Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

to give no offence to their consciences? would they not be as careful to avoid all sin, that arms the terrors of hell against them, as they have reason to think a damned wretch in hell, who hath had the experience of these things would be, if God would release him out of it, with a promise that he shall for ever escape it, upon the same terms that he hath promised us? think with yourselves, what effect the sense and feeling of those dreadful things would have upon such a one, to make him rigorously conscientious, that in nothing he provoke so terrible a God, or offend and irritate a revenging conscience, that will be sure to repay him home sevenfold into his own bosom; why the same carefulness and circumspection would it work in all of us, did we as firmly and strongly believe those things to be true, as God hath evidently and clearly revealed them to be true in his word. It is true, these things we all know, and we persuade ourselves that we do believe them: do we not profess to believe that Jesus Christ shall judge both quick and dead? and that all shall receive rewards according to their works: those, that have done well, the reward of eternal life; and those, that have done ill, the reward of eternal death? These things we may, indeed, profess to believe; and these things we may frequently represent to our own thoughts: but the weak and small influence, that these things have to over-awe our consciences, evinceth clearly that this is not Faith but Fancy: it is a wavering, unevident opinion, that we have taken up, and that we call by the name of Faith; for, did we live in the belief of these truths, we should no more dare to sin against our consciences, than if we saw hell flaming before these eyes of ours, and knew that upon the next sin we commit we were to be cast into it. And thus you see a Dogmatical Faith is a great help to purify the heart, and to keep the conscience clear and inoffensive.

(2) A Justifying Faith also is of great use to purify the Con

science.

And this it doth not morally, by any natural influence or efficacy of its own; but only mystically, as it applies to the soul the blood of Jesus Christ, that blood that alone takes away the defilement of our sins. A Historical Faith may keep the soul from contracting defilement; but this Justifying, this Saving Faith washes out the stains and defilements that we have contracted, and makes us white and spotless in the blood of the Lamb. Faith is that conveyance, which God hath appointed to

bring the blood of Christ to stream forth upon the defiled soul and conscience; and, upon every renewed act of sin, we ought, by a renewed act of faith, to lay our spotted and defiled souls under the fall of that fountain, that is set open to wash and cleanse us from our filth and pollution. Thus faith cleanseth the conscience, mystically; and, by the actings of faith, we may thus get and keep our consciences clear and inoffensive.

5. If you would keep your Consciences clear, then set a strict Watch and Guard upon yourselves; both upon your inward and upon your outward man.

Set a guard on your heart, and on all the approaches to your heart.

(1) Keep a narrow guard upon your Heart.

The heart is the great meeting place, where objects, thoughts, and affections do swarm and crowd together: and, as much concourse leaves dirt behind it upon the place, so this great heart-assembly usually leaves it foul and polluted. Our Saviour, Mark vii. tells the Jews, that it was that which was within them, that wickedness which lay latent in their hearts, that, which proceedeth from the heart, that defileth the man: there is a defilement in the thoughts and in the desires, as well as in the more gross and bulky sins of the life. Hence the Prophet Jeremiah says, Jer. iv. 14. O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness! why, wherewith is it polluted? the next words shew it: How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? Vain thoughts leave a stain and contagion upon the soul; and, cer, tainly, if a vain thought, that is such a fleeting and volitary thing, breathes a kind of contagion and taint upon the heart, they certainly then must have foul hearts indeed and their spots in grain, who lie soaking and stewing themselves in unclean, malicious, and covetous thoughts and designs. Since, then, conscience is apt to receive taint, but with the breathing of a vain and sinful thought upon it, how doth it concern us to keep a watchful and circumspect eye over every motion of our hearts! It is the Wise Man's counsel, as you have heard; Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Look to it, therefore, that you suffer not your hearts to be defiled with sinful thoughts or sinful affections, by those inward and invisible corruptions that settle at the bottom of it: though the life be never so clear and crystal, yet, if that mud be but stirred and raised, conscience becomes thereby defiled and an evil con

science. And therefore the Apostle, 1 Tim. i. 5. joins them together, speaking of a pure heart and a good conscience. But, if the steams of lust rise up thick in the heart, they defile and pollute the conscience: hence the Apostle, again, joins them together, Tit. i. 15. a defiled mind and a defiled conscience: the mind and conscience, says he, is defiled. How can the mind be defiled, unless it be with sins of the mind? Evil thoughts and evil affections, as sprightly and aerial as they seem to be, yet leave a stain upon the conscience: as the breathing upon a glass sullies it, and dims the representation of the face that looks into it; so the breathing of evil cogitations upon conscience, the glass of the soul, leaves a mist and cloud upon it, that it can but dimly and darkly represent to us our true state.

(2) Watch diligently, as the heart itself, so all the Approaches unto the Heart.

The approaches to the heart are like your roads to a great city, which are full of passengers, and usually full of dirt also. And these are the senses, by which and through which objects are continually travelling to the heart, and carry with them a world of wickedness. These are sluices, which, instead of letting in pleasant streams to refresh, commonly let in nothing but mud, which pollutes the soul. There is no actual filthiness in the hearts of any, but what enters in by these inlets. Through these the Devil casts in abundance of filth; stirs up and encreases indwelling lust; and, by sinful objects that the senses convey to the soul, dungs that ground, which is of itself but too too fruitful. Thus, the Devil makes use of the ear; through it he blows up the bladder of pride, by the breath of popular applause and praise and thus he makes use of the lascivious eye, as a burning glass to set the heart on fire: and so also he makes use of the other senses, as sinks of luxury and intemperance. Now if you would keep your consciences clear and undefiled, set a strict guard and narrow watch upon all these passages to your hearts: critically examine every thing that goes in, and every thing that comes out by these gates: arrest whatever cannot produce its pass and warrant from the word of God: keep the same watch upon these gates, that God would keep on the gate of the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem. It is said, Rev. xxi. 27. that there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth. Let us, who would keep our consciences clear, guard all the approaches to them, with the same strictness; and let nothing, that defileth, enter in by these approaches to our hearts.

6. Take this direction: Be sure to listen to the Voice of Con science.

Those, that stop their ears and will not hear conscience when it directs and reproves, shall be sure to hear it loud enough when it shall accuse and condemn them. Conscience is the voice of God in the soul: now if this voice be slighted, beware lest the next time it speak to you in thunder. Do nothing contrary to the dictates of your consciences; for this will provoke God to give you up to a reprobate sense, and judicially to harden you in your sins: for, if sinning against your consciences doth not corrupt them by making them insensible and stupid, it will certainly corrupt them by making them enraging and despairing.

Now, for your encouragement, let me tell you, while you are careful, by following these directions, to keep your consciences clear, you shall also keep them peaceable. It is the foulness of a gun, that makes it recoil in discharging: and, so, it is the foulness of men's consciences, that makes them recoil back again upon them in discharging of their offices. But, while conscience is kept clear and void of offence, it will be also kept free from quarrelling with you, and from accusing and condemning you.

So much for this time and text.

DISCOURSE

ON THE

GREAT DUTY OF MORTIFICATION :

ON ROMANS viii. 13.

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »