Good Conscience, Treatise · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Peace of Conſcience how gotten.
IT followes now to knowe how a man may get and keepe a good one, which is the third point which was propounded to bee handled. A point wel worth our enquiring after. A good Conſcience is the moſt precious thing that a Chriſtiā can hauehave: a thing of that eſteeme that where it is wanting, we account a man without a conſcience. So of a man that hath an ill Cōſcience we vſe to ſay, he is a man of no Cōſcience. Not that he hath no Conſcience, the Diuels themſelues hauehave a Conſcience, and happy it were for them they had none, but when a man hath not a good one, we eſteeme of him as hauing none at all. There is no greater good we can ſeeke after then a good conſcience. Let vsus enquire then how we may get, and keepe this ſo great a good.
A good Conſcience then conſiſting in Peace and Integrity, theſe two being gotten and kept, we ſhall get and keepe a good Conſcience.
Firſt then to make the Conſcience peaceably good, theſe things are required.
1. Faith in Chriſt, and his blood. The Conſcience cannot be at peace til it be purged from its guilt. An impure Conſcience cannot but be an vnquiet Conſcience, and every guilty Conſcience is impure. Guilt is the ſame to the conſcience that the winds are to the ſeas, Iſa. 27. 20. 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot reſt, whoſe waters caſt vp mire and dirt, There is no peace to the wicked. Now that which makes the Sea ſo troubleſome and ragingly reſtleſſe, is the violence of the bluſtering winds that trouble and toſſe it to and fro. The winds are not ſo troubleſome to the ſea, as guilt is to the Conſcience. Therfore as the way to calme the Sea, is to calme the windes; ſo the way to quiet and calme the Conſcience, is to purge and take away the guilt. Guilt is in the Conſcience as Ionas in the Ship, out with him and Sea and ſhip are both quiet. But how then ſhall the guilt be purged out of the Conſcience! That we find Heb. 9. 14. How much more ſhall the blood of Chriſt purge our cōſciences frō dead works? We cannot hauehave a good conſcience till we be freed from an euill one. The way to be freed from an euill conſcience, is to hauehave our hearts ſprinkled from an evil conſcience, Heb. 10. 22. But what is that wherwith the Cō ſcience muſt be ſprinckled to be made good with peace & quietnes? The ſame which we finde 1 Pet. 1. 2. The ſprinkling of the blood of Ieſus Chriſt, and Heb. 12. 24. The blood of ſprinkling which ſpeakes better things then that of Abel.
So then the Conſcience ſprinckled with Chriſts blood ceaſes to be evill, becomes good and peaceable. The ſame Chriſt that calmed the rage of the Sea by ſtilling the winds, Mark. 4. 39. He aroſe & rebuked the wind, & ſaid vntounto the Sea, Peace & be ſtil, and the wind ceaſed, and there was a great calme. The ſame Chriſt it is that ſtils the rage of the conſcience, by taking and purging away the guilt therof, with the ſprinkling on of his blood. His blood ſpeakes, Heb. 12. 24. And ſpeakes not onelyonly to God, but ſpeaks to the conſcience. The voyce which it ſpeakes, is Peace and be ſtill, the ſame voyce which to his Diſciples after his reſurrection, Peace be with you, & then follows a great calme, and peace makes the conſcience good.
But here the conſcience will inquire how it may come to get this blood ſprinkled vpō it, to make it thus peaceably good, and what is it that applies this calming blood of Chriſt. I anſwer therefore, That it is the grace of faith, therefore it was ſayd before, that faith in Chriſts blood makes peace in the cō ſcience. Faith is the hand of the ſoule, and as the hyſſop ſprinckle, by which Chriſts blood is ſprinkled vponupon our cōſciences, Heb. 10. 22. Let vsus draw neere with a true heart in full aſſurance of faith, having our hearts ſprinkled from an evil Conſcience. And being iuſtified by faith we hauehave peace towards God. Rom. 5. 1. Hence that coniunction of faith and a good conſcience, 1. Tim. 1. 5. of a good conſcience, & of faith vnfained, & v. 19. Holding faith and a good conſcience. For faith it is that makes a good cōſcience, by making a quiet conſcience. Faith is not only a purifying grace, Act. 15. 9. but it is alſo a pacifying grace▪ Rom. 5. 1 It not onelyonly purges our corruption, by applying the efficacy of Chriſts blood, but ſpecially purges out guilt by applying the merit of his blood. So that no faith, no peace; & no peace, no good conſcience. A defiled conſcience can be no good conſcience, and what defiles the conſcience? See Tit. 1. 15. VntoUnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing, nothing is pure, but even their minde and conſcience is defiled. They that be defiled hauehave their conſciences defiled, but how come they and their conſciences ſo? To them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing. Therefore an vnbeleeuing conſcience is a defiled conſcience, & a defiled conſcience is no good cōſcience, becauſe it can hauehave no peace ſo long as it is clogged with defiling guilt. But contrarily faith purifying not onelyonly from corruption, but from guilt, by the application of Chriſts blood makes▪ the conſcience pure, and peaceable both.
