The Souls Looking Glass, Treatise · Part 9
Conſcience beareth witneſſe of our perſons.
COncerning the witneſſe of conſcience, I told you that conſcience beareth witneſſe of two things: 1. It beareth witneſſe of our actions; 2. It beareth witneſſe of our perſons. The former hath been declared unto you at large: I come now to the latter; Conſcience beareth witneſſe alſo of our perſons, whether we be good or evil, whether in Chriſt or in ſinne: And here I will ſhew you foure things:
1. That every mans conſcience may inform him what ſtate he is in, whether of ſalvation or damnation, whether of grace or of nature.
2. How conſcience doth it.
3. When conſcience doth it.
4. How it cometh to paſſe then that ſo many thouſands miſtake and are ignorant and deluded about their eſtates.
1. Every mans conſcience may inform him in what ſtate he is.1. For the firſt, That every mans conſcience may inform him what eſtate he is in, whether good or bad; (I ſpeak eſpecially of ſuch as live under the light of the Goſpel of Chriſt.) There are two rules: the one is Gods word, which pointeth out both eſtates; and the other is every mans conſcience, which is privy to the frame and ſtanding of every mans own heart, and which of theſe eſtates his eſtate is, conſcience is privy to this. I will inſtance in ſome ſorts of men. 1. The Jews, who contented themſelves with formality: they ſacrificed, they offered, they payed their tithes, they did that which Moſes commanded them for the letter of it: now ye ſhall ſee their conſcience could tell them that they were not perfect nor upright with God: All their duties, and formalities, and gifts, and ſacrifices could not make them that did the ſervice perfect, as perteining to the conſcience, Heb. 9.9. Mark; Their conſciences could ſay they were not upright for all this. As they were not upright, ſo their conſcience could tell them they were not upright. 2. Another inſtance we have in the Scribes and Phariſees: When they would have condemned the woman taken in adultery, their own conſcience was privy that they were ſinners themſelves, John 18.9. So alſo it is with a child of God: His conſcience is able to inform him that he is a child of God, and that he doth truly ſerve God. I thank God, 2. Tim. 1.3….ſaith Paul, whom I ſerve with a pure conſcience. His conſcience told him he was a true ſervant of God, and that he was Gods: whoſe I am, ſaith he. So Davids conſcience; I am thine; ſave me: for I have ſought thy commandments. So the church; My beloved is mine, and I am his. Ye ſee then how conſcience can inform and tell us what eſtate we are in, whether we be godly or carnall, whether our converſation be in heaven or on earth, whether we be in Chriſt or out of him. The ſpirit of man knoweth what is in him. It is eaſie to know what our great thoughts of heart are upon, what our greateſt purpoſes and projects and ſtudies be; whether about God or the world: the ſpirit of a man muſt needs know it. And therefore every man may draw out from conſcience a true concluſion how it is with him. The reaſons are theſe:
1. The firſt is taken from the nature of conſcience. The nature of conſcience is ſuch that it muſt needs be able to know what is with a man. Now his welldoings or his illdoings are with him: he was with himſelf when he did them▪ When thou art proud, or impatient, or careleſſe in any duty, thou art with thy ſelf when thou art ſo: All thy illdoings are with thee: and therefore thy conſcience muſt needs know what thou art.Iſai. 59.12. Our tranſgreſſions are with us; and as for our iniquities we know them. Take a curſer;Eccles 7.22. and, as Solomon ſaith, Thine own heart knoweth that thou hast uſed to curſe others. So it is with a godly ſoul: Thine obedience is with thee, and thy ſelf-deniall is with thee, and thy care to walk before God, all is with thee; and therefore thou muſt needs know it. This is the nature of conſcience; It is privy to what is with one.
