A Good Conscience the Strongest Hold, Treatise · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Of the Conſcience rightly pacifyed.Conſcience rightly pacified.
II. A Right pacifyed Conſcience.] This is the ſecond property, and part of the good Conſcience laid down in the Definition. Purity indeed is the more excellent kinde of goodneſſe, it being eſſentiall to the very being of good Conſcience. Peace is but an additional, and a ſecondary part of that goodneſs, and conduceth more to the bene eſſe, then to the bare eſſe of good conſcience; It is a ſpirituall good, but of a temporary nature, not ſtanding, and immovable. Peace is ſo far good, as that the Conſcience is not perfectly well without it; but right Peace it muſt be, or it is not good at all, which that it may enjoy, There are three things which Conſcience muſt be
1. Pacifyed from.
2. Pacifyed by.
Three things it muſt be pacified from1. The three things Conſcience muſt be pacifyed from are
1. The Reign of Sin.
2. The rage of Satan.
3. The diſpleaſure of God.
1 It muſt be at peace from the dominion of ſin. So long as Adonijah Reigneth, Solomon is in danger; while Sin is in his Power and Throne, 1 From the raigne of ſinne.Conſcience cannot be in ſafety. Our Peace therefore which we ſhould ſeek, is not ſuch a Peace as we are born unto, or are poſſeſſed of while the ſtrong man is Armed; but is a recovered Peace, regained by depoſing the Uſurper. Like Iſraels Peace after the ſeditious commotion 2 Sam. 20. 22.was quietly ſetled when Shebahs head was off. No peace to conſcience, while a Sheba up in Armes. There is a Peace indeed, when Sin and Satan are ſtrongly armed and keep the houſe, Luk. 11. 21. This is no good Peace, this is the peace of a ſleepy, not an awakened conſcience: No war ſo miſerable as Pax eſt ſed Bello pax ea deterior.ſuch a peace, when the ſoul is at eaſe in it ſelf, at peace with Sin, at peace with Satan, at agreement with Hell; but at war and enmity with God. Conſcientia pacatè optima, may be vitioſè peſsima. In tali pace amaritudo mea amariſsima as Bernard. or Ad pacem advenit Amara mihi Amaritudo, as Junius reads that of Hezekiah in Iſ. 38. 17. Wo to theſe that …laugh now, they ſhall lament; Wo to them that are at eaſe Luk. 6. 25in Zion, and put far from them the evil day, when they cauſe violence to draw near. If he adde drunkenneſs to thirſt, and walk in the imaginaon Am 6. 1. 3.of his heart, and bleſs himſelf, ſaying, I have peace, and I ſhall have peace, God will not ſpare ſuch a one, but his anger and jealouſie Deut. 29. 18, 19.ſhall ſmoak againſt that man. It is the caſe of the godly oftentimes to cry fear, fear, where no fear and danger is; And the wicked uſually cry peace, peace, where no ſafety and peace is. Thus yet do many ſleep, and live and die in peace, when Jonah-like there Jonah 1. 4, 5.is the greateſt ſtorm of Divine Diſpleaſure purſuing them, and the Deſtroyer is ready to ſwallow them up. They ſlumber and ſleep, but their judgement all the while lingreth not, and their damnation ſlumbreth not. For there 2 Pet. 2. 3.is no Peace from God to the wicked, Iſa. 57. ult.
2 It is pacifyed from the rage of Satan. After 2. From the rage of Satan.conſcience hath been delivered from the paws of the ravening Bear, the reign of ſin; It muſt next ſeek to be delivered from the jaws of the roaring Lyon, the rage of Satan: This latter is uſually more terrible, the former more dangerous. When Sin is dethroned, the firſt and greateſt wo is paſt: When Adonijah flies, Solomon preſently ſucceeds, and is eſtabliſhed 1 Kin 1. 50.in the throne. Sin once put to flight, the King of Peace reigns in the throne of Conſcience. This is that happy peace and ſecurity promiſed to the Beleever Mat. 16. 18. Upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell ſhall not prevail againſt it. This is the ſum of that other promiſe, Rom. 16. 20. The God of Peace ſhall bruiſe Satan under your feet ſhortly, ſhewing manifeſtly, our ſecureſt peace is when God doth not only reſtrain, but ruine Satan, not binde, but bruiſe him, not chain him up, but tread him down. The like Prayer, 1 Theſ. 5. 23. The very God of Peace ſanctifie you wholly.
