heed of some special sins that above others do most defile the Conscience though indeed all sins defile the Conscience but some sins are of a more bewitching and a more defiling nature then others as First Secret sins will provoke God to give thee up to the judgment of a defiled Conscience as he did Judas because he was a Devil Secondly Idolatry Take heed of hankering after that abomination either to worship an Idol a false god or the true God in a false manner and it is this last that you are most in danger of therefore let it not be said of any of you you know not what you worship but be able to say we know what we worship and how we worship God in spirit and truth and do not set up mans post by Gods post away with all traditious and inventions of men in the worship of God If you would keep Gods presence observe his order let all be done according to the pattern to the Law and to the Testament c. Else God may in just judgment send us strong delusions to believe lies which I fear is like to befall many of this nation who have not received the truth in ths love of it Thirdly Take heed of drunkenness and Whoredome Hos 14.12 Whoredome and Wine and new Wine Prov 2.19 take away thy heart none that go unto her return again neither take they hold of the paths of Life c. Flee fornication and be not drunk with Wine there is a woe to the drunkards c. Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge These sins besot men c. Lastly Be much in a secret judging of your selves and in a private examination Hag. 1.7 the Lord saith consider your ways and set your hearts upon them and turn in upon your actions and overlook them again bring them to the Light prove your selves and judge your selves and do it often there is a daily judicatory to be erected a cultus conscientiae which a man should be busied about every day Matt. 25.7 Then all those Virgins arose and trimmed their lamps the wise as well as the foolish c. Ego de terrenis negotiis simpliciter accipio Calv. Whilest men are in this World there is a daily defilement that will cleave unto them a squallor there will be something out of order that there must be a daily and a continual triming the wise as well as the foolish Virgins must be found in it and truely if a man neglects it but a while and keeps not a constant course in it a man shall find a strange averseness in his spirit thereunto all his life after for the way to sin's defilement is mainly by insensibleness a man is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and walks with God at a venture and truely if Satan brings a man to that once he hath prevailed very farr and will exceedingly defile the man We have spoken of keeping a good Conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 towards God let us now come to consider also what it is for a man to keep a good Conscience towards man for both these must go together he must keep a good Conscience in all things as was hinted formerly and be holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a dead fly spoils the whole Box of Oyntment and a good Conscience is like to the eye it hates motes and they disquiet it as well as beams It 's an errour in the common sort of men to think all Religion lyes in their just and upright carriage towards men as the Pharisees did and to such I say doth your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the cribes and Pharisees if not you shall never enter into the Kingdom of God c. Indeed there is a civil honesty a sweet and an ingenious carriage towards men that is very lovely and these are commonly called the worlds Saints and indeed they have nothing amongst them appears so pleasing Mar. 10.21 Christ loved the young man and yet peculiar Grace he had none for he was under the reigning power of covetousness and therefore there was something in him that was more general for which Christ loved him he had restraining grace and a sweet outward carriage that even the spirit of God had wrought in him habent filii concubinarum sua munera c. and yet Christ said to him for all these accomplishments one thing thou lackest c. and if thou walk never so uprightly before men that thou be esteemed the worlds Saint and thou couldest bring a testimony of thy good behaviour from all the ingenious men of thy age yet without an inward work of grace and regeneration and a heart inlivened by a spirit of faith so that all these works flow from union with Christ and from a principle of love wrought in thee to God truly all that thou dost is abominable to God in non renatis non solum peccata sed bona opera sunt mortalia for fides est caput bonorum operum and if that be wanting all of it is but nature improved and new dressed and so can never please God semen naturae non consurgit in fructum gratiae for a mans duties do proceed from the same principles that his sins do and there must be a renewing in the spirit of his mind before God accepts any service of him And there are some men do turn to the other extream and they say that all obedience is mainly towards God and therefore they are much in prayer and hearing and run from Ordinance to Ordinance and they do speak much also of keeping a good Conscience before God but yet they are negligent and loose in their carriages towards men they are as censorious and unjust and deceitfull busie-bodies in other mens matters proud boasters false accusers whisperers c. Yet these men would pass for Saints and think themselves in the highest form of professors Now this is a sure rule a pure Conscience though he cannot keep all the commandments of God yet he has a respect unto them all as Psal 119.6 with a care to walk answerable unto them and there is none that he doth wholly neglect as the word in the Hebrew signifies that man therefore whose profession for God is never so high and talkes never so much of having a good heart to Gods word and would be accounted in his religious duties even Angelical he prays much hears much fasts much c. Yet if he practise it not in his particular place in his relations in his shop in his dealings with a man I shall strongly suspect that man of hallowness and hypocrisie how ever he may tip his Tongue like a Saint yet he may boldly be reckoned amongst the sinners and such are spots in our feasts c. Now To stir you up to this Duty of keeping a good Conscience towards men let me exhort you to observe these particulars First Take special care of the souls that are committed to your
