Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Peace of Conſcience how gotten.
IT followes now to know how a man may get and keepe a good one, which is the third point which was propounded to be handled. A point well worth our inquiring after. A good Conſcience is the moſt precious thing that a Chriſtian can have: a thing of that eſteeme that where it is wanting, wee account a man without a Conſcience. So of a man that hath an ill Conſcience we uſe to ſay, he is a man of no conſcience. Not that he hath no Conſcience, the Devils themſelves have a conſcience, and happy it were for them they had none; but when a man hath not a good one, we eſteeme of him as having none at all. There is no greater good we can ſeeke after than a good conſcience. Let us enquire then how we may get, and keepe this ſo great a good.
A good Conſcience then conſiſting in Peace and Integrity, theſe two being gotten and kept, wee ſhall get and keepe a good Conſcience.
Firſt then to make the Conſcience peaceably good, theſe things are required.
1. Faith in Chriſt, and his blood. The conſcience cannot be at peace till it be purged from its guilt. An impure conſcience cānot but be an unquiet conſcience, and every guilty Conſcience is impure. Guilt is the ſame to the Conſcience that the winds are to the ſeas, Iſa. 27. 20. 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot reſt, whoſe waters caſt up myre and dirt, there is no peace to the wicked. Now that which makes the ſea ſo troubleſome and ragingly reſtleſſe, is the violence of the bluſtering winds that trouble & toſſe it to and fro. The winds are not ſo troubleſome to the ſea, as guilt is to the Conſcience. Therefore as the way to calme the Sea, is to calme the winds; ſo the way to quiet and calme the Conſcience, is to purge and take away the guilt. Guilt is in the Conſcience as Ionas in the Ship, out with him, and Sea and Ship are both quiet. But how then ſhall the guilt be purged out of the Conſcience? That we find, Heb. 9. 14. How much more ſhall the bloud of Chriſt purge our Conſciences from dead works? We cannot have a good conſcience till we be freed from an evill one. The way to be freed from an evill Conſcience, is to have our hearts ſprinkled from an evill Conſcience, Heb. 10. 22. But what is that wherewith the conſcience muſt be ſprinkled to be made good with peace and quietnes? the ſame which we find, 1 Pet. 1. 2. The ſprinkling of the blood of Ieſus Chriſt, & Heb. 12. 24. The blood of ſprinkling which ſpeaks better things than that of Abel.
So then the Conſcience ſprinkled with Chriſts bloud ceaſes to be evill, becomes good and peaceable. The ſame Chriſt that calmed the rage of the Sea by ſtilling the winds, Mar. 4. 39. He aroſe and rebuked the wind, and ſaid unto the Sea, peace, and be ſtill, and the wind ceaſed, and there was a great calm; the ſame Chriſt it is that ſtils the rage of the conſcience, by taking and purging away the guilt thereof, with the ſprinkling on of his bloud. His bloud ſpeakes, Heb. 12. 24. And ſpeakes not only to God, but ſpeakes to the conſcience. The voyce which it ſpeakes, is Peace and be ſtill, the ſame voyce which to his Diſciples after his reſurrection, Peace be with you; and then followes a great calme, and peace makes the Conſcience good.
But heare the Conſcience will inquire how it may come to get this bloud ſprinkled upon it, to make it thus peaceably good, and what is it that applies this calming bloud of Chriſt? I anſwer therfore, That it is the grace of faith, therfore it was ſaid before, that faith in Chriſts blood makes peace in the Conſcience. Faith is the hand of the ſoule, and as the hyſſope ſprinkle, by which Chriſts bloud is ſprinkled upon our Conſciences, Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neere with a true heart, in full aſſurance of faith, having our hearts ſprinkled from an evill Conſcience. And being justified by faith we have peace towards God. Rom. 5. 1. Hence that conjunction of faith and a good Conſcience, 1 Tim. 1. 5. of a good Conſcience, and of faith unfayned, and ver. 19. Holding faith and a good Conſcience. For faith it is that makes a good conſcience, by making a quiet conſciēce. Faith is not only a purifying grace, Act. 15. 9. but it is alſo a pacifying grace, Rom. 5. 1. It not onelyonly purges our corruption, by applying the efficacie of Chriſts bloud, but ſpecially purges our guilt by applying the merit of his bloud. So that no faith, no peace; and no peace, no good Conſcience. A defiled Conſcience can be no good Conſcience, and what defiles the Conſcience? See Tit. 1. 15. VntoUnto them that are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but even their mind and Conſcience is defiled. They that be defiled have their conſciences defiled, but how come they and their Conſciences ſo? To them that are defiled and unbelieving. Therefore an unbelieving Conſcience is a defiled conſcience, and a defiled conſcience is no good conſcience, becauſe it can have no peace ſo long as it is clogged with defiling guilt. But contrarily, faith purifying not onelyonly from corruption, but from guilt, by the application of Chriſts bloud makes the conſcience pure and peaceable both.
