Christian Observations and Resolutions, Observations · Observation 79 – Observation 81
79. The worke of Conscience.
THE Conscience is the most wonderfull power in our Soule; it is both a parte of it, and a Partie in it; a power created in vsus by God, & set ouer vsus with diuine authority: An eye looking out on all, and most on God, and returning againe, and reflecting on our selfe; it hath in it atonce, both a light to see God, and to see him looking on vsus: The worke of it is 1. to direct vsus in the right, 2. to watch ouer vsus in obedience of that direction: 3. To witnesse how wee obey: 4. To judge our obedience & estate with God: If wee obey, to gladen vsus with a sweete testimonie; if wee disobey to grieue vsus with a fearefull checke.
These offices are fruitefull, but the last is the strength and force of the other: There may bee Watching, Direction, and Witnessing, and yet but slow and weake judging in it. But when the conscience is brought to some odde exercise in that judging part; the other offices are more conscientiouslie discharged. After that exercise, her watching is more particular; her directing more forcible, and her witnessing more sincere.
GOD vseth a great varietie in this exercise: For the Measure, some are more heauily pressed down in their sense to the lower Hell; other more easilie passe that burning fire: For Matter, some tremble before that fire, for supposed or small sinne, where other are scarcely touched for grosse offences: For Tyme, some know it not, to their middle or olde Age; others are preuented by it in their Youth. It is in it selfe a fruite of sin, a processe of Gods justice, a worke of the Law; and a crosse of crosses, when the Charter of our peace with God is turned in a bill of diuorcement from him: And the ordinar applyer of our comfort, applyeth nothing, but wrath to vsus: Yet it bringeth foorth a glorious fruite in the Sainctes, and the sooner wee bee schooled in it, the greater fruite.
In our Youth it is a notable preparatiō for our effectuall Calling: And when Grace is weake, and corruption strong to breake foorth at eueryevery occasion, and Sathan busie to leade vsus in all sinne, it is then a great blessing to bee bridled by these terrors: Thereby sinne is restrained, and a way prepared, both for obedience and sinceritie in it: The Soule that hath beene burnt with that fire, will neuer doe that which will kendle it againe. Hee who hath seene an angrie God, and beareth the markes of his anger, dare not bourd with him: Thereafter, our Reading, Hearing, Thinking, and all occasions are turned to a consciencious kno…edge, and that knowledge is set on worke, to keepe the peace and approbation of GOD, and GOD in them both.
The sooner wee finde that Exercise, wee are the sooner schooled, for keeping our Conscience, in walking with God: There goeth nothing to oddes in our deedes, or wordes, or thoughts, but all is called to the Touch-stone, and tried how it may stand with the will of God, and peace of our Conscience. It is good for a man to beare the yoke of God from his youth. Lament. 3. 27.
Hee who so judgeth himselfe daylie, and keepeth himselfe cleane, shall find at the last day, a friendly Iudge, a fauourable reckoning, and the greater and sweeter Glorie, by resenting his former terrours: Though Heauen bee infinitelie pleasant in it selfe, it shall bee the more pleasant to them who hauehave tasted the sorrowes of Hell in this life.
Happie is hee, who is conscious of his owne Conscience, and both setteth it to worke, and reporteth the daylie fruite of that worke: And more happie is hee, who knowing the weaknesse of his Conscience suteth Gods presence to ouerrule his Conscience: It is indeed our Watch, but that watch hath neede of a better Watch-man; and this is Gods Spirit, who is that Conscience of consciences.
Whē our bodie waiteth on our Soule, our Soule on our Conscience, and our Conscience dependeth on God: Then God by our Conscience will direct our Soule and Bodie in the good way, and blesse vsus with happie successe therein: And in end eternallie sease on our Conscience, Soule and Bodie, with his full and perfect Ioyes.
80. Tendernesse of Body, a Blessing to the godly.
A Tender Body is an heauie burden: yet it is profitable to the renewed man: Health is Gods blessing in it selfe, but sanctified infirmities bringeth health to the Soule: Constant health in many, is taken for a naturall gift, as it is not sought of God, so neither is it holden of him as his blessing, nor vsed to his Glorie. Their mindes doe neither mark the course of it with joy, nor turne them to God for it.
It may seeme grieuous to bee night & day perplexed with a weake body, but the fruite of it is better than all these paines: God giueth not health in a constant tenour, but by partes, hee tapes it so peece and peece, that euerie houre he giueth vsus both matter of prayer and praise. When I finde daylie the sentence of death, I hauehave dayly recouse to God for life, and euerie deliuerie of euerie on-set is a new gift and taker of the life: It is not sought for it selfe, but for God, that it may be imployed to his honour.
