The Spirits Touchstone, Part 11
Reaſons why every ſoul ought to walke up according to its Light.
1. Becauſe God judgeth every one according to his light, Rom. 2.12. For as many as have ſinned without Law, ſhall alſo periſh without Law, and as many as have ſinned in the Law, ſhall be judged by the Law, that is, thoſe that are without the moral Law written upon tables of ſtone, but have onelyonly the Law of nature written upon their hearts (though the moral Law is nothing but what is founded upon nature as appears in the 15. verſe. For the Gentiles which have not the Law, i. e. the moral Law do by nature the things contained in the Law) if they ſin againſt the Law written in their conſciences, ſhall onelyonly be judged according to that Law; and thoſe that have the moral Law ſhall be judged according to the moral Law; but thoſe who have the light of the Goſpel, ſhall be judged according to the light of the Goſpel, 16. v. In the day when God ſhal judge the ſecrets of mens hearts according to my Goſpel; And thoſe that have ſinned againſt the light of conviction, and the ſtrivings of the ſpirit ſhall be judged according to that light, and according as our light is, ſo will be our condemnation,Mat. 11.22. It will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement then for us who live under the light of the Goſpel, and the ſpirits convictions, becauſe our light is the greater. And for thoſe who live under Goſpel light, it will be more tolerable for thoſe at the day of judgement who have lived under a powerful Miniſtery all their dayes, and have had more influences of the ſpirit upon their hearts, and have had the ſpiritual Manna continually falling round about their houſes, as the inhabitants of the famous City of London have who are bleſſed above all other Nations with ſpiritual bleſſings, then thoſe who are leſs watred with ſhowers of Grace from heaven, if they ſhall let ſlip their opportunities, and ſleep out the day of viſitation which is afforded them. The Lord takes notice of every Sermon we hear, and of every prayer we have prayed, of every time we have received the Sacrament, of every impreſſion we have had upon our ſpirits, of all thoſe counſels, exhortations, admonitions, reproofs, corrections, inſtructions we have had; of all that naturall knowledge we had, with the improvements of it, of all the prayers and beſeechings others have made, and put to God for us; of all thoſe ſecret checks of conſcience, of all thoſe various acts of providence in the courſe of our lives; marvellous deliverances from dangers, from ſickneſſes, from impriſonments; in providing for us when all other helps and means have failed; of all thoſe reſolutions we have made of better obedience, upon ſome notable conviction upon our ſpirits; of all our ſervices performed unto him in private and in publick; and of all that conference and communion we have had with the Saints; of all that progreſs we have towards heaven, and that if we had gone but a ſtep or two further we might have been happy; and according to the ſeverall gradations of our, ſpirituall advantages upon the neglect of them, ſo ſhall our condemnation be. God will judge us for every Sermon, wherein we have not met him in a Sermon, for every prayer wherein we have not met him in a prayer, for every receiving of the Sacrament wherein we have not met Chriſt in that Sacrament. We are then ſaid to meet God in a duty, when upon the right improvement of it, God comes nigher to us in waies of further diſcoveries upon our hearts, or our hearts are drawn nigher to God and to Jeſus Chriſt in way of heavenly mindedneſs, and ſonlike obedience.
2. We ought to walk up to that light which we have, becauſe God hath to this end given this light unto us, that our evil deeds being made manifeſt, we may loath our ſelves for them, and avoid them for the time to come. Wicked men they hate the light,Joh. 3.20. becauſe their deeds are evil; they know that it is the nature of light to make manifeſt; and thereupon if they ſhould come to the light, their conſciences would be awakened, and the peace of their beſotted ſpirits lul'd aſleep in groſs ignorance, carnall ſecurity, the pleaſures of ſinne, and by the devil would be diſturbed. But the godly on the other ſide, they rejoyce in the light, in the light of the Word, in the light of the Spirit; and bleſs God for the time that ever they were acquainted with the evil nature of their ſinnes, and with the experience of Gods infinite goodneſs unto them in Jeſus Chriſt. A righteous man fears not the terrours of the Law;1 Tim. 1.9 for the Law was not made for him, but for the rebellious, diſobedient, murtherers of fathers, and murtherers of mothers: And he rejoyceth in the glad tidings of the Spirit: He deſires to be taught by the Spirit, and daily to be nurtured up in the School of Chriſt, till he ſhall come to the perfection of the Saints in glory. He that doth truth cometh to the light, Joh. 3.21.that his deeds may be made manifeſt that they are wronght in God.
