Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

in the sight of God; and indeed God's questioning it, is by itself; it is his deputy in the soul; he makes it pose itself for him, and before him, concerning its own condition; and so the answer it gives itself in that posture, he as it were sitting and hearing it in his presence, is an answer made unto him: This questioning and answering, (if such a thing were at this time, as it was certainly soon after), yet means not the questions and answers used in the baptism of persons, who, being of years, professed their faith in answering the questions moved; it possibly alludes unto that, but it further, by way of resemblance, expresses the inward questioning and answering which is transacted within, betwixt the soul and itself, and the soul and God; and so is allusively called ἐπερώτημα, a questioning and answering, but distinctively specified, εις Θεὸν; so that whereas the other was towards men, this is unto God.

1. A good conscience is a waking, speaking conscience; and as the conscience that questions itself most is of all sorts the best, so that which is dumb, or asleep, and is not active and frequent in self-inquiries, is not a good conscience. The word is judicial, ἐπερώτημα, interrogation used in law for the trial and executing of processes; and this is the great business of conscience, to sit, and examine, and judge within; to hold courts in the soul: and it is of continual necessity that it be so. There can be no vacation of this judicature without great damage to the estate of the soul; yea, not a day ought to pass without a session of conscience within; for daily disorders arise in the soul, which, if they pass on, will grow and gather more, and so breed more difficulty in their trial and redress. Yet men do easily turn from this work as hard and unpleasant; and inake many a long vacancy in the year, and protract it from one day to another. In the morning they must go about their business, and at night they are weary and sleepy; and all the day long one affair steps in after another; and if business fail, some trifling company or other; and so their days pass on; the soul is overgrown with impurities and disorders.

You know what confusions, and disorders, and evils, will abound amongst a rude people, where there is no kind of court nor judicature held. Thus is it with that unruly rabble, the lusts and passions of our souls, when there is no discipline nor judgment within; or where there is but a neglect and intermission of it for a short time. And the most part of souls are in the posture of ruin; their vile affections, as a headstrong tumultuous multitude, that will not suffer a deputed judge to sit amongst them, cry down their consciences, and make a continual noise, that the voice of it may not be heard; and so force it to desist and leave them to their own ways.

But you that take this course, know you are providing the severest judgment for yourselves by disturbing of judgment; as when a people rise against an inferior judge, the prince or supreme magistrate that sent him, hearing of it, doth not fail to vindicate his honour and justice in their exemplary punish

ment.

Will you not answer unto conscience, but when it begins to speak, turn to business or company, that you may not hear it? Know, that it and you must answer unto God; and when he shall make inquiry, it must report, and report as the truth is, knowing that there is no hiding the matter from hiın. " Lord, there are to my knowledge a world of enormities within the circuit I had to judge, and I would have judged them, but was forcibly resisted and interrupted; and was not strong enough to oppose the tumultuous power that rose against me. Now the matter comes into thine own hand to judge it thyself." What shall the soul say in that day, when conscience shall make such an answer unto God, and it shall come under the severity of his justice for all? Whereas if it had given way to the conscience to find out, and judge and rectify matters, so that it could have answered concerning its procedure that way, God would have accepted this as the answer of a good conscience, and what conscience had done, he would not do over again. It hath judged, then I acquit; for if we would judge ourselves, (says the Apostle), we should not be judged.

The questioning or inquiry of conscience, and so its report or answer unto God, extends to all the affairs of the soul, all the affections and motions of it, and all the actions and carriage of the whole man. The open wickedness of the most testifies against them, that though sprinkled with water in baptism, yet they are strangers to the power and gracious efficacy of it; not baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire; still their dross and filth remaining in them, and nothing else appearing in their ways; so that their consciences cannot so much as make a good answer for them unto men, much less unto God. What shall it answer for them, being judged, but that they are swearers, and cursers, and drunkards, or unclean; or that they are slanderers, delighting to pass their hours in descanting on the actions and ways of others, and looking through the miscoloured glass of their own malice and pride; that they are neglecters of God and holy things; lovers of themselves, and their own pleasures, more than lovers of God? And, have such as these impudence enough to call themselves Christians, and to pretend themselves to be such as are washed in the blood of Christ? Yes, they do this. But be ashamed and confounded in yourselves, you that remain in this condition. Yea, although thou art blameless in men's eyes, and possibly in thy own eyes too, yet thou mayest be filthy still in the sight of God. There is such a generation, a multitude of them, that is pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness. There are many moral evil persons that are most satisfied with their own estate, or such as have further a form of godliness, but their lusts are not mortified by the power of it. Secret pride, and earthliness of mind, and vain glory, and carnal wisdom, are still entertained with plea

[blocks in formation]

sure within; these are foul pollutions, filthy and hateful in the sight of God: So that where it is thus, that such guests are in peaceable possession of the heart, there the blood and Spirit of Christ are not yet come; neither can there be this answer of a good conscience unto God.

This answer of a good conscience unto God, as likewise its questioning, to enable itself for that answer, is touching two great points, that are of chief concern to the soul, its justification and sanctification; for baptism is the seal of both, and purges the conscience in both respects. That water, is the figure both of the blood and water, the justifying blood of Christ, and the pure water of the sanctifying Spirit of Christ; he takes away the condemning guiltiness of sin by the one, and the polluting filthiness by the other.

Now, the conscience of a real believer inquiring within, upon right discovery will make this answer unto God: "Lord, I have found that there is no standing before thee, for the soul in itself is overwhelmed with a world of guiltiness: but I find a blood sprinkled upon it, that hath, I am sure, virtue enough to purge it all away, and to present it pure unto thee. And I know that wheresoever thou findest that blood sprinkled, thine anger is quenched and appeased immediately upon the sight of it. Thine hand cannot smite where that blood is before thine eye." And this the Lord does agree to, and authorises the conscience, upon this account, to return back an answer of safety and peace to the soul.

So for the other, "Lord, I find a living work of holiness on this soul; though there is yet corruption there, yet it is as a continual grief and vexation, it is an implacable hatred; there is no peace betwixt them, but continual enmity and hostility: and if I cannot say much of the high degrees of grace, and faith in Christ, and love to him, and heavenliness of mind; yet I may say, there is a beginning of these; at least this I most confidently affirm, that there are real and earnest desires of the soul after these things.

It would know and conform to thy will, and be delivered from itself and its own will; and though it were to the highest displeasure of all the world, it would gladly walk in all well-pleasing unto thee." Now, he that sees the truth of these things, knowing it to be thus, owns it as his own work, and engages himself to advance it, and bring it to perfection.

This is a taste of that intercourse the purified conscience hath with God, as the saving fruit of baptism.

And all this it doth, not of itself, but by virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which refers both to the remote effect, salvation, and the nearer effect, as a means and pledge of that, the purging of the con

science.

By this, his death, and the effusion of his blood in his sufferings, are not excluded, but are included in it: His resurrection being the evidence of all that work of expiation, both completed and accepted; full payment being made by our surety; and so he set free, his freedom is the cause and the assurance of ours. Therefore the Apostle St. Paul expresses it so, That he died for our sins, and rose for our righteousness; and our Apostle shews us the worth of our living hope in this same resurrection; Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Now, that baptism doth apply and seal to the believer his interest in the death and resurrection of Christ, the Apostle St. Paul teaches to the full, We are buried with him, says he, by baptism into his death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should also walk in newness of life. Where the dipping into the waters is referred to, as representing our dying with Christ; and the return thence, as expressive of our rising with him.

Zdly, The last thing is, the resemblance of baptism * chap, i. 3.

Rom. vi. 4

12

« ForrigeFortsæt »