2. The ſecond reaſon is taken from the equity of Gods judgements on the wicked. The Lord he will judge none to hell, but his conſcience ſhall confeſſe he was one that walked in the way to hell and death. Ye may reade it in the man that had not on the wedding-garment: When Chriſt did charge him with his not having on a wedding-garment, and did condemne him to utter darkneſſe, the text ſaith, he was ſpeechleſſe;Matth. 22.12. that is, his conſcience confeſſed that Chriſts judgement was juſt: I have not on a wedding-garment, ſaith his conſcience; and it is my fault that I have none; and I am rightly condemned. Thus his conſcience did know it; otherwiſe he could not have been ſpeechleſſe in his own deſenſe. As Feſtus told Agrippa that he anſwered the Prieſts,Acts 25.16. It is not the manner of the Romanes to deliver any man to dye before that he who is accuſed have his accuſers face to face, and have licence to anſwer for himſelf concerning the crime laid against him: So may I ſay, that the great Judge of quick and dead will not judge any man to hell but he will have his accuſers face to face, and if he can anſwer for himſelf he may. Now if conſcience be not privy to what eſtate ſoever a wicked man is in, his conſcience could never accuſe him face to face at the laſt day, nor juſtifie the Lord Jeſus and make the ſinner ſtand ſpeechleſſe before God. He might anſwer, Lord, I do not know any ſuch thing as is laid to my charge: I am not convinced that the caſe is thus and thus with me, that I am in ſuch an eſtate as I am accuſed of. No wicked man ſhall be able to ſay thus: Therefore conſcience can inform a man in what eſtate he is.
3. The third reaſon is taken from the Lords manner of judging the godly. He will judge them and abſolve them ſecundùm allegata & probata, as we ſay, according to the word and their own conſciences. Ye may ſee the true form of judgement which the Lord will go by, Matth. 25. Where the Lord convinceth the whole world who were righteous and who not, who to be judged to puniſhment, and who to life for ever; at laſt he concludeth, The wicked ſhall go away into everlaſting puniſhment, but the righteous into life eternall. As if he had ſaid, Your conſciences can ſay ye are wicked: ye did not feed, nor clothe, nor viſit me: Go your wayes to hell. So for the righteous; Your conſciences can ſay ye are righteous: Go ye to heaven. Thus the Lord will do. Now this could not be if conſcience could not inform every one that is godly that he is ſo: If conſcience could not witneſſe what eſtate they are in, this could not be. Thus ye ſee the truth of the firſt thing.
2. How conſcience doth this.II. The ſecond thing that I promiſed to ſhew you is, How conſcience doth this. Ye have heard that it is able to inform every one what eſtate he is in before God: Now it followeth to conſider, How conſcience doth it. This it doth by comparing the word of God with our hearts, and our hearts with the word:Pſal. 119.6. As for example; They who have reſpect to all Gods commandments ſhall never be aſhamed, ſaith the word: But, ſaith conſcience, I deſire to know all my dutie to God and man, and to perform all that I know: and therefore I ſhall not be aſhamed. Prov 11 18.To him that ſoweth righteouſneſſe ſhall be a ſure reward, ſaith the word: But, ſaith conſcience, I plough up my nature and all the fallow-ground of my heart, and I ſow righteouſneſſe: and therefore to me ſhall be a ſure reward. So, To be ſpiritually minded is life and peace, ſaith the word; But, ſaith conſcience, I am ſpiritually minded; my mind is ſet upon things that are ſpirituall: therefore I have life and peace. So conſcience alſo judgeth of the ſtate of ſinne. Rom. 8.6Thoſe that live after the fleſh ſhall die, ſaith the word: But, ſaith conſcience, my life is led after the fleſh and the luſts of it: therefore I ſhall die. Rom. 8.13.He that believeth not is condemned already, ſaith the word: But, ſaith conſcience, I do not believe: therefore I am in the ſtate of condemnation. The word ſaith, A good tree bringeth forth good fruit, John 3.18.and a corrupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit: But, ſaith conſcience, my works and my courſes are corrupt and naught: therefore ſo is my heart. Thus ye ſee that conſcience doth it by reaſoning: And this conſcience can very well do; 1. Becauſe