are as truly subordinate unto your good as they are unto Gods glory 〈◊〉 and the end of all is to take away the sin and to purge the Conscience that is defiled by sin and to perfect holiness in the fear of God Sixthly The blood of Christ doth purge their Consciences as it is now sprinkled in Heaven before the mercy Seat by the interception of Christ for there were under the Law two things that did perfect the sacrifice the offering of it the killing of it and the carrying the blood into the most holy place and sprinkling it upon the mercy Seat and the sacrifice was not perfect until both were done and the blood was to remain before the mercy Seat so the Lord Jesus has offer'd himself a sacrifice but his blood is sprinkled still upon us and remains and it is a speaking blood it speaks better things then the blood of Abel now it doth speak to us continually for the end of his blood and what is it but that we may be cleansed he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie us to himself Tit. 2.14 c. and the cry of this blood still in Heaven is sanctifie them by thy truth keep them from the evil of the world father keep through thy own name them that thou hast given me c. But how shall I know my Conscience is purged by the blood of Christ c. First The more a mans Conscience is afflicted with the spiritual rising of lust and he loaths himself for it as Paul for the Law of his members warring against the Law of his mind and Job I have seen thee and therefore I abhor my self Secondly The more ready a man is to deny himself for God in any service and his Conscience puts him forth to the uttermost in it as Paul I am willing to spend my self or to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus and Abraham rose up early to obey the command of God even to sacrifice his only son for the more the glory of God and his commands do sway with a man the more cause he has to be assured that the blood of sprinkling has passed upon him c. Thirdly The more a mans Conscience keeps down h is lust in the presence of the object of it as Boaz the woman lay at his feet and yet his lust did not rise and as Job to make a Covenant with his eyes and not look upon a Maid not have eyes full of adultery a godly man may be tempted to sin it may be in the absence of the object but if it be present and lust have all the advantages that can be and yet it cannot prevail it s an argument of a pure Conscience and try all these with reference unto your darling lust for answerable as the Conscience is purged with respect unto that so it is unto all other sins whatsoever It will serve for exhortation unto all men to keep their Consciences pure Vse 2 being once cleansed in the blood of the Lamb and this was the Apostle Pauls labour and his dayly exercise Acts 24.16 in this I exercise my self to to keep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Conscience void of offence before God and all men Now we have formerly heard that as there be two things in sin so there is a double defilement of the Conscience there is a guilt and a pollution and a mans Conscience can never be a good Conscience a pure Conscience without a stumbling block unless it be kept pure in both these and here I would speak of a pure Conscience according to the Apostles distinction First before God Secondly before men And first in reference unto the guilt of sin and a Conscience polluted therewith and this is a heart sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.22 that is an accusing and a condemning Conscience 1 John 3.21 if our hearts condemn us not that is if they have the guilt of no sin lye upon them for which they draw us before the judgment Seat of Christ and pass upon us the sentence of condemnation and so Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 this is our rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our Conversation in the world and more especially towards you and 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self it was a small thing to him to be judged of by man or in mans day for men have their day of judgment also as God has his and the reason why he doth despise the judgment of all men is this that he was conscious to himself of nothing wherein he had misbehaved himself in his Apostleship towards them many weaknesses there were which he owned in himself but yet the guilt of none of them did stick upon his Conscience and yet he refers himself unto the judgment of God who knows more then a mans Conscience can know by a mans self c. and this was the great care of Job that his heart might not reproach him all his dayes Job 27.6 In respect of God there is a two-fold good Conscience in regard of guilt one in truth and the other in shew and appearance only First There is a natural Conscience that may have a great shew of goodness in it not having the guilt of sin rising in it but may with a great deal of boldness appear before God and may lift up a mans face before him and yet this not be a Conscience truly good as we see in the Heathen Rom. 2.16 their thoughts do excuse as well as acâ—use and that in the day when God shall judge the secrets of all men c. therefore there is the guilt of some sins that Conscience will acquit a man from and will speak for him in the presence of the Lord and so some do apply that speech of Paul as Act. 23.1 I have lived in all good Conscience before God even unto this day it is conceived by some as Cajetan c. that it is spoken in reference unto all his dayes even those also before his Conversion in which he did never sin against his Conscience and therefore he saith bona Conscientia non bono opere for he thought that he did God good service in all that he did as Luther did say of himself Nec ita eram glacies frigus sicut Eccius alii qui propter ventrem Papam defendere videbantur sed ego rem seriam agebam ut qui diem extremum horribiliter timui salvus fieri ex intimis medullis cupiebam And the goodness of a mans Conscience in not witnessing guilt is but a seeming goodness it is sometimes from a mans uprightness and good intention in a particular act wherein though he doth ill yet he doth mean well and think also that he doth well as it is the manner of many a misled and deluded soul as Gen. 20.5.6 Abimelech answered God in the integrity of my heart and the
