will our Heavenly Father give his Holy Spirit unto them that ask him Luke 11. 13. This Scripture does give sufficient warrant unto any breathing to go unto God for his Spirit to enlighten to convince to renew and change and at last to comfort them with as much confidence as Children go for Necessaries unto the most tender Earthly Fathers 2. These consolations of the Spirit especially belong unto those who are troubled as you are The broken Vessel is fit for the Oyl of Joy and Gladness to be poured into it Isa 61. 1 2. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath Annointed me to Preach good tidings to the Meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted to Proclaim Liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound to Proclaim the Acceptable Year of the Lord to Comfort all that mourn The Spirit does delight to comfort them that are cast down for these will not take up with other Comforts they prize the Spirits Consolations they cry Grace Grace when they receive them and walk humbly and warily afterward being afraid to lose such precious things by fresh Trangressions 7. For the Comforting of a troubled Conscience Behold and Wonder at Gods condescention in that he does intreat sinners to be Reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 20. Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be Reconciled unto God You cannot imagine that He who has been so bitterly provoked by you should be so ready to forgive you and so willing to be Friends with you but you would do well to observe that after the Lord had promised Mercy and abundant Pardon to sinners willing to forsake their evil ways and thoughts he presently adds that his Mercy shall be extended to them though they were not able to conceive it My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord. That is you must not measure my Mercy by yours nor think that I am able and willing to put up and forgive no more than you You are easily provoked but I am slow to Anger you are hardly Reconciled but I am ready to forgive I am willing to remit the greatest wrongs and to receive the wrong-doers into favour if they do but sincerely return to me and are willing for the future to please and serve me As the Heavens are high above the Earth so are my ways of Kindness and Compassion higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts Isa 55. 8 9. When there is a difference between any the Inferior commonly intreats the Superiour to be Reconciled but here the Lord who is infinitely above us intreats Us to be Friends that are infinitely below him He that does the wrong commonly intreats him whom he has wronged but here the Lord who has been Injured and Affronted and Offended and can most easily be Revenged does intreat them that have done the Injury He that is at the Mercy of another commonly intreats him at whose Mercy he lies but here the Lord who has absolute Power to do what he will with Offenders and can Glorifie himself in their Eternal Destruction does intreat them to be at Peace and to Repent that they may be saved Finally he that is the depending Person commonly does intreat him upon whom he has such dependance but here the Lord who has no dependance at all upon sinners nor any need at all of them does yet intreat them to come to him who have such intire dependance upon him that they cannot live or move or be without him and cannot be happy but in the enjoyment of him Oh what manner of Grace and Kindness is this and how may drooping spirits be revived and encouraged to hope in such a God read the parable of the prodigal see him by necessity driven home to his Fathers house behold his Father running to him embracing him though he had spent all among Harlots and in Riotous living and then give a ghesse how much more willing the Lord is to receive returning sinners 8. For the right comforting of a troubled Conscience Study well the Covenant of Grace The Covenant of works is not to be laid hold upon by any of the fallen Children of Adam this promises life indeed but 't is upon condition of perfect and perpetual conformity both of Heart and Life unto the Law of God But the Covenant of Grace is vastly different from that first Covenant Sinners may lay hold on this new Covenant and they cannot please the Lord better than by so doing and therefore chusing the things that please him talking hold on his Covenant are join'd together Isa 56. 4. If sinners being convinced of their lost estate by their iniquities are willing to receive Christ to be their Prince and Saviour and to turn and give themselves to God he has ingaged in this Covenant to be their God and Father to give them Grace and at last Glory and in the mean while to withhold no good thing from them In this Covenant of Grace observe these four things all which may be helpful unto your Consolation 1. This Covenant is well ordered 2 Sam. 23. 