I. What Conscience is.

COnscience is the Act of a reasonable crea­ture, apprehending the revealed will of God, takes notice of his owne actions, and compasses it with the rule of Gods Word, and so passeth sentence upon himselfe.

1. I say, Conscience is the act of a rea­sonable creature; not of a beast, or any creature save one­ly such who are endued with reason; because creatures without reason are not capable to serve God in any other Heb. 9. 14. way then they doe. In which service, notwithstanding the evils they are incident unto, doe yet serve God in their kinde: But man, who is a reasonable creature, hath a conscience, which by sin is defiled, and being pur­ged by the blood of Christ, is brought by the eternall Spirit, from dead workes to serve the living God. Con­science doth exceedingly raise up the joyes both of Saints and Angels in Heaven, and increaseth the horror of the Divels and damned in hell.

2 Conscience is an act of apprehending the revealed will of God: it is not of the apprehension of mans will: it is not having an eye to profit, or pleasure, or favour; no, Conscience is an act proceeding from the revealed will of God, which being fully comforted with the assurance [Page 2] of the pardon of sin from God, is fully satisfied. We can­not Heb. 10. 2. begin to looke into the conscience, till we look up to God.

3. Conscience takes notice of a mans owne actions. It is not the applause which others give a man; it is not the commendations of companions, it is not any thing taken upon trust from men: but the taking notice of a mans owne actions, bearing witnesse in the holy Ghost. This ariseth from Conscience. Rom. 9. 1.

4. Conscience compares a mans actions with the rule of Gods word; to looke how others live, to have an eye to mans esteeme, to looke no further then outward car­nall respects: this ariseth not from Conscience. But the renouncing even the secrets of dishonesty, by bringing of 2 Cor. 5. 11. the conscience to the manifestation of the truth: this doth truly arise from the Conscience.

5. Conscience passeth censure upon it selfe: It is not the stilling of the thoughts that arise by musicke, dancing, and such like vanities: it is not the slender looking on a mans life, and presently looking off againe, and passing by Rom. 2. 15 it with an undaunted courage, as if a man would outface heaven, this conclusion is not of conscience: no, it is then of conscience when it shewes the worke of the Law writ­ten in the heart, the conscience also bearing witnesse, and the thoughts the meane while passing censure; that is, ei­ther accusing or excusing.

II. What a miserable thing an evill Conscience is.

There is no misery can exceed the misery of an evill Conscience, both in respect of wants that attend thereon, as also the woes belonging thereto: first, in respect of the wants that attend on an evill conscience, it is miserable, as [Page 3] may appeare both by the present wants thereof, as also by its unprovidednesse for the time to come.

The present wants that attend an evill conscience, makes a miserable conscience; and that is alwayes effe­cted 1. either by being seared up with hardnesse, and fen­sing it selfe against the breathings and workings of Gods Spirit: so that it will not bow nor bend, nor yeeld to come to triall in truth; but peremptorily persisteth in its 1 Tim. 4. [...] owne way, and will not be controlled: or else it becomes so fearfull, that it casteth a man into utter desparation, so that it is as impossible for such a man or woman to looke up to God with comfort, as for a blinde man to behold the Sunne. Hence it hath come to passe, that some have been so farre perplexed in this sad condition, that they have been so confident that they should bee damned in hell, that though the Lords Ministers have come after a most sweet and heavenly manner, with an olive branch of peace in their mouthes, yet still they have cast off all, nothing could yeeld them any comfort, nothing but hell, nothing but damnation could appeare before their eyes.

So likewise also an evill Conscience is miserable in the future: for it is unprovided for the time to come. 2. For such is the misery of an evill conscience, that when it stands at the Barre of Gods judgement, before whose tribunall we must all appeare, then will torments of an evill conscience bee the greatest plague of all: this is the hottest cole in hell fire, even a defiled conscience full of unbeliefe and horror, and not able to behold any thing with comfort, but the Divels, the damned, nay the very Saints, nay more, God himselfe is terrible for their con­science Tit. 1. 15. to behold.

[Page 4] Secondly, the woes of an evill conscience makes a man exceeding miserable, and these woes are both tem­porall and eternall.