This peace from Satans rage, the godly man may for ſo me time want, who yet hath a good and pure conſcience. Such a want may ſtand with a perfect good conſcience, though not with a perfectly well conſcience. Conſcientia honeſtè bona, may be moleſtè mala. Ames.
The Philiſtines often ruſhed upon Sampſon, and gave him many alarums, hee ſtill Iudg. 16. 9. 12. & 15. 14came off with honour, and victory; They come …ut one way, and fly ſeven waies. The trouble was his, the loſſe was theirs. Yet thus is many a poore beleever often encountered, ſome for longer time, ſome for ſhorter, ſome even al their life time, are kept in bondage, through Heb. 2. 15.feare of death, and him that hath the power of Death, the Devill. They mourne, they feare, they pray, they cry, they are weary with waiting for the ſalvation of God, When will the redeemer come out of Zion? When Rom. 11. 26 Mal. 4. 2.will the Angell of the Covenant of peace come with Healing under his wings? Paul had not this Peace ſometimes, 2 Cor. 7. 5. we had no reſt, but were troubled on every ſ…de, without were fightings, within were feares; yet at another time could ſay, 2 Cor. 2. 14. Thanks be to God who alwaies cauſeth us to Triumph in Chriſt. And Rom. 8. 31, 33. ad finem. If God be for us, who can be againſt us? What ſhall ſeparate us from the love of God? ſhall Tribulation, or Diſtreſſe, or Perſecution, or Temptation &c. Nay in all theſe things we are more then Conquerers through him that hath loved us, yea I am perſwaded that neither the Temptation, nor the Tempter, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor Life, nor Death, nor Height, nor Depth, nor any Creature ſhall be able to ſeparate us from the love of God in Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. In this condition Conſcience ſaith to the Soule Returne to thy Reſt, O my Soule, for the Lord hath beene Beneficiall unto Pſal. 116. 7thee. This is that Peace which Chriſt hath Purchaſed and Bequeathed to the Beleever; Peace I leave with you, my Peace I give to you. Jo. 14. 27.b. e. not Peace onelyonly with God, and with ſelfe, and with men in midſt of a Raging, unquiet world, but Peace in Deſpight of Hell Gates, and Sathans Darts. Of this Peace we may ſay as Gideon of his Altar, Judg. 6. 34, Jehovah Shalom, the Lord is God of this Peace, or this Peace is the Peace of God.
Thirdly, The third thing Conſcience From the diſpleaſure of God.Rightly Pacified is at Peace, and Delivered from, is the Diſpleaſure of God. This is the Higheſt Step of Solomons throne, the beſt part of our Peace, above both the former, when we can ſay being juſtified by faith we have Peace with God through Jeſus Chriſt. Rom. 5. 1. This a bleſſed Peace, when not with man, or ſelfe, or ſin, or Sathan, but with God Reconciled through Chriſt. This that Peace Chriſt promiſed, which the world cannot Give, Nor Devill take away, Jo. 14. 27. The peace of which the Apoſtle ſpeaketh ſo magnificently; calling it, Phil, 4. 7. the Peace of God which foreign, praeſidio erit Beza.paſſeth all understanding, which ſhall guard, and engariſon your hearts and mindes through Jeſus Chriſt, This Guards the Soule and Conſcience from all the feares and aſſaults of Law, ſin, guilt, death, hell, and Satan. In this condition the Soule lyeth downe in Peace, and riſeth in Peace, and ſaith to the Godly …uſtified Perſon in Solomons words, Eccle. 9. 7. Go thy way, eat thy Bread with joy, Pſal. 3. 5. & 4. 8.and drinke thy wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth thy works.
Secondly, There are 3 things which Conſcience muſt be Pacified by, and thoſe the Conſcience is pacified by 3 thingsſame three by which before it was Purified (what ever tendes to Purity, Tendes to Peace) viz. 1. The word. 2. The bloud. 3. The Spirit of Chriſt.