A godlie Soule hath more fruitfull remarkes in one day about his tendernesse, than a secure Soule in a constant health in all his lifetime: I had rather vndergoe the bodilie infirmitie, than want the daylie spirituall profite: It is a sort of spiritualizing our bodilie life, when all the hours of it are sought, obtained, possessed, and spent on God; and these frequent infirmities are tolerable that bring so spirituall a life both to Soule and bodie.
Profane men abuse the strength and health of their bodies to sinne: They take it as an instrument and measure of their iniquitie: So long, and so farre doe they offend, as their bodie serueth them: This is a giuing of their bodie to bee a weapon of vnrighteousnesse, and a sacrificing of themselues to the Deuill: Heereafter they will wish, that their strong body had beene tyed to the bed continuallie. But tendernesse in the godlie, turneth all their thoughts and care to immortalitie.
Strength and health of body is Gods blessing, but our corruption abuseth it, either to needlesse businesse, or in grosse actes of sin: Tendernesse is a cros…e, but where it is sanctified, it is a bridle to hold vsus from sinfull workes, and a spurre to Deuotion. It sendeth vsus oft-ten to God, when possiblie wee would bee worse exercised, as oft as it humbleth it selfe to God, among other sutes, it putteth in the hand of our Spirit, the supplication for health and sanctification of that tendernesse.
There is no crosse, that either more occasioneth or causeth a serious preparation for death, than bodilie weaknes: Whē they find daylie the coards of their tabernacle loosing, and the pillers of it bowing, they deale with God for a Mansion in heauen. That weaknesse may possiblie hinder them from some bodilie worke in their calling, but it stayeth them also from many bodilie sinne, and holdeth them euer vponupon the maine point, how they may be cloathed after this life, with glorious immortalitie. As abused strength posteth to Hell, so sanctified terdernesse creepeth to Heauen.
81. Matter of continuall ejaculations.
NOne obseruing Spirit can want new matter of continuall prayer to God: If hee be secret, he filleth his heart in reteardnesse: If he goe abroad, it is forced on him. What difficultie shall wee find to converse with men? What ignorance in our selfe to foresee, and weakenesse to eschew foreseene, or secret inconvenients: When God may desert vsus for a time, and leaue vsus to the counsell of our heart, like Ezechiah; or Sathan surpryse vsus by passion, or deceiue vsus by allurement: These and the like shall giuegive vsus matter with Nehemiah, to send vp pearcing ejaculations to God.
It is necessar wee euer bee requesting God, that wee neither offend nor bee offended of other: The least libertie of our thoughts may draw vsus to grieuous inconuenients: There is no sure Guarde to vsus & our heart, but by a speciall guarding Grace: and that guard is most close about vsus, when wee feele the neede of it, and are earnest with God for it: So long as there is euill in the world, malice in Sathan, weakenesse in our selfe, and goodnesse in God, wee cannot want matter of continuall prayer: That same light that seeth the necessitie, directeth vsus to the Fountaine, where it may bee helped: And the goodnesse of God perswadeth vsus of a supplie.
Our necessitie is great, and God hath promised to heare when wee call, his merciemercy and trueth in Christ, are chiefe grounds of my perswasion: But I am greatlie confirmed by a secondarie meane, when I am conscious in all my doing with man, that I seek nothing, but Gods glorie, mans good, & mine owne Saluation: Wee draw neere to the Throne of Grace with boldnesse, when our hearts are purged from eueryevery euill Conscience. The gift and libertie of feruent ejaculations, are the worke of God in vsus: Hee will doubtlesse answere that desire, which his owne Spirit worketh: Wee neede not in such stratnesse of time and businesse looke so much to the shortnesse of our ejaculations, as to their feruencie.
Pluralitie of businesse, lacke of time, and throng of companie, seeme to cut off the possibilitie of these short prayers; But indeede they beget and bring them foorth: Gods intercourse with the godlie Soule, knoweth no such impedimēt: Moses distresse at the red Sea forced out these secret cryes, and God answered him to his desire: The searcher of hearts heareth these secret and pearcing prayers, and will answere them openlie.
They are not so much in voice as in groanes, and these groanes are not separate from the heart, but in it; and the heart in them immediatelie thrusting it selfe on God: A free desire goeth out in words; but a restrained and suppressed desire doubleth it selfe, as a sparkle of fire, is hotter when it is couered with colde ashes.