holy Math. call no man father upon Earth no man Rabbi upon Earth search the Scriptures Act. 17.11 John 4.1 try the spirits take nothing upon trust it s no disparagement unto the best Ministry to subject their doctrine to the Scriptures Christ himself ordered us to subject his doctrine to the tryal search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life they testifie of me and by this he did confirm his doctrine if once you take things from the authority of man you set the man in the place of Christ and God in judgment may give him up to errour that you may be mislead by him who was so willing to follow his Commandment 1 Cor. 12.2 You were caried away with dumb Idols as you were led the blind lead the blind it is an honour due to God onely to be believed ex authoritate dicentis And therefore away with the names of men I am of Paul and I of Apollo c. For Paul and Apollo c. Is nothing but instruments by whom you believe and there cannot be a greater injury to your Teachers then to set them in the place of Christ c. Sixthly Avoid as much as possible Society with those by whom thou mayest be drawn to be seduced cease to hear that instruction that causeth thee to err from the way of knowledge Prov. 19.27 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness 2 Tim. 6.5 from such withdraw thy self 1 John 1.10 receive them not into your house bid them not God speed have no common familiarity with them fly from enemies to the truths of God as from a Plague or else if thou dally with them thou wilt be in danger of being insnared by them Lastly Be much in prayer to be preserved when so many even the third part of the Stars of Heaven be swept down that thou mayest stand with the Lamb and not receive the mark of the Beast when the World wonders after him it is a great mercy and therefore say Can. 1.7 Lord shew me where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions remember it is not parts nor learning nor common grace that will secure a man from believing lyes for we see men of the greatest parts commonly are taken the wits and the disputers of this World and it is not a form of godlyness nor a profession of Religion but it is walking close with God in that profession we see men in our days that have driven the trade of Religion for many years together and yet may become but broaken professors and prove bankrupt at last become the Leaders of some new Sect and there the height of their Religion ends and if once thy heart sit loose in prayer even in this know thou art immediately in danger to be corrupted and seduced for if once a man cease to pray against sin thou art in danger to commit it this is the way for a man to keep his Conscience pure in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it that his judgment be not defiled But there is a double misery that we do labour under at this time as there are heresies and false doctrines on the one side and you must keep your Consciences pure from that leaven so also there is profaneness and all manner of devilish practises on the other side and men do commonly think by objecting the one to justify themselves in the other some are enemies unto Christ in opinion teaching for doctrines the traditions of men and there are some are enemies to Christ in conversation whose god is their belly who glory in their shame and give themselves over unto all excess of riot Christ has enemies even where his kingdom is set up Psal 110 2 For he must rule in the middle of his enemies the time will come when he shall rule over them but now he rules amongst them and those enemies are of three sorts First Some are Christians but not in purity as Hereticks and false teachers and some are Christians but not in sincerity as hypocrites and those that are false hearted and lastly some are called Christians but have not so much as an external conformity and such are prophane and all professed workers of iniquity and there is onely this difference between them one speaks against the Truth and the other lives against the Truth and so all the benefits that we have by having the name of Christ called upon us is this ad hoatantum preceptorum sacrorum scite cognoscimus ut post interdict a gravius peccemus It will be necessary therefore that something be spoken to fortifie your souls and to exhort you to keep your Consciences pure from principles of prophaneness in conversation as well as principles of heresy in opinion for all mens ways are grounded upon the principles with which their mind is stored and by these the man walks and therefore the great work in conversion is to distroy mens former principles and cast down their strong holds and bring their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reasonings into subjection lay but these two principles in a mans heart that the Church cannot err and that the Church of Rome is the true Church onely and that man though he know not or consent not unto many of the doctrines of Popery yet he is a Papist in his principles and these will necessarily bring in all the rest and inforce the man to consent unto them all as they shall be discovered to him so there are certain principles that if they be layd in a mans heart though he may not walk in many ways of Prophaneness but for some reasons there is a restraint upon him yet he is in his heart a prophane man and will be ready to break forth into all the ways of prophaneness as occasion and opertunity shall present it self and the principles are such as these First That is the best Religion that men do receive by tradition from their Fathers so they in Jer. 44.17 Our Fathers did burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and then they had plenty of victuals but since there has been innovations and changes in Religion we have never seen peace nor a good day Have any of the nations changed their gods Jer 2 1◠That Religion which they have received by inheritance they take themselves deeply ingaged to keep close to it and say will you be wiser then your fore-fathers and will you say that they have all dyed in errour and will you condemn all these to Hell as men living in errour who were counted good men in their generation When as we know that Christ dyed to redeem us from our vain conversation that we received by tradition from our Fathers and men meerly acquainted with the 1 Pe◠1.18 Scriptures do know that God has promised unto his people