Firſt, By the word of Chriſt Conſcience is Pacified, and reſtored to Peace. The word By the word of Chriſt.eſpecially the Goſpell is therefore cald the word of Peace, Tydings of Peace, Goſpell of Peace, Word and miniſtery of Reconciliation.Act. 10. 36 Ro. 10. 15. 2 Cor. 5. 18
The Goſpel is the Inſtrumentum Pacis Chriſtianae, Gods Proclamation; and our Charter of Peace containing the largeſt conceſſions of Grace. It is an Act of Oblivion Paſſed in Heaven, God not imputing our ſinnes to us, and further giving us an Act of Indemnity againſt all charges, and impeachments of law ſinne, Conſcience or Sathan. This word we muſt produce for our ſecurity. It is by the Mar. 4. 39. 41. Job. 34 29 Jer. 20. 9.word of Chriſt, that the winds and ſtormes are laid in the conſcience, and a calme made. Chriſt utttereth his voyce, and the wilderneſſe of Kadeſh doth tremble; when he ſpeaks terror, who can give peace? His word is as fire in the Bones. He ſendeth his word, the Snow is ſcattered like woll; Its like morſels, who can ſtand before his cold? There is a winter, and trembling in the conſcience. But he ſendeth Pſal. 147. 17. 18.forth his word againe, and melteth them. All the mighty workes wrought upon the ſoule, are by meanes of the word of Chriſt. By this word, Act. 10. 36. Chriſt commeth to the Mar. 4 50 Luk. 24. 38ſoule, Preaching Peace. He ſaith, why are ye fearefull; oh ye of little faith? why are ye troubled? why doe thoughts ariſe in your heart? By his word he coms into the ſad ſolitary ſoule, as Jo. 20. 19.he did to the Diſciples. all doores being ſhut, and ſaith, Peace be unto you. Yea ordinarily (that you may waite on the word for tydings of Peace) The Peace which Chriſt doth create, is the fruit of the lips of his Miniſters, Iſa. 57. 19. I create the fruit of the lips, Peace, Peace to him that is farre off, and to him that is neere, ſaith the Lord, and I will heale him. The Ministers Feet bring Peace, by Preaching the word of Peace, Iſa. 52. 7. And the feet of Beleevers are ſaid to be ſhod with Peace, to walk in waies of Peace, through the preparation and Eph. 6. 15preaching of the Goſpell of Peace. When the miniſter comes to a place, or people Preaching Peace, if there be a Son, and Heire of Peace there, his Peace ſhall remaine upon that Perſon, Luk. 10. 6.
2. By the Blood of Chriſt. This is the Procuring cauſe of all our Peace, Col. 1. 20. Having By the blood of Chriſt.made Peace by the blood of his Croſs. The Peace of our Conſcience is the meer iſſue of that bleſſed Perſonall Treaty made between the Father and the Son in behalf of undone and Ruined man; the blood of Chriſt being the whole price of it, and all the ſatisfaction to be made, Rom. 3. 23, 24, 25. "For all have ſinned, and come ſhort of the glory of God: Being juſtified freely by his Grace, through the Redemption that is in Jeſus Christ: Whom God hath ſet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood; to declare his righteouſneſſe for the remiſsion of all ſins past, &c. The blood of the Paſchall Lamb upon the door poſt was the peace and ſecurity of Iſrael againſt the deſtroyer; Exo. 12. 23and the blood of Chriſt upon the ſoul is the conſciences ſecurity alone, againſt all remaining guilt and corruption of ſin, rage of Satan, and danger of Gods diſpleaſure. This blood gives the ſoul all boldneſſe to enter into Heb. 10. 19the holyeſt, by a new and living way, and gives us aſſurance before God.
3. By the Spirit of Chriſt] This is the Procreating 3. By the ſpirit of Chriſt.and Producing cauſe of Peace in us, as the blood of Chriſt was the Procuring cauſe of Peace for us. For this reaſon, Chriſt and the Holy Ghoſt are called by one and the ſame name, becauſe their end and buſineſſe is the ſame, to procure Peace to the ſoul. Chriſt is an Advocate or Paraclete, 1 Joh. 2. 1. The holy Ghoſt is an Advocate or Paraclete, Joh 14. 16. The word is the ſame in the Originall: But here is the difference, Chriſt is our Advocate, the holy Ghoſt is Gods Advocate: Chriſt is our Advocate with the Father, procuring peace: the holy Ghoſt is an Advocate or Paraclete from the Father producing peace. Chriſt is our Advocate to God, prevailing with him for granting peace: The Spirit is Gods Advocate Jo. 15. 26 & 14. 16, 26 Gen. 8. 11to us prevailing with us to entertain peace: This is the Dove with the Olive branch, which goes and returns till the waters are aſſwaged, dry land appear, and danger be over.
This applyes the word and promiſe which proclaims our peace; this applyes the blood of Chriſt which procures our peace; this hath the laſt hand, and conſummating ſtroke in our peace making. Therefore this joy and peace of conſcience is denominated from the Spirit, joy in the holy Ghoſt, Rom. 14. 17. The fruit of the Spirit is joy, Peace, Gal. 5. 22.