Temporall woes incident hereunto, are, feares that a­rise from a polluted Conscience, feares of sicknesse, 1. feares of the plague, feares of death, feares where no feare is, still meets with them often in the way. Oh! thou that fearest the judgement so, why doest thou not Eccl. 12. 5. feare to sinne? Why doest thou not trust in God? These feares, and troubles, and doubts, arise from thy want of faith: Thou hast a polluted conscience, and therefore thou art loth to come to triall; to have thy defi­led conscience come to a triall before God, this is a ter­rible misery, therefore labour to come out of it.

Those eternall woes that lye upon a polluted and e­vill 2. conscience, in case it bee not purified, and brought to beleeving, are even such as the Divels them­selves Matth. 25. 41. are plagued with, eternall torments in hell, where is nothing but weeping, and gnashing of teeth, plagues upon plagues, torments and woes, and miseries for e­ver, never to have end.

Thus may you see briefly the misery of an evill con­science.

III. What an happinesse a good Conscience is.

The comforts of a good Conscience are exceeding great: And that may appeare, First by the communi­on it hath with Gods Spirit: Secondly, by the union it hath with Christ: Thirdly, by the unity it hath with God through Christ. Fourthly, by the promises of eter­nall life.

First, the happinesse and comfort of a good Consci­ence [Page 5] is great, by the communion it hath with Gods Rom. 8. 26. Spirit; insomuch, that is there any weaknesse in us? the Spirit strengthens us. Doe infirmities hang upon us? the Spirit helps us? Doe wee not know how to pray to God for something to doe us good? The Spirit will pray for us. Are wee weary with prayer? The Spirit will groan for us. Here is an happinesse, here is a comfort beyond and above all the glories in the world.

Secondly, the happinesse and comforts are great al­so, that the conscience findes in its union with Christ; Joh. 17. 22. by which union the soule is knit to Christ, and Christ is united to the soule, and both made one, as Christ is one with God the Father, and man who is naturally (by sin) the heire of hell, is made by Christ, a joynt heire of heaven, a sonne of God, a member of Christ by a glorious union with him.

Thirdly, great is the comfort of a good Consci­ence, by reason of the unity it hath with God through Christ; insomuch, that were all the Divels in hell pleading against him before Gods Tribunall, they could not keep him from laying claime to the promi­ses of God, the greatest crosse in the world is not able to over-whelme him with unbeliefe: but still hee is 1 Tim. 3. 9. enabled, through the power of the holy Ghost, to hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience.

Fourthly, the comfort is also great, yea unspeake­able is the comfort that ariseth to a good conscience, through the beholding of the promises of eternall life, by which a man layes claime to heaven, as an heire to his owne inheritance, and therefore is not drawne away with the vanities of the world, which [Page 6] perish, nor through feare is overcome, nor led to de­light in folly, or to deny his God: but going on from grace to grace, through faith and patience, passeth his dayes till he inherit the promise of eternall life. Heb. 6. 12.

IV. How the estate of the Conscience is truly discerned.

The Conscience may discover to man his estate and condition, either, First, under the crosse: or, se­condly, in the middest of pleasure, or earthly glory: or thirdly, under the promises. Fourthly, under Sa­tans temptations. Lastly, by the effect of the work­ing of Gods Spirit upon the conscience.

First, the estate of Conscience may bee discerned under the crosse: when affliction comes upon a man, a good conscience may bee discerned from an evill conscience, as followeth.

An evill conscience in trouble, and under the crosse, doth not set a man forward to seeke to God in the chiefest place, but to some temporall meanes which 1 Sam. 16. 15. naturall reason teacheth; whereby the heart is fixed upon the creature, as if there were no helpe but even by what ariseth from carnall reason; whereupon the minde comes to bee troubled, and the heart discou­raged untill such time that fleshly reason doth per­ceive a redresse begin.

But on the contrary, a good conscience is fortified with patience and faith under the greatest crosse, pa­tience 2 Thess. 1. 4. & vers. 7 to endure with meeknes, as concerning every present meanes, sutable (through Gods blessing) to the present condition; & faith to beleeve undoubted­ly