5. He hath made with me an Everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure this is all my Salvation this is all my desire 'T is admirably suited unto the state and desires and wants of those that are taken into Covenant They have no righteousness or works of their own that they may rest upon but here is a perfect Righteousness provided even the Righteousnesse of Christ made theirs as their sins were made his by imputation The Apostle Paul speaks plainly of the Blessedness of the man to whom the Lord imputeth Righteousness without works Rom. 4. 6. and 2 Cor. 5. ult He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousnesse of God in him As they have no Righteousness so they are sick of Spiritual Plagues but in this Covenant God has promised to cure them Isa 57. 18. I have seen his wayes and will heal him I will lead him also and restore comfort unto him and his mourners They need cleansing because of their manifold defilements But God promises that he will sprinkle clean water upon them and make them clean and from all their filthiness and from all their Idols he will cleanse them They are weak and unable to do their duty and persevere in wel-doing but God promises to renew their strength so that they shall run and not be weary and walk and not faint Isa 40. ult 2. This Covenant is sure 'T is confirmed by the Sacraments which are the Seals of this Covenant 't is confirmed by the oath of God Heb. 6. 17. 18. s Quà m impossibile est ut Christus in suâ justitiâ non placeat tam impossibile ut nos fide nostrâ quâ illi inhaeâ—emus
things willing to live honestly Such a Conscience is well instructed in that lesson Tit. 2. 11. 12. For the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly and Righteously and Godly in this present world In the handling of this Doctrine I shall first shew how a good Conscience is concerned in the Life and Conversation Secondly Instance in several kinds of Actions that a good Conscience has an influence upon Lastly Conclude with the Application In the first place I am to shew how a good Conscience is concerned in the Life and Conversation This will appear in these following particulars 1. There is no action but Conscience is to examine Every action is a step one way or other and Conscience is to see which way every step has a tendency whether upward towards the Hill of the Lord or downward towards the lake of Fire There is no action but Conscience will be wounded with it if it be a work of darkness and Conscience may reap satisfaction from it if it be a work of Righteousness 2. Conscience if good will not admit of loose principles It will not argue licentiously from the Righteousness of Christ which alone is imputed to us for our justification that therefore there is no necessity of inherent Holyness It will not argue from the superabundant Grace of God that therefore we may safely continue in sin Rom. 6. 15 16. What then shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under Grace God forbid Know ye not that to whom ye yeild your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom you obey whether of sin unto Death or obedience unto Righteousness A good Conscience will not argue from the falls of Saints recorded in Scripture that we may venture to fall as they did but contrarily concludes since such eminent Saints have fallen it does concern us to look to our standing and not to be high minded but fear Finally it does not argue because Gods Covenant is Everlasting and his love unchangeable that therefore we may live as we list but on the contrary it tells us that because the Lords love is so great and unchangeable he is to be loved the more by us and followed more fully and more willingly obeyed 3. Conscience if good will not abuse Christian liberty The nature of this is not to be mistaken 't is not a liberty to make provision for the Flesh nor to walk after the course of the World nor to mispend your precious time nor to omit or do the work of the Lord negligently They that take such a liberty take that which God never gave them and by this liberty they become slaves and vassals to the Devil who employes and leads them captive at his pleasure But Christian liberty lies in being free from the bondage of Corruption from the Curse of the Law and the Power of Darkness and in having freedom of accesse to God through Christ and in being enlarged by the Spirit to run the wayes of his Commandements Christian liberty is an holy thing A good Conscience therefore is the more watchful lest we go beyond the bounds of Christian liberty and venture upon what is unlawful or use lawful things unlawfully for so 't is possible nay usual licitis perire even in these things to perish To Eat to Drink to Buy to Sell to Plant to Build to Marry and to be given in Marriage were none of them in themselves unlawful yet when the old world and Sodom were thus employed and these things were only minded and spiritual things neglected a Flood came and swept away the one and Fire and Brimstone did destroy the other Luk. 17. 26 27 28 29. 