There can be no peace of conſcience but where there is the righteouſn…ſſe of the perſon. There is no peace to the wicked, Iſa. 57. 21. as if he ſhould ſay, an evil vnrighteous perſon cānot hauehave a good conſcience, where the perſon is evill, there the conſcience cannot bee good. Now faith in Chriſts blood makes a mans perſon good, and ſo the cōſcience becomes good. It makes the perſon righteous, and the perſon being righteous, the conſcience is at peace, for the worke of righteouſnes is peace, and the effect of righteouſnes, quietnes, and aſſurance for ever, Iſa. 32. 17. with which that of the Apoſtle ſweetly ſutes, Reu. 7. 2. Firſt, King of righteouſnes, and after that King of peace. Our perſōs muſt firſt find Chriſt a King of righteouſnes by iuſtifying them from their guilt. before our conſciences can finde him King of Salem, pacifying them from their vnquietnes. Our perſons once iuſtified by Chriſts blood frō their guilt, and vnrighteouſnes, our conſciences are pacified and freed from their vnquietneſſe.
Wouldſt thou then hauehave a good conſcience? Get the peace of Conſcience. Wouldſt thou hauehave peace in thy conſcience? Get faith in thy ſoule; Beleeue in the Lord Ieſus, and get thy ſoule ſprinkled with his blood, and then, Heb. 10. 2. Thou ſhalt hauehave no more conſcience of ſin, thy conſcience ſhall be at quiet, no more accuſing thee, nor threatning thee condemnation for thy ſinne.
2. Repentance from dead workes. Though Chriſts blood be that which purges the conſcience frō dead works, and ſo workes peace; yet that peace is not wrought in our apprehenſion, neither do we get the feeling of this faith without ſome further thing. Therefore to our faith muſt be ioyned our repentance, though not in the making of our peace, yet for the feeling of it. Many are ready to catch at Chriſts blood, & if that will make a good conſcience, they are then fafe enough. But as thou muſt hauehave Chriſts blood, ſo Chriſt wil hauehave thine heart alſo bleed by repentance, ere he will vouchſafe the ſenſe of peace. A conſcience therefore that would be a cōſcience in hauing peace, muſt not onelyonly be a beleeuing, but a repenting conſcience. Mat. 3. 2. Repent ye, for the kingdome of heauen is at hand, the kingdome of heauen ſhall be yours if you will repent, ye ſhall hauehave it immediately vponupon your repentance. But wherein ſtands this kingdome offered to repentant conſciences? The kingdom of God ſtands in peace, and ioy in the holy Ghoſt, Rom. 14. 17. Repent, and ye ſhall receiue the gift of the holy Ghoſt, Act. 3. 38. And what may that gift be. The fruits of the ſpirit are louelove, ioy, peace, Gal. 5. 22. Which though it be to be vnderſtood of peace between man & man, yet alſo that peace which is between God and man is the fruit of the Spirit, & the louelove of God ſhed abroad into our hearts by the holy Ghoſt. Rom. 5. 5. is the gift of the holy Ghoſt, which he giues to all that by repentance ſeeke to get a good conſcience. Bleſſed are they that mourn, that is, which repent, for they ſhal be comforted, Mat. 5. they ſhall hauehave the peace of a good Conſcience, which is the greateſt and ſweeteſt comfort in the world.