There can be no peace of conſcience but where there is the righteouſneſſe of the perſon. There is no peace to the wicked, Iſa. 57. 21. as if he ſhould ſay, an evill unrighteous perſon cannot have a good conſcience: where the perſon is evill, there the conſcience cannot be good. Now faith in Chriſts bloud makes a mans perſon good, & ſo the conſcience becomes good. It makes the perſon righteous, and the perſon being righteous, the conſcience is at peace; for the worke of righteouſneſſe, is peace, and the effect of righteouſneſſe, quietneſſe, and aſſurance for ever, Iſa. 32. 17. with which that of the Apoſtle ſweetly ſutes, Revel. 7. 2. Firſt King of righteouſneſſe, and after that King of peace. Our perſons muſt firſt find Chriſt a King of righteouſneſſe, by juſtifying them from their guilt, before our conſciences can find him King of Salem, pacifying them from their unquietneſſe. Our perſons once justified by Chriſts blood from their guilt, and unrighteouſneſſe, our conſciences are pacified and freed from their unquietneſſe.
Wouldſt thou then have a good conſcience? Get the peace of conſcience. Wouldſt thou have Peace in thy conſcience? Get faith in thy ſoule; Believe in the Lord Ieſus, and get thy ſoule ſprinkled with his bloud, and then Heb. 10. 2. Thou ſhalt have no more conſcience of Sin, thy Conſcience ſhall be at quiet, no more accuſing thee, nor threatning thee condemnation for thy Sin.
2. Repentance from dead workes. Though Chriſts bloud be that which purges the conſcience from dead works, and ſo workes peace; yet that peace is not wrought in our apprehenſion; neither do we get the feeling of this faith without ſome further thing. Therefore to our faith muſt be joyned our repentance, though not in the making of our peace, yet for the feeling of it. Many are ready to catch at Chriſts bloud, and if that will make a good conſcience they are then ſafe enough. But as thou muſt have Chriſts bloud, ſo Chriſt will have thine heart alſo bleed by repentance, ere he wil vouchſafe the ſenſe of peace. A cōſcience therefore that would be a conſcience having peace, muſt not onelyonly be a believing, but a repenting conſcience, Mat. 3. 2. Repent ye, for the Kingdome of heaven is at hand, the Kingdome of heaven ſhall be yours if you will repent, ye ſhall have it immediately upon your repentance. But wherein ſtands this kingdome offered to repentant conſciences? The Kingdome of God ſtands in peace, and joy in the holy Ghoſt, Rom. 14. 17. Repent, and ye ſhall receive the gift of the holy Gboſt, Act. 3. 38. And what may that gift be. The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, Gal. 5. 22. Which though it be to be underſtood of peace betweene man and man, yet alſo that peace which is betweene God and man is the fruit of the ſpirit, and the love of God ſhed abroad into our hearts by the holy Ghoſt, Rom. 5. 5. is the gift of the holy Ghoſt, which he gives to all, that by repentance ſeeke to get a good conſcience. Bleſſed are they that mourne, that is, which repent, for they ſhalbe comforted, Mat. 5. 4. they ſhall have the peace of a good conſcience, which is the greateſt and ſweeteſt comfort in the world.