4. A good Conscience looks well to the Principles of our Obedience That it springs from a renewed nature for unless we are made good Trees how can we bring forth good Fruit that it proceeds from Faith for by Faith we must believe what we do to be according to the will of God and by Faith we must desire strength from our Lord Jesus to do that will which is discovered to us Our Obedience also must flow from love 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. The love of Christ constraineth us to love not unto our selves but unto him that died for us Love is the first and great Command and that which makes us to yeild obedience to all the rest And we must be acted by Fear as well as Love a childlike reverence and awe of God how circumspectly will it make us walk Job feared God and eschewed evil Finally our Obedience must spring from gratitude and a sense of our obligation to serve the Lord who hath so loaded us with innumerable benefits All the mercies and deliverances which God did work for and extend to Israel were to induce them to observe his Statutes and to keep his Laws Psal 105. 45. 5. A good Conscience has a regard unto the matter of our actions That this be agreeable unto the Word of God This word is the rule we are to walk by that peace and mercy may be upon us There is a word which God will do his word of Promise he will accomplish his word of Threatning he will execute and his word of Prophecy he will fulfill There is a word which he will have us to do and that 's the word of Precept A good Conscience respects the precepts of the Law the sum of which is to Love the Lord with all our Heart and Soul and Mind and Strength and our Neighbour as our Selves Mat. 22. 37. 39. This Law is not made void but establish'd by Faith even in the Covenant of Grace the Lord promises to write this Law in our Hearts and sayes he will put his spirit within us to cause us to walk in his Statutes and to observe his Judgements and do them The Gospel has precepts also as well as the Law which a good Conscience knowes are to be obeyed And if we will indeed obey the Gospel we must believe on Jesus we must repent from dead works we must live by Faith we must give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure we must love our Brethren as love is a new command and enjoyned upon a new motive namely the great love of Christ We must engage in all the Ordinances and Institutions of our Lord Jesus finally we must hold fast our profession without wavering whatever troubles upon that score do overtake us 6. A good Conscience Eyes the Manner of our Obedience That it be out of choice David did chuse the way of the Lords Precepts he considered these precepts esteemed them concerning all things to be right and preferred them before all the False and destructive wayes of sin Obedience must not only be out of choice but it must be universal in regard of the object all the commands be respected and in regard of the Subject the whole man must
persons Conscience has no more reason to fear the greatest than the poorest Can the greatest man punish his Conscience for being plain with him He may indeed wound it more and more but this will in the end onely increase his own smart and anguish Prophets and Ministers have not accesse unto some nor an opportunity to tell them of their misdoings and if they have and do discharge their duty they may suffer for it John the Baptist was sent to Prison for reproving Herod and afterwards his life was taken away But though Herod was no more troubled and rebuked by John yet his own Conscience does fearlesly and impartially deal with him and therefore when he heard of the fame of Jesus he cries out John is risen from the Dead which shews that his Conscience flew in his face about him 3. Conscience accuses of high matters of such crimes the least of which deserves damnation There is nothing which Conscience does accuse of but sin and sin is the Transgression of a Law and that Law is the Law of God and this God is an infinite Majesty and therefore sin does merit an infinite punishment Though Papists call some sins venial and make but light of them yet a serious Conscience looks upon every sin as justly deserving Eternal condemnation the Apostle speaks indefinitely concerning sin without excepting any The Wages of Sin is Death Rom. 6. ult and by Death he means Eternal Death for 't is opposed unto the gift of God which is Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Among Men there are indeed some petty faults which a Malefactor is not so afraid when accused of but how pale does he look when Felony or Murther or Treason is laid to his charge alas the Gallows the Gibbet Hanging Drawing Quartering he now fears Conscience brings in an indictement against the sinner for nothing but what is damnable for every sin against the great God is so in its own Nature And if every sin makes the Soul liable to the vengeance of Eternal fire how may the sinner be amazed when all his iniquities are set in order before him 4. Conscience accuses a man to himself Luther tells us concerning a certain Cardinal that was wont to say Conscientia est mala bestia quae facit hominem stare contra seipsum Conscience is an evil Beast for it makes a man to stand against himself When Conscience is our accuser our accuser is within us and we can go no where without this accuser A man by this means becomes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a self-punisher These self accusations do break a mans spirit they imbitter all Temporal comforts and Oh! how bitter then do they make affliction 5. Conscience in its accusations lets us understand that God understands better then it self what it layes to our charge The Apostle tells us that God is greater than our Hearts and knows all things 1 John 3 20. This Text plainly informs us that God knows by us more than we know Many sins slip out of Our memories but none out of Gods Hos 7. 