Many doe truſt all to their ſuppoſed faith, as a ſhort cut and a compendious way to a good cōſcience, but he whoſe faith doth not as well purifie the heart as pacifie it, hath neither faith, nor a good conſcience. It is idle to hope for peace by faith whilſt thou liveſt impenitently in a ſinfull courſe. Thou canſt hauehave no peace of conſcience ſo long as thou haſt peace with thy ſinnes. Peace with conſcience will be had by warre with ſin, in the daily practiſe of repentance. It is but a dreame to thinke of a good Conſcience in peace, whileſt a man makes no conſcience of ſin. They that hauehave a good cōſcience by Chriſts blood, may be indeed ſayd to hauehave no Conſcience of ſinne, as H…b. 10. 2. But yet there is a great difference between having no Conſcience, and making no Conſcience of ſinne. To hauehave no Conſcience of ſinne, is to hauehave a peaceable good conſcience, not accuſing for ſin, being ſprinkled with Chriſts blood. To make no Conſcience of ſin, is for a man impenitently to liue, & lye in any ſin. Now let any iudge whether theſe two can ſtand together, that a man may liue as he liſt, and make no Conſcience of any ſinne, and yet hauehave ſuch peace by faith as that he hath no Conſcience of ſin. It is an vnconſcionable thing in this ſenſe to lay all vponupon Chriſt, an vnconſcionable requeſt to hauehave him take away our guiltines, and yet wee would wallow in our filthines ſtill. How ſhall faith remooue the ſting, when repentance remooues not the ſinne.
Mē ſeeking peace by faith in Chriſts blood, and yet liuing and lying in their ſinnes without repentance, God will giuegive them Iehues anſwere to Iehoram, 2 King. 9. 22. What peace ſo long as the whoredomes of thy mother lezebel, & her witchcrafts are ſo many? So what peace of Conſcience ſo long as thine oaths, Sabbath-breaches, whordomes, drunkennes, &c. do remaine, & remaine vnrepented of, and vnreformed. It is true of all ſinne, which is ſpoken of Romiſh Idolatry, Apoc. 14. 11. They hauehave no reſt day nor night, that is, no peace of Conſcience to any of that religion, ſo of all that liue in any ſinne, they hauehave no true reſt day or night, that is, as Iſaiah interprets it, There is no peace to the wicked. Peace and wickednes liue not together vnderunder one roofe. Wouldſt thou then hauehave a peaceable heart? Get an humbled, a mourning, and a repentant heart for ſin. The leſſe peace with ſin, the more peace with God and our own Conſciences.
3. The conſtant and conſcionable exerciſe of prayer. An excellent means to helpe vsus to the ſenſe of that peace which makes the Conſcience good. He that hath a good Conſcience wil make Conſcience of prayer. And prayer will helpe to make a good Conſcience better. Philip. 4. 7. In eueryevery thing by prayer & ſupplication with thankſgiuing, let your requeſts be made knowne vntounto God, and marke what ſhall be the fruite thereof, And the peace of God that paſſes al vnderſtanding, ſhall keep your hearts and minds through Ieſus Chriſt. See Iob 33. 26. Hee ſhall pray vntounto God, and he will be fauourable vntounto him, & he ſhall ſee his face with ioy. It is many times with mens Conſciences, as it was with Saul, he was vexed and diſquieted with an euill ſpirit, but Davids Harpe gaue him eaſe. Praier is a Davids Harpe, the muſicke whereof ſweetly calmes, & compoſes a diſtempered and diſquieted Conſcience, and puts it into frame againe. As in other diſquiets of the heart, after prayer David bids his ſoule returne vntounto her reſt, Pſal. 116. 4. 7. So may we in theſe diſq…iets of Conſcience doe no leſſe.
The way to get a good peaceable conſcience, is to hauehave acquaintance with God; and when we hauehave acquaintance with him, then ſhall wee hauehave peace. Iob 22. 21. Acquaint thy ſelfe now with him, and be at peace. Now acquaintance is gotten with God by prayer. Zech. 13. 9. They ſhall call on my Name, and I will heare them, I will ſay, it is my people; and they ſhall ſay, the Lord is my God. Loe how in prayer acquaintance is bred betweene God and his people, and acquaintance breedes lone, and peace; and peace a good conſcience. Iudge then what pitious Conſciences they muſt needs hauehave, that make ſo little Conſcience of ſeeking God in this duty: of wicked ones the Pſalm ſpeaks, They call not vponupon God, Pſal. 14. as much as Iſaiah ſayes, There is no peace to the wicked, they are vtterly voyd of good Conſcience.