The Souls Looking Glass, Treatise · Part 5
An unquiet conſcience.
I Have already handled a quiet conſcience. I come now to ſpeak of a troubled and unquiet conſcience: Concerning which I ſhall ſhew you three things: 1. What it is; 2. The degrees of it; 3. The difference of the trouble that may be in a good and that may be in a bad conſcience.
What it isI. What a troubled conſcience is. It is a conſcience accuſing for ſinne, and affrighting with apprehenſions of Gods wrath. And here I would have you conſider two things: 1. What are the cauſes of it; 2. Wherein it conſiſteth.
Firſt, The cauſes of it are theſe five. 1. The guilt of ſinne: When a man hath done evil, and his conſcience doth know it, then doth the conſcience crie guiltie:Lev. 5.4. when he knoweth it, ſaith the text, then he ſhall be guilty. This is it which woundeth and pierceth conſcience; this is the ſad voyce of conſcience. Like Judas; I have ſinned in betraying the innocent bloud: Like Cain; My ſinne is greater then can be forgiven. Gen. 42.21.So the brethren of Joſeph; We are guilty, ſay they, concerning our brother. It is like the head of an arrow ſticking in the fleſh, or like a dreadfull object continually preſenting it ſelf before our eyes: My ſinne is ever before me, Pſal. 51.3.ſaith David. When we have tranſgreſſed Gods law, and our conſcience can cry guiltie, when the guilt of ſinne lieth upon conſcience, this is one cauſe of the trouble of it.
2. Another cauſe is the apprehenſion of Gods wrath for ſinne: When knowing that we have ſinned and offended God, we apprehend his wrath in our minds, and behold the revenging eye of his juſtice againſt us. This is a very grievous thing, ſo terrible that no man or angel is able to abide it: As we ſee the kings and potentates, the mighty men of the earth, call for the mountains to fall upon them, and the hills to cover them from the wrath of God, Rev. 6.15, 16. When we have incurred Gods diſpleaſure and our conſciences ſee it, when his anger reſteth upon us and our conſciences feel it, this is another cauſe of the trouble of conſcience.
3. A third cauſe of the trouble of conſcience is the fear of death and of hell: When we know we have offended Gods law, and we know alſo what our ſinnes do deſerve, namely death and judgement aad damnation for ever; this doth moſt trouble and diſquiet conſcience, when it faſtneth on the apprehenſion of it. The Apoſtle calleth it a fearfull looking for of judgement, When conſcience looketh for nothing elſe but for hell and damnation, this muſt needs trouble conſcience.
4. Another cauſe is privative, want of ſupportance; when God doth withhold from conſcience the help of his Spirit. Ye know the Spirit can inable conſcience to undergo all its troubles; the Spirit can prompt it with mercies and the promiſes of God, and hold it up: but when the Lord bereaveth the conſcience of this help, and doth not at all ſupport it, this muſt needs alſo trouble conſcience.
5. When God doth faſten on the conſcience ſuch thoughts as may affright and terrifie it; as thus, God doth not love me; Chriſt will not own me; I have ſinned, I am a reprobate, paſt hope, &c. When ſuch thoughts as theſe faſten on the conſcience, it cannot chooſe then but be troubled. Thus I have ſhewed you what are the cauſes of the trouble of conſcience.
Secondly, This trouble of conſcience conſiſteth in two things: Firſt, in want of comfort: It cannot apply to it ſelf neither the promiſes of this life nor of that which is to come. Conſcience crieth, This belongeth not to me: This mercy, this comfort is not my portion. Secondly, In a terrour and anguiſh of mind from theſe three heads: 1. From the guilt of ſinne; 2. From the apprehenſion of Gods wrath; 3. From fear of death and of judgement. This is the three-ſtringed whip wherewith conſcience is laſhed. Theſe ye ſhall find upon the conſcience of Adam and Eve, when they had ſinned againſt God. Their conſcience was whipped 1. With the guilt of ſinne; they ſaw they were naked, Gen. 3.7. 2. With the apprehenſion of Gods wrath; they hid themſelves from the preſence of God, verſ. 8. 3. With the fear of ſome vengeance which they began to look for; I was afraid, ſaith Adam, verſe 10. This three-ſtringed whip ye may ſee alſo was upon the conſcience of Cain after he had ſlain his brother: His conſcience was whipt 1. With the guilt of ſinne; My ſinne is greater then can be forgiven: 2. With the apprehenſion of Gods wrath; From thy face, O Lord, am I hid: 3. With the expectation of death and of judgement; It ſhall come to paſſe that every one that findeth me ſhall ſlay me. Thus I have ſhewed you what a troubled conſcience is.