conſcience hath a very good judgement. It is a very wiſe and judicious facultie in the ſoul of man. Some make it an act of judgement. We do not take it ſo: It is not an act of judgement, but it is a reflexive facultie of the ſoul having a very good judgement. Whether it be right to obey you rather then God, judge ye, ſaith Peter, Acts 4.19. appealing to their own conſciences to judge in the point. So that conſcience is a facultie of a good judgement. Now if it be judicious, it muſt needs be able to reaſon and to argue about our eſtates, and find out whether they be good or no. It is the judgement of man that is able to argue, and able to hold an argument: We thus judge, ſaith the Apoſtle, that if one died for all, then are all dead, 2. Cor. 5.14. Mark; His propoſition he would prove was, That all the believers in Chriſt are dead to themſelves and alive unto God. Now ye may ſee how his judgement maketh here an argument; If Chriſt died for them all, then they are all dead: but Christ died for them all: therefore they are all dead. Judgement is able to make arguments: and therefore if conſcience be a reflexive faculty that hath a very good judgement, it muſt needs be able to frame arguments, and ſo make out what our eſtates are. 2. Becauſe there is naturall logick in every mans conſcience: It can frame ſyllogiſmes, thus, As many as be led by the ſpirit of God, are the ſonnes of God, ſaith the word: But, ſaith a godly mans conſcience, I am led by Gods ſpirit, and I am carefull to follow the leading of Gods holy ſpirit: therefore I am one of Gods ſonnes. And ſo on the other ſide. Ye will ſay, How can a countrey-mans conſcience make ſyllogiſmes? It is onelyonly for ſcholars and ſuch as have ſtudied logick in the ſchools to make ſyllogiſmes. I anſwer, It is true; Artificiall logick is onelyonly among ſcholars: But there is naturall logick in conſcience, which doth not ſtand upon forms. The godly people at Rome were never brought up at Univerſitie: yet the Apoſtle telleth them they had logick enough to argue themſelves to be dead unto ſinne and alive unto God through Chriſt; Likewiſe alſo, Rom. 6.11.ſaith he, reckon ye your ſelves to be dead indeed unto ſinne, but alive unto God through Jeſus Christ our Lord. The originall is, foreign, Exerciſe ſo much logick in your ſelves; Like good logicians prove your ſelves to be dead unto ſinne and alive to God. So that ye ſee there is naturall logick in conſcience: and therefore conſcience is able to frame arguments about our eſtate, and to inform us what it is.
III.3. When conſcience doth this. The third thing I propounded to conſider is, When conſcience doth this. This is a very neceſſarie point: and indeed ſo they are all; but this more eſpecially. I have ſhewed that conſcience is able to inform us what eſtate we are in, whether of grace or nature: but when doth it perform this? I anſwer, I need not ſo much ſpeak of the godly, becauſe they do mark conſcience. But let me ſpeak of ſuch as are fooliſh, diſobedient, ſerving divers luſts, who never had yet the waſhing of regeneration nor the renewing of the holy Ghoſt: I anſwer about them; 1. Their conſcience muſt needs have a time when to do it. I do remember my faults this day, ſaith Pharaohs butler, Gen. 41.9. His conſcience did inform him; and there was a time when his conſcience did inform him. 2. Conſcience would chooſe a time by it ſelf: it would inform a wicked man ſolemnly and punctually of his rotten and curſed eſtate he is in. I ſay, it would have a ſolemn time by it ſelf for this, if it could have it: but a wicked man taketh an order with his conſcience that it ſhall not tell him ſolemnly how it is with him; neither will he find a time to ſuffer it: As it was with Felix; When his conſcience began to grumble againſt him, when Paul had told him of righteouſneſſe and of judgement, he trembled▪ his conſcience began to ſtirre, and would then have ſolemnly dealt with him indeed: but he ſhuffled it off, and would not find time;Acts 24.25. Go thy way at this time, ſaith he to Paul; I will heare thee at a more convenient time. And ſo he ſaid to his conſcience too. Conſcience would take a ſolemn and ſet time to inform men what their eſtates are; but men will not ſuffer them: and therefore conſcience is fain to take ſuch ſudden times as it can get. Ye will ask, What times be they?