Many doe truſt all to their ſuppoſed faith, as a ſhort cut and compendious way to a good conſcience, but he whoſe faith doth not as well purifie the heart as pacifie it, hath neither faith nor a good conſcience. It is idle to hope for peace by faith, whilſt thou liveſt impenitently in a ſinfull courſe. Thou canſt have no peace of conſcience ſo long as thou haſt peace with thy ſins. Peace with conſcience will be had by war with ſin, in the daily practiſe of repentance. It it is but a dreame to think of a good cōſcience in peace, whilſt a man makes no conſcience of ſin. They that have a good conſcience by Chriſts bloud, may be indeed ſaid to have no conſcience of ſin, as Heb. 10. 2. But yet there is a great difference betweene having no conſcience, and making no conſcience of ſin. To have no conſcience of ſin, is to have a peaceable good conſcience, not accuſing of ſin, being ſprinkled with Chriſts blood. To make no conſcience of ſin, is for a man impenitently to live, and ly in any ſin. Now let any judge whether theſe two can ſtand together, that a man may live as he liſt, and make no conſcience of any ſin, and yet have ſuch peace by faith as that he hath no Conſcience of ſin. It is an unconſcionable thing in this ſenſe to lay all upon Chriſt, an unconſcionable requeſt to have him take away our guiltineſſe, and yet wee would wallow in our filthineſſe ſtill. How ſhall faith remove the ſting, when repentance removes not the Sin?
Men ſeeking peace by faith in Chriſts blood, & yet living and lying in their ſins without repentance, God will give them Iehues anſwer to Iehoram, 2 King. 9. 22. What peace, ſo long as the whoredomes of thy mother Iezebel, and her witchcrafts are ſo many? So what peace of conſcience, ſo long as thine oathes, Sabbath-breaches, whoredomes, drunkennes, &c. do remain, and remaine, unrepented of, and unreformed. It is true of all Sin, which is ſpoken of Romiſh Idolatry, Apoc. 14. 11. They have noreſt day nor night; that is, no peace of conſcience to any of that religion; ſo of all that live in any Sin, they have no true reſt day nor night; that is, as Iſaiah interprets it, There is no peace to the wicked. Peace and wickedneſſe live not together under one roofe. Wouldſt thou then have a peaceable heart? Get an humbled, a mourning and a repentant heart for Sin. The leſſe peace with Sin, the more peace with God and our owne Conſciences.
3. The conſtant and conſcionable exerciſe of prayer. An excellent meanes to helpe us to the ſenſe of that peace which makes the conſcience good. Hee that hath a good conſcience will make conſcience of prayer. And prayer will helpe to make a good conſcience better, Phil. 4. 7. In every thing by prayer and ſupplication with thankſgiving, let your requeſts be made knowne unto God, and marke what ſhall be the fruit thereof, And the peace of God that paſſes all underſtanding, ſhall keepe your hearts and minds through Ieſus Chriſt. See Iob 33. 26. He ſhall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him, and he ſhall ſee his face with joy. It is many times with mens conſciences, as it was with Saul, hee was vexed and diſquieted with an evill ſpirit; but Davids Harpe gave him eaſe: Prayer is a Davids Harpe, the muſicke whereof ſweetly calmes, and compoſes a diſtempered and diſquieted conſcience, and puts it into frame againe. As in other diſquiets of the heart, after prayer David bids his ſoule returne unto her reſt. Pſ. 116. 4. 7. So we may in theſe diſquiets of conſcience do no leſſe.
The way to get a good peaceable conſcience, is to have acquaintance with God; and when wee have acquaintance with him, then ſhall we have peace, Iob 22. 21. Acquaint thy ſelfe now with him, and be at peace. Now acquaintance is gotten with God by prayer. Zech. 13. 9. They ſhall call on my name, and I will heare them; I will ſay, it is my people; and they ſhall ſay, the Lord is my God. Loe how in prayer acquaintance is bred betweene God and his people, and acquaintance breedes love, and peace; and peace a good Conſcience. Iudge then what pitious conſcience they muſt needs have, that make ſo little conſcience of ſeeking God in this duty; of wicked ones the Pſalme ſpeakes, They call not upon God, Pſal. 14. as much as Iſaiah ſayes, There is no peace to the wicked, they are utterly voyd of good Conſcience.