3. Becauſe if a mans ſpirit gives him in, that ſuch a thing is a duty, though it be nor, or ſuch a thing is a ſinne, though in it ſelf it be not a ſinne, yet if he walk not up according to that verdict his conſcience gives in of it, unleſs the Word of God ſpeaks directly againſt it, and it be directly oppoſite to the analogy and proportion of faith, he ſinnes in not ſo doing. Saith the Apoſtle, Whatſoever is not of faith is ſinne; Rom. 14.23.that is, whatſoever we do doubtingly and ambiguouſly, being in diſtruſt whether the thing ought to be done or no, if we do it, we ſinne in ſo doing. We ſhould do nothing but what we verily believe ought to be done. In theſe two caſes we may follow the light of our own conſciences.
1. In things indifferent, which are neither ſimply commanded, nor ſimply for bidden.
2. In things which do not poſitively contradict the doctrine of faith and piety, and the expreſs Word of God; or a direct and an immediate conſequence, plain to the capacity of all underſtanding men void of any prejudice againſt the truth, drawn from ſolid and evident places of Scripture pat to the purpoſe we have in hand. But if any man ſhall pretend a Tenet, or a Cuſtom, or a Doctrine to be received, believed, performed and practiſed, becauſe his own conſcience gives him in it is ſo, or ought to be believed and practiſed, though he hath an expreſs command to the contrary in Gods Word, I ſay that this mans heart is full of Atheiſm and unbelief, and groſly deluded by the devil, and though his erroneous conſcience gives him in, it muſt be ſo, yet he ſinnes if he doth it, becauſe it is directly contrary to the Word of God. Now if a man ſinnes, if he walks not up to the light of his conſcience in ſome caſes, though it may be erroneous; then much more he walks not up to the light of the Word and of the Spirit, theſe are infallible lights without the leaſt errour and deceit. Lord God we beſeech thee, that ſeeing our hearts are ſo apt to deceive us, and to be deceived; the world to flatter us, and the devil to beguile us; and becauſe we live in unſtable times, full of deluſions, wherein the myſtery of iniquity begins to work, and Satans agents are now transformed into Angels of light, that our hearts might not be bewitched with theſe meer phantaſmes, and ghoſts of piety, with theſe ſhadows in ſtead of ſubſtance, but give us that ſpirituall eye-ſalve, whereby we may diſcern the cunning ſleights of men who lye in wait to deceive; and that Chriſtian prudence to foreſee the evils that are coming upon the earth. Pſal. 43.3. Send forth thy light and thy truth, we beſeech thee, thy light is a true light, and thy truth is light, that by thy light we may ſee light, and by the teachings of thy Spirit upon our hearts, we may be ſo eſtabliſhed in the waies of God, that neither the Errours, Hereſies, and Blaſphemies that are abroad in the world may taint us, nor that deſolation which is coming upon us for our ſinnes, unleſs they be waſhed away with the tears of repentance, and with amendment of life, may drive us from our hope and confidence of God, but that patiently enduring the chaſtening of the Lord, becauſe we have ſinned againſt him, by that witneſſing act of thy Spirit, evidently teaching us that we are thy children; in the midſt of all theſe heart-quaking times we may rejoyce in the expectation of future happineſs.
FINIS.
End of the text · Job Royse, The Spirits Touchstone (1657)