Conſcience interlineth.I anſwer, Firſt, when conſcience interlineth: As for example, in the hearing of the word: While men are hearing the word, it may be the preacher preacheth of holineſſe, and a wicked man heareth it; But I have it not, ſaith his conſcience. Mark; his conſcience interlineth. It may be the preacher is preaching how deſperately careleſſe men are of their ſouls, how they look to every thing more then to them; conſcience interlineth, This is my caſe. It may be he is preaching againſt adulterie; This ſinne I have committed, ſaith a guiltie conſcience: or againſt ruſhing upon Gods ordinances without preparation; This is my constant courſe, ſaith an evil mans conſcience. It may be the preacher is preaching of converſion and becoming a new creature in Chriſt; This I am yet to ſeek in, ſaith conſcience. Thus conſcience interlineth: Though the man heareth on, and it may be taketh little to heart, yet conſcience interlineth a ſudden information of his wretched eſtate. Like a bi…d that flieth by, or like a ſwift-ſhot arrow, that is preſently out of ſight, ſo it may be a man taketh very lit…le notice of it. Like the forenamed Felix:Act 2… 25. as Paul was preaching of righteouſneſſe and temperance, I have it not, ſaith his conſcience; and of judgement to come, What ſhall I do then? ſaith his conſcience. Thus conſcience interlined, and made him tremble on a ſudden, like a ſudden ſhivering of a cold, or a ſudden ſtartle of a man affrighted, and away it was gone quickly. I beſeech you obſerve your own boſomes. Do ye not feel this now and then at a ſermon, when ye heare it? do not your conſciences interline our ſermons, and put in parentheſes now and then? When ye heare ſuch and ſuch a ſinne reproved, condemned, And this is my ſinne, ſaith conſcience: when ye heare theſe and theſe graces commended, And I never had theſe, ſaith conſcience: when ye heare theſe and theſe marks of a carnall eſtate, And theſe or ſome of theſe are in me, ſaith conſcience? do not your conſciences interline in this manner? As Paul was ſpeaking to the ſhipmen concerning God, his conſcience did ſweetly interline thus,Acts 27.23. There ſtood by me this night an Angel of God, whoſe I am, ſaith his conſcience. And as he was writing to the Romanes, God is my witneſſe, ſaith he,Rom. 1.9. whom I ſerve in my ſpirit. But do not your conſciences interline otherwiſe with you? If they do, I beſeech you conſider it: Your conſciences do then truly inform you of your rotten eſtates: liſten to them.
Secondly, when conſcience falleth a choking.Conſcience choketh. As for example, in prayer: a wicked man prayeth; But I do not pray right, ſaith his conſcience. I humbly beſeech thee, O Lord: Nay, but I do not beſeech humbly, ſaith his conſcience. I deſire to be ſanctified & purged from my ſins: Nay, but I do not hunger after any ſuch thing, ſaith conſcience. I do not confeſſe my ſinnes right, nor beg for grace right. Do your conſciences choke you thus? Now your conſciences inform you of your eſtates. Peradventure ye hardly perceive this choking at all: It is done in a moment, and it preſently ceaſeth, becauſe ye are not willing to heare it: and therefore it may be conſcience doth it by ſudden flaſhes. It is ſaid the Lord ſpake ſuddenly to Moſes:Num. 12.4. ſo often conſcience ſpeaketh ſuddenly to men, a word and away. As David ſaith of the wicked, God ſhall ſhoot an arrow at them, and they ſhall be wounded on a ſudden: So conſcience ſhooteth a quick arrow, and it woundeth men in the twinkling of an eye, and it is gone. Lord, have mercy upon us, ſaid one: But I ſhould not ſay ſo vainly and in ordinary talk, ſaith conſcience. I do not hate this man for his holineſſe and ſtrictneſſe: But you do, ſaith conſcience. And ſo when men are defending evil by arguments; But this is falſe, ſaith conſcience. Thus conſcience choketh on a ſudden, and is gone. I confeſſe generally the men of the world mark not theſe things: They are ſuch ſudden ſparklings of conſcience that men for the moſt part do not heed them: But theſe are Gods witneſſes; and men ſhall know one day they were truly informed of their eſtates by theſe inſtantaneous Items of conſcience.
