel if when a Man is troubled with the Qualms of a sourc Conscience he is more sick of his Sins than his Disease If when he sees Hell open before him he turn his Face away from that frightful Spectacle and if he be brought to that miserable pass that tho' he must not stay any longer in this World yet he knows not how to venture into another These are the necessary and natural Rewards of an Ill Man tho' in time of Health and Gaity he may drink down mellancholly Thoughts or roar his Conscience into Silence or endeavour by lewd Principles to confirm and harden his Mind against Religion yet when the Hand of God comes and touches him to the Quick that busie Thing in his Breast will stir and rage and give him a very bitter Dose and uneasie Pillow III. There is another Case yet which I must mention because from the Highest to the Lowest we must every one of of us come to it in our order for it is appointed unto all Men once to Die and after Death to go to Judgment And woud we were so Provident as notwithstanding the Splendour and Charms of this World to call our Thoughts home every Day and to sequester some time for such serious Considerations as these What is it to Die Of what infinite Importance is it to die well What will become of us when we are dead and gone What Eternity that great thing Eternity means How unalterable every one's State will be And how impossible it must be for us to live over our Lives again to rectify those Miscarriages we are such Fools to be guilty of now Such Religious Meditations would prove very powerful Restraints to keep Men within the compass of their Duty according to that of the Son of Sirach Think on thy latter end and thou shalt never do amiss What admirable Effects of such Retirements will you