2. They consider not in their Hearts that I remember all their wickedness now their own doings have beset them round they are all before my face When Conscience is awakened and we are beset round with our own doings this causes the perplexity that they are all before Gods face he remembers all though we are not able to number half of them Moses cryes out We are consumed by thine anger by thy wrath are we troubled Thou hast set our inquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy Countenance Psal 90. 7. 8. 6. Conscience is many times incessant and not to be silenced in its accusations Augustine (h) Qui malas habent uxores domus suas intrare nolunt ad forum exeunt gaudent coepit hora esse quâ intraturi sunt ad domum suam contristantur Intraturi sunt ad taedia ad murmura ad amaritudines ad eversiones Si ergo miseri sunt qui cùm redeunt ad parietes suos timent quantò miseriores qui ad conscientiam redire nolunt ne litibus peccatorum evertantur Vt possis libens redire ad cor tuum illud munda Aufer cupiditatem sordes aufer labem avaritiae malas cogitationes odia non dico adversus amicum sed etiam adversus inimicum aufer ista omnia Intra cor tuum gaudebis Aug. in Enarrat in Psal 33. pag. mihi 237 238. compares a clamorous Conscience to a brawling Woman whose Tongue being set on fire of Hell never lies still but is continually shooting forth bitter words Now Solomon tells us 'T is better to dwell in the corner of a house top than with such a Woman in a wide house Prov. 25. 24. nay 'T is better to dwell in the Wilderness than with a contentious and angry Woman Prov. 21. 19. But how much more intolerable are the reproaches of an enraged Conscience Flashes of Hell fire do issue as it were out of the mouth of it it is continually bringing guilt unto remembrance and speaking of those Flames unto which this guilt does render the Soul that sins obnoxious and liable Thus the witness of Conscience is an accusation upon doing evil and such an accusation as may very much be dreaded 2. The witnesse of Conscience is an Apology upon doing well It will bear witnesse for those that are sincere when they walk before God in Truth and with a perfect Heart It must indeed be granted that in many things all even the very best do offend Jam. 3. 2. But conscience takes notice of the bent and desire of the Soul to please the Lord and how burthensome and bewailed infirmities are Conscience will excuse and defend if there be a will to do good though evil at the same time be present as it was with the Apostle himself Rom. 7. 21. Conscience having looked into the Gospel understands that God does not deal with Believers according to the terms of the Covenant of Works which had a promise of Life only upon condition of perfect obedience but Death was threatned upon the least transgression No no they are not now under the Law but under Grace and in the new Covenant sincerity is accounted and accepted as our perfection before God through Christ Jesus Now Consciences excusing or defending is of great force and weight 'T is not to be checkt by the reproaches of men nor by the accuser of the Brethren 1. Conscience excusing us is not to be checkt by the reproaches of Men. How eager as I hinted before were Jobs friends in their censures and accusations They thought his Religion was but a meer shew and that he had used the Form of Godliness onely as a cover for his wickedness and injustice Heark how he speaks to them Job 19. 2 3. How long will ye vex my Soul and break me in pieces with words these ten times have ye reproached me you are not ashamed
break the Rock so does the Word the the Heart though never so hard and senseless 't is compared also to fire because like fire it does both give light and refine and purifie the Conscience Yeare Clean sayes Christ but how through the word that I have spoken unto you John 15 3. Let the Word of Christ therefore dwell in you richly 't will be an Excellent and effectual Antidote against sin and temptation when your Hearts stand in awe of the Word of God as David's did how will it preserve you from defilement 2. Affliction is like a Furnace to refine That Conscience may be pure Affliction is to be improved The Rod of Affliction though it seem to be dry and withered yet like Aaron's 't will bud and blossom and bring forth the Fruits of Righteousness Heb. 12. 11. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the Peaceable Fruits of Righteousness unto them that are Exercised thereby And before the Apostle informs us that 't is God's design in Afflicting to refine and purifie v. 9 10. We have had Fathers of our Flesh who Corrected us and we gave them Reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live For they verily for a few days chastened 〈◊〉 after their own pleasure but He for our profit that we might be partakers of his Holiness The smart of Affliction does help very much to awaken Conscience and to discover the evil and danger of sin and then sin is found to be ten thousand times more bitter when we reflect upon it than ever was fansied to be sweet in the time of Temptation We may indeed with submission pray against Affliction and intreat that gentler ways may be used to sanctifie us and we may take the more comfort and our sincerity will be the more Evident when milder Methods are effectual One of our English Poets speaks Excellently to this purpose (*) Herbert Discipline pag. 173 174. Throw away thy Rod Throw away thy Wrath. O my God Take the gentle path For my hearts desire Vnto thine is bent I aspire To a full consent Not a word or look I affect to own But thy Book And thy Book alone Though I fail I weep Though I halt in pace Yet I creep To the Throne of Grace Then let wrath remove Love will do the deed For with Love Stony hearts will bleed Love is swift of foot Love's a Man of War And can shoot And can hit from far Who can scape his bow That which wrought on thee Brought thee low Needs must work on me Throw away thy Rod Though Man frailties hath Thou art God Throw away thy Wrath. But if the Father of Spirits sees it meet and needful to use the Discipline of the Rod it concerns us to hear the Voice of it and understand the meaning and this it always speaks and that very plainly that our Consciences and indeed all within us should be more clean and Holy 3. The Blood of Christ purges the Conscience from dead works This is the Fountain which in the Gospel is set open for Sâ—n and for Uncleanness 'T is He who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his Blood Rev. 1. 5. So Heb. 9. 14. How much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit Offered up himself without spot to God purge your Consciences from dead works to serve the Living God Though our Lord aimed at our Justification and the Remission of sin when he shed his Blood and Sacrificed himself for us yet he had our sanctification and cleansing also in his eye Upon this Account the Apostle Peter tells us That he bear our sins in his own Body on the Tree that we being dead unto sins might live unto Righteousness 1 Pet. 2. 24. And we read Eph. 5. 25 26 27. that Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might Sanctifie and cleanse it and present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be Holy and without blemish Apply this Blood unto your selves be perswaded that it has a sanctifying vertue and pray for purity as that which is a great part of Christ's purchase as well as your own Perfection 4. If you would have Conscience pure you must not resist but yield unto the Spirit of Christ 'T is his Work not onely to shew sin but to slay it he convinces of sin and also Mortifies the deeds of the Body Rom. 8. 13. If ye live after the Flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do Mortifie the deeds of the Body ye shall live The Power of sin is great and this Power is strengthned by the Principalities and Powers of Darkness who do endeavour to keep up sins Dominion So that if the Spirit of the Lord did not shew the exceeding greatness of his Power our Hearts and Consciences would still remain defiled we should never have our Fruit unto Holiness nor the end everlasting Life I have done with that sixth particular The goodness of Conscience lies in the purity of it 7. The goodness of Conscience lies in the calmness and peace of it What the Apostle speaks concerning the wisdom which is from above That 't is first pure and then peaceable may be applied unto a good Conscience first 't is pure then peacable there may indeed be purity without peace but there cannot be true peace without purity There is a false peace which is too commonly found in the ungodly and the Hypocrite this peace sin does not disturb but increase and by this peace the strong man armed does keep possession But true peace is peculiar unto them that are sanctified and when once they have attained unto it they are brought as it were within the Suburbs of Heaven and see the dawning of that Light which is everlasting That you may the better discern this true peace of Conscience I shall set it forth in these particulars 1. True peace of Conscience is founded upon the Blood of God So Christs Blood is called for as he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh so he is expresly affirmed to be over all God blessed for ever Rom. 9. 5. There could be no remission of sin without shedding of blood and no other blood would serve the turn the blood of Bulls and goats would not take away sin Heb. 10. 4. Nay supposing that Mans blood had been shed for us it would not have been expiatory Shall I give my first born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my Soul Mic. 6. 7. Nothing but what satisfies the justice of God will satisfie and pacifie the Conscience and bring it to a well-grounded tranquillity but 't is the blood of Christ alone that satisfies divine justice Conscience therefore can have no true rest till that blood be applied Luthers Conscience