Thirdly, when conſcience ſhooteth like a ſtitch in a mans ſide. As for example; Sometimes when men are about their callin…s and their wordly buſineſſe, then cometh conſcience like a ſudden ſtitch in ones ſide, and giveth them a twitch, O how worldly am I! ſaith conſcience: Shall I never get this worldly-mindednes cured? Many times conſcience ſpeaketh while men are working, or playing, or eating, or buying, or ſelling.
Fourthly, ſo likewiſe when conſcience commenteth upon the judgements of God. Let an adulterer fall ſick; Yea, this is for mine adulterie, ſaith his conſcience. Let a company-keeper be in want of outward things; Yea, this is my drunkenneſſe, ſaith conſcience:Jer. 4.18. This is my wickedneſſe, my way, my doings which have procured me theſe things; this ague, this poverty, this ſhame, this diſcomfort. Thus I have ſhewed you how conſcience doth inform the wicked of their wretched eſtate; and when it doth it. It remaineth now that I ſpeak ſomething of the fourth point.
IV.4Why many are deluded about their eſtate. How cometh it to paſſe then that ſo many thouſands miſtake, and are ignorant and deluded about their eſtates? The reaſon of this doubt is this; Seeing conſcience is able to inform every one what his eſtate is, whether it be bleſſed or curſed; and ſeeing alſo that conſcience doth it; and doth it by argument; and hath its time when it doth it: a man now would wonder that any ſhould be ignorant of his eſtate when his own conſcience doth tell him how it is with him. For anſwer I will explain unto you two things: 1. The reaſons why men are miſtaken; 2. The reaſons why they are miſtaken though conſcience inform them.
Firſt, They build upon falſe grounds which are not in Gods word. Some are ſo fooliſh that they build upon outward things, as health, peace, proſperitie, ſucceſſe, and the like. They proſper, and all things go well with them, and therefore ſure God is at peace with them: This is not ſo; but they think ſo though. Some again build upon grounds which men of corrupt minds do give them, or which they take from the common opinion of moſt, thinking that to be faith and repentance which the moſt take ſo to be, or which a teacher fit for their palate taketh ſo to be. On the contrarie ſide, weak Chriſtians oftentimes miſtake themſelves by judging their eſtates to be bad, becauſe God letteth them be poore and mean & comfortleſſe in the world: Therefore they conclude God is angrie with them, or that they are not that which they ſeem to themſelves to be, becauſe they are ſo croſſed in all outward things. This is the firſt reaſon of errour in this kind.
Reaſ. 2.2. A ſecond reaſon is the not-right underſtanding of Gods word: As when men judge of themſelves by ſuch places of Scripture as were not intēded to be rules & to be of uſe to ſuch ends as they apply them: as Whoſoever calleth upon the Lord ſhall be ſaved, Rom. 10.13. Hence the wicked may falſely conclude, I call upon the Lord, and I pray unto him; therefore I ſhall be ſaved. And ſo on the contrarie, a weak Chriſtian who findeth not in himſelf thoſe degrees of grace which ſome places of Scripture ſeem to require concludeth from thence againſt himſelf, Therefore I have no grace at all. This is a ſecond cauſe of miſtaking.
Reaſ. 3.3. A third cauſe is the not trying and examining our own hearts. Some are loth to trouble themſelves about it: They are loth to think ſo bad of themſelves as that they are in ſuch a courſe as wherein God will not love them. Nay, they cannot endure that others ſhould diſcover their hearts unto them: They had as lieve they ſhould ſhew them the pit of hell as ſhew them themſelves. They look to ſome common gifts and graces that are in them, ſuch gifts and graces may be in a reprobate, but they will not think ſo; as illumination, knowledge, the gift of prayer, of temperance, &c. Theſe they look to, and theſe they ſpeak of, though they have reigning luſts within in their hearts: As Jehu; Come, ſee my zeal, ſaith he, 2. Kings 10.16. He doth not ſay, Come, ſee my pride and hypocriſie: but, my zeal. Jehu looked at his zeal, and ſo thought he was right. So on the contrarie, weak Chriſtians may ſometimes look onelyonly at their ſinnes and infirmities, and take no notice of Gods graces that are in them, & ſo may miſtake their own ſelves, & conclude amiſſe of their eſtates. Thus I have ſhewed you the reaſons why men are miſtaken about their eſtates. Now I will ſhew you the reaſons why men are miſtaken though conſcience do tell them.
