A Good Conscience the Strongest Hold, Treatise · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Of a pure Conſcience.
THe ſecond good conſcience is the Pure The Conſcience of purity.Conſcience] The fine Linnen, clean and white, Rev. 19. 8. is the righteouſneſſe of Saints, and the Lambes wifes ornament. The pure, cleane, and undeſiled conſcience, is the inherent and internall righteouſneſſe of the Saints, and the Ornament of the Chriſtian. Of this good conſcience the Apoſtle ſpeaketh often to Timothy, 1 Tim. 1. 5. The pure heart, and good conſcience, and faith unfeigned, put together; and 3. 9. Holding the myſtery of faith in a pure conſcience, 2 Tim. 1. 3. I ſerve God from my forefathers with a pure conſcience. The former goodneſſe of conſcience by meanes of faith, makes the conſcience good before God, the juſtified conſcience. This of purity makes it good before men, the ſanctified and renewed conſcience; that was by the blood of Chriſt; this is by the Spirit and Grace of Chriſt. Of this wee have ſpoken ſomewhat already, chap. 2. therefore ſhall need to ſay the leſſe here; Bleſſed are theſe pure in heart, they ſhall ſee God, Mat. 5. 8. And 1 John 3. 3. He that hath this hope of ſeeing God as he is, muſt purifie himſelfe as God is pure. God is a God of pure eyes, and cannot. Good conſcience is of Hab. 1. 13.pure eyes, and muſt not behold iniquity. Great are the comforts, benefits, and priviledges of this pure conſcience; and high are the promiſes made to it. With whom will God ſhew himſelfe pure, but to and with the pure? And to the froward he will ſhew himſelfe Pſal. 18. 26. Lev. 26. 23, 24.as froward. To them that walk contrary to him, he will walke contrary to them; Who is he that ſhall aſcend the hill of the Lord? Or who ſhall ſtand in his holy place? He that hath the cleane Pſalme 24. 3, 4, 5.hands, and the pure heart, who hath not lift up his ſoule unto vanity—This is the man who ſhall receive the Bleſſing of the Lord, and righteouſneſſe from the God of his ſalvation. In the pure water thy face may be ſeen, which cannot in muddy water. In a pure conſcience Gods face is to be ſeene, no where elſe in earth; and by none in heaven, but by the pure in heart. This is the Mountaine of transfiguration, where Mar. 9. 1, 2.alone the Kingdom of God is ſeene coming with power. This is the only Iſle Patmos, where Rev. 1.are the Revelations and Viſions of the Sonne of man: Here is Gods Booke with ſeven Seales unſealed. This is the Sanctum Sanctorum (beyond that in Solomons Temple, all overlaid with pure Gold) in which God doth dwell, ſit upon a Mercy-Seat, and make known his minde; giving anſwers whenſoever conſulted with, and enquired after herein.
The pure conſcience is the Heart after Gods heart, who is all for pureneſſe, he loveth Righteouſneſſe, and hateth all uncleanneſſe. No Sacrifice in which was any Blemiſh or Spot Pſal. 11. 7. & 45. 7.was to be offered; no Sacrifice with Leaven; no Prieſts ſonne might come neere to Officiate, Lev. 1. 3, 10 Lev. 2. 11. Lev. 21. 18.in whom was any blemiſh; no High Prieſt preſume to ſacrifice in any legall uncleanneſſe on him. But his ſtanding Rule is, I will be ſanctified in them that draw neere to me. Lev. 10 3.None were to come in to the Perſian King, but ſuch as were firſt purified, and had paſſed through twelve whole moneths in a courſe of purification, Eſth. 2. 12. What manner of perſons ought they to be then, that ſhall come before God, either to waite on the Miniſtery, or to partake of Ordinances? And what meaſure of Purification ſhould we come addreſſed withall? Now this Purification is that of Conſcience eſpecially, Heb. 9. 14. and 10, 22. Therefore waſh thy heart, O Jeruſalem, that thou J…r …. 14. Mat. 23. 26.mayeſt be ſaved; Let not vaine thoughts lodge in thee, Purge the inſide of the cup, and platter, O Phariſee, that thy outſide may be cleane alſo.
But in theſe dayes there is much of Liberty, little of Purity of Conſcience. Shall we call them pure with the bag of deceitfull weights? and with the wicked Ballances? as the Prophet Micah ſaith, Micah 6 10, 11. Are there yet the Treaſures of wickedneſſe in the houſe of the wicked, and the ſcant meaſure which is abominable, and ſhall theſe be counted pure?