a greater discovery of truth in the latter days the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun Isa 26.30 c. And the Temple of God shall be opened in Heaven and they shall see into the ark of the Testament Rev. 11. and the Sea of glass that was first clear afterwards became as the blood of a dead man and afterwards a Sea mixed with fire will be at last a clear River of the waters of Life clear as Christal again and that the Lord will never leave refining and purging Religion Rev. 22. till he has taken of all that filthiness and defilement of Antichrist that he hath east upon it Heb. 12.28 This shall be the gain that we shall have by all the shaking of the things that are made a removing of all things in Religion that have onely the stamp and authority of man upon them which we are to wait and pray for Secondly So much in Religion as will stand with a mans credit profit and honour in the World that they can admit of but it is not good to be singular and too precise therein this was the principle that was in Jehues heart so much reformation as would establish the kingdome unto himself and his posterity he was zealous for but no more but if any thing do cross that then men rise up against it with Demetrius they will not hear of it for by this craft we get our wealth c. As the King of Navar answered Beza when he exhorted him to own the Protestant Cause and to appear for them seeing he professed to favour them his answer was se istoc pelago commisurum c. He would so far go and shew himself and Lanch into this Sea that he would make sure of a safe harbour so men will go no further in Religion then may stand with worldly interest and mens policies do set bounds unto their piety as we see by woful experience this day c. Whereas the Gospel rule is that a man must in the things of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him utterly deny himself and he that loves Father and Mother more then me is not worthy of me God hates that Religion that shall cost men nothing the Lord calls for singularity in Religion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what singular thing do you and what do you more then others you talk more but do you do more and hazard more c. As singularity in a way of sin and pride is abominable to God so singularity in a way of holiness is well pleasing to him and for such is the Kingdom of Heaven prepared it 's a straight gate and a narrow way and there be few that find it the Lords flock is a little flock they are a singular Company they do not walk in the drove with the rest of the world but they follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes through thick and through thin as we use to say Thirdly They say there is no necessity of a work of conversion and regeneration as men do talk of for they that are born in the Church as we all are we are born in true Religion also it is the Heathens and Papists that are to be converted so did the Pharisees think that they needed no repentance though they could not deny but that they did sin and in many things offend therefore they must grant a repentance for particular acts of sin but as for that repentence which we call initial the change of a mans state that they did conceive the Heathen had need of but they had not for they were the seed of Abraham born in the Church to whom the Covenants did belong c. and men say there is no such inward power of godliness upon the heart as men speak of contrary to what Christ sayes to Nicodemus unless a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God and that to Timothy 2 Tim. 1.5 and 1 John 3.5 Acts 20.18 and yet they dare to say that all that profess it do but dissemble and they are hypocrites and it is ridiculous for the Church to require such an account of the workings of God upon their hearts before they are admited into the Church fellowship and Ministers now adays teach their people a canting language which all are to speak or else they are no Church Members whereas they say Religion consists in a fair outward just and unblamable carriage before men they have a form of godliness as sayes the Apostle Tim. 2.3.5 but deny the power of it and so the pharisees they did justifie themselves before men they were such as Sepulchres are that were outwardly fair made clean the outside only So these are civil men which are the worlds Saints whereas also there is an inward work wanting upon the heart there is a being changed in the spirit of their mind which they never experienced a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees and with out this converting grace all their works are lost not tantum peccata sed bona opera mortalia Fourthly They say it is an easie thing to repent it is but to cry Lord have mercy upon us and I am sorry for my sin when I am laid upon my death bed and I can no longer commit it then I hope I shall repent but Christ sayes its not so easie to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven it 's easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter there and therefore he bids them strive to enter Judas did repent here and yet he is gone to Hell that is his place and truly there is and will be repentance enough in Hell to eternity if any repentance would serve the turne men may easily repent Acts 5.31 I but God accepts no repentance but true repentance and its God only that gives repentance unto life and being it is in his power Oh that the day of his power may be upon all that hear me this day that you may not think it so easie a matter to do this great work take heed least thy heart be hardened with the deceitfulness of sin Rom. 2.5 Fifthly They think God is mercifull and count it no hard matter to get the pardon of sin and think it not so great an evil as it is made out to be but a godly man that has been convinced of sin and converted from it he looks upon sin as the greatest evil and sees all kind of evil in it and every sin to abound in sinfulness and that there is more evil in it then in Hell it self for that is but against a created good and this against an uncreated good and the glory of God is dearer then Heaven and Earth to them Secondly The price that was paid to purchase our pardon from sin and defilement was the blood of Christ we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of