1. Becauſe the ſpeeches of conſcience in the wicked many times, yea moſt times, are low ſpeeches. The gnawings of conſcience whereby they are told they are in a bad and a damned eſtate are like the gnawings of a very little worm that a man can hardly feel.Iſai. 66.24. Where their worm dieth not: The word in the originall, foreign ſignifieth a very little worm that breedeth in ſcarlet, that a man can very hardly ſee or perceive: ſo men ſometimes do hardly ſee or perceive the condemning and gnawing of conſcience. Again, conſcience biteth ſuddenly, as I told you; it giveth a little nip, and away: Like a ſparrow that flieth by; it flieth ſo faſt by a mans eye that he can ſcarce tell whether it be a ſparrow or no: So it is not eaſily perceived whether it be a condemning conſcience or no: it giveth ſuch ſudden nips, and away, that men ſeldome take notice. Beloved, there is never a wicked man under heaven; unleſſe he be delivered up abſolutely to a reprobate ſenſe, but hath a thouſand of theſe ſudden momentany nips every day in the yeare. Had he the heart to obſerve them (but be hath not) he might ſee his wretched eſtate, to trouble him, and provoke him to Chriſt, and to be converted that God might heal him; I ſay, had he a heart he might ſee it: but theſe nips are ſo ſecret and ſudden that he doth not. So likewiſe it is with the godly in regard of true comfort: Their conſcience ſuddenly flaſheth in comfort, and they many times do not obſerve it. As Job ſpeaketh of God,Job 9.11. Lo, he goeth by me, and I ſee him not: he paſſeth on alſo, and I perceive him not: So doth the Lord go by his children in the ſudden flaſhes of comfort in their conſcience, but many times they ſee him not, perceive him not.
2. Becauſe the devil blindeth mens eyes, therefore they do not ſee what their conſciences do ſhew them. Ye may reade this of the wicked people in Corinth:…. Cor. 4.2. St Paul ſaith he commended himſelf and the Goſpel to every mans conſcience in the ſight of God; that is, He did ſo preach, and ſo live, that every mans conſcience could not chooſe but ſay, Certainly Paul preacheth the truth, and Paul liveth right, and we muſt live as he ſpeaketh and doeth. He made their conſciences ſay thus, and to tell them they were not right if they did not. But mark what followeth: Some did not ſee this: Why? The god of this world, ſaith he, hath blinded their eyes. So the god of this world blindeth the eyes of the wicked, that what their conſciences ſhew them they do not ſee it nor obſerve it. So for Gods people; Though they be in a good and a bleſſed eſtate, and their conſciences can ſay it, yet Satan oftentimes hindereth them that they do not perceive their own comfort.
3. Men do not love conſcience. We ſhould love conſcience better then the deareſt friend we have under heaven. We would do much for a friends ſake: but we ſhould do a thouſand times more for conſcience ſake:Rom. 13.5. Obey Magiſtrates for conſcience ſake; ſuffer diſgrace, reproches, any thing, for conſcience ſake. It is better then all the friends in the world. But the wicked, they do not love conſcience: let conſcience ſpeak, they care not to heare it. They will heare friends, but they will not heare conſcience. Let their luſts call, and their profits and pleaſures call for this and that thing, they heare all: but they love not to heare conſcience. Nay, many wicked men are angry to heare talk of it. When Paul had made mention of conſcience, Ananias commanded he ſhould be ſmitten: Men and brethren, ſaith Paul,Acts 23.… I have lived in all good conſcience before God untill this day. Smite him on the mouth, ſaith the high Prieſt Ananias. He was angry to heare him talk of a good conſcience. This is moſt certain; men do not love conſcience, nor to be curbed by conſcience, nor informed by conſcience: They had as lieve ſee the devil as that their conſciences ſhould inform them of their eſtates, and tell them thus and thus they are. They are told rightly, and yet they are miſtaken, becauſe they do not love to heare conſcience of that theme.