There is a Generation indeed pure in their own eyes, who are yet not waſhed from their filthineſſe: There is ſuch a Generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eye-lids lifted up, Prov. 30. 12, 13. ſpeaking too lively of ſuch a generation as ours is. Shall we ſay ſuch have any thing of conſcience or grace in them, who can live looſely, ſpeak ſcurrilouſly, and ſcoffe at purity, holineſſe, ſtrictneſſe, and all piety? Where ſhall the wicked and ungodly appeare, if onelyonly the pure in heart are bleſſed?
Take heed then of all impurity, and defilement by any allowed ſinne; whatſoever weakneth Purity, waſteth Peace; Conſcience is the Temple of God; whoſoever defileth this 1 Cor. 3. 17Temple, deſtroyes it (foreign the word is) and him will God deſtroy. The cra… …r flaw in the Bell, not ſo much leſſeneth the ſoundneſſe, as marreth the ſound of the Bell.
How few good Conſciences are there then in theſe impure and licentious dayes to be found, when purity and ſtrictneſſe is exploded as a badge of a carnall, legall, abject, and low ſpirit? and boldneſſe, looſeneſſe, frollickneſſe, accounted Goſpell-like walking, and the onelyonly proofe of our Redemption, and the beſt Plerophory! But know, the grace of God teacheth us another Leſſon, It Tit. 2. 12, 13.teacheth us to deny ungodlineſſe, and worldly luſts, and to live ſoberly, righteouſly, and godly in this preſent world. The righteous God loveth righteouſneſſe, Pſal. 11. 7. And with the pure God the Holy One of Iſrael, nothing is approved but purity: This is his Image, this his Superſcription: Nothing but this is Gods, and to be rendered to God. The Kings Coyne hath his Image within, as well as his Superſcription without the Ring; the Chriſtian muſt have his Image within, or it is in vaine to ſubſcribe our ſelves, and to be ſurnamed by the Eſ. 41. 5.name of Iſrael. The right faith of the Goſpell is purifying faith, Acts 15. 9. Goſpel hope is purifying hope, 1 Joh. 3. 3, True love pure love, 1 Pet. 1. 23. Our Religion muſt be pure, Jam. 1. 27. Hearts pure, Jam. 4. 8. Mindes pure, 2 Pet. 3. 1. Wayes pure, Pſal. 119. 1. Hands pure, Pſal. 24. 4. Prayer pure, Job 16. 7. Incenſe pure, Malac. 1. 11. Indeed all muſt be pure.
King Solo… had not a Veſſell in either of his houſes, that at Jeruſalem, or that of the Forreſt of Lebanon, but was all of pure Gold, he would be ſerved in no other, 1 Kin. 10. 21. God will have no other Veſſell in either of his Houſes, that of Jeruſalem, the Church Triumphant, or this Countrey-houſe (as I may call it) in the Forreſt of Lebanon, the Church Militant, but what is of pure Gold, of beaten, tryed, and refined Gold: Silver was nothing eſteemed in the dayes of Solomon: Civility and externall Morality is too meane for God, too baſe to enter Heaven.
The Kings Coyne, I ſaid before, hath his Image on it; it hath firſt his Image on the one ſide, and then the Kings Armes, or the Kingdomes Armes on the other. Such is the right Chriſtian, he hath this Image and Effigies of God, Purity and Righteouſneſſe ſtamped on the one ſide of his conſcience, and the Kings Armes, or the Kingdom of Heavens Armes on the other, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghoſt. The Kingdome of God, ſaith the Apoſtle, (or if I may ſo call them, the Effigies and Armes of the Kingdom) is Righteouſneſſe and Peace, Joy in the Holy Ghoſt, Rom. 14. 17.
It is obſerved that the floore of Solomons 1 Ki. 6. 30.Temple was overlaid with Gold, both within and without, that is to ſay, both the Sanctum Sanctorum, and the Atrium ſacerdotum; the Court of the Prieſts, as it is called, 2 Chron. 4. 9. Although the Great Court called the Atrium Populi were not ſo: So it is the minde and will of God, that not onelyonly thoſe holy glorified Saints that are within the Vayle of the Sanctum Sanctorum, and the Church Triumphant; but all thoſe within his true Church, diſtinguiſhed from the world, ſhould have the ſame purity and holineſſe, although not the ſame meaſure. Purity is the floore and paving of both Militant and Triumphant Church.