A Treatise of Original Sin
Secondly, Although man hath lost the Image of God, and be thus all over polluted, Yet he hath not lest, neither his soul, or the faculties thereof with some imbred principles both speculative and practical, which can no more be separated from the soul, then the beams from the Sun. Hence that habit of practical principles, such as, that there is a God, that he is to be worshipped, that Parents are to be honored, is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , à conservando, because these are kept and preserved still, or rather as Martinius in his Lexicon out of Jerome, because these do instigate and incline to keep us from sin in our actions. The Scholmen commonly call it Synderisis, and say, It is as much as con-electio, but this is, because of their ignorance of the Greek tongue. These Relics of God's Image are lest in us still, even as after some great fire of a stately Palace, there remain some sparks long after; or in the demolishing of glorious Towns, there will some rudera, some remnants appear of such a building. It is true, This is questioned by some, Illyricus out of his vehement desire to aggravate sin, denieth there is any sense or knowledge of a God left in a man more then in a brute, and endeavoreth to answer those places of Scripture, which are brought to prove those common principles, or implanted knowledge in a man by nature. The Socinians also, (though plowing with another heifer) do deny any implanted knowledge by a God, but that it comes by same and tradition: On the other side Pelagians, Arminians, and some Papists fall into another extreme, for they hold such principles about God, and what is good, that they may be light enough to guide us to salvation. It is not my work now to examine either of these, for the truth is between these two. There are some implanted practical notions in us about God, and what is good, against those that err in the defect, and yet they are no ways able to conduct to eternal happiness against those that err in the excess. To prove this will be to anticipate myself in the protract of this Discourse about original sin; Therefore here only we take it for granted, That there are such principles, as also a conscience to discern between good and evil, which though it be greatly polluted, Yet this candle of the Lord, (as it is called, Prov 20. 27. searching the inward things of a man ) is not quite extinct, Whether these common principles, are naturally propagated as the body is, (as the Lutherans say, who hold the Traduction of souls from parents ) or, whether they are De Novo created in the creation of the soul, as the dissentient party from that opinion must hold, is not here to be debated, we may conclude, That the soul hath a natural testimony in itself about God, and therefore in sudden calamities doth immediately cry out to him, which made Tortullian say, O anima naturaliter Christiana!
Thirdly, Because conscience doth thus witness with God, and as it were in God's stead; Hence it is, That is hath such a command and power over a man, that we must not go against conscience: We may go against our wills, against our affection, but we must not go against our consciences, no not when they are erroneous, and though they dictate sin, as Rom. 14. ult. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin; and be that doubteth, is condemned; conscience is but an inferior Judge, God and the Scripture are superior to it; so that when conscience prescribeth anything, and we come to know it is against God's Word, then we are to reject it, as the inferior Magistrates command is made void, when the superior doth countermand; but while the practical dictate of conscience doth abide, and we know not that God doth forbid it, then we must not go against it; and the reason is, because it witnesseth to our apprehension with God; and therefore to go against it, though it may not be materially a sin, because in an error, and in a delusion, yet formally it is, because we contemn God and his Authority over us: The very Heathen could say, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , conscience is a God to every man. It is true, that Atheistical Writer, ( lib de Cive. ) As he doth most profanely determine, That it is a seditious opinion, to hold faith and holiness are supernaturally infused and inspired; so also to hold, that to discern between good and bad, just and unjust, is a duty belonging to the conscience of private men, in what they are to act. What is this, but to reach men Atheism by art and precepts? As Logic and Philosophy are taught, and doth it not condemn the whole Doctrine of the Gospel, as being incompatible with obedience to Magistrates. Seeing then that conscience is thus left in a man with so great power and authority, seeing by it, good is to be done, and sin avoided, the pollution of it will be the more dreadful, and lamentable: what hope is there of man's power to convert himself to God, when the conscience is thus wasted by sin? If the watchman be blind, if the witness be dumb, if the judge be corrupted, How can any saying reformation be upon us? If the fault be unsavory, which is to season other things, what is it good for, but to be cast away? this shipwreck of a good conscience, which all made in Adam will undo us forever, were not grace interposing.
SECT. II.
A more particular Discovery of the Pollution of every Mans Conscience by Original Sin.
THe work next in order, is to discover the pollution of every man's conscience by original sin, And
First, There is naturally a blindness and a veil upon it, whereby it horribly misjudgeth, and so deserveth the Prophets woe, calling evil good, and good evil, light darkness, and darkness light. Take the conscience of an Heathen, not enlightened by God's, Word, and what darkness covereth the face of it? how inthralled to Idols, as if they were a god that could either damn of save? yea, the consciences of some Heretics have had such Egyptian darkness upon them, that they have thought they have served God by doing most abominable, and unnatural things; Insomuch that had not some of the Ancients, worthy of credit, delivered such things about them, we could never have believed that the conscience of a man could be so far blinded, as to think such things lawful, much less a worship of God. The Gnostics taught, That fornications and uncleanness were frequently to be exercised, so as to avoid all conception, and if a child did follow, they would draw it from the womb, beat it in a •• rter, season it with honey and pepper, and so eat it, saying, That in this manner they did celebrate the great Passover. The Carpocratians also affirmed, That every one was bound to commit sin, and that the souls were put into the bodies, till they did fulfill the measure of their iniquities, applying that in the parable to this purpose, Thou shalt not go out till thou hast paid the last farthing. So the Montonists made a sacrifice of the blood of an infant a year old, which they did with needles (in a most cruel manner) prick to death: These also said, That it was as great a sin to pull a leaf off the tree, as to kill a man. The Donatists would throw themselves from steep mountains and drown themselves in waters, to make themselves Martyrs; what horrid blindness was here upon their consciences? It is true indeed, these were not suddenly made thus abominable, Therefore here was a voluntary contracted blindness upon their conscience, and a judicial one inflicted upon them, God giving them up to blindness, yet had there not been such imbred error upon the conscience, such natural blindness upon it, it could never be improved to such height of impiety: Oh then groan under this blindness that is naturally upon thy conscience! That which should be the Pilot to guid the ship of thy soul and body to an eternal haven, that knoweth no Compass, beholdeth no Star, but being practically blinded carrieth thee to hell, while thou art thinking, thou art failing to heaven: That which should be the rule to thy actions is all over crooked and perverted: Thus every man's conscience is naturally in the dark, and maketh us fall into every ditch, because the blind leadeth us; so that while the foundation is thus destroyed, there is no hope either of conversion or salvation: Thou that wallowest in thy sins, thou that art upon the brinks of hell, and yet rejoicest and makest thyself blessed; Oh that thy conscience were enlightened! Oh that the Lord's candle within thee did give any light! what a terror and an amazement wouldst thou be to thyself? thou art no better then a brute, till this conscience in thee is able to inform, and direct thee.
Secondly, Conscience is naturally polluted, not only by the blindness, but also by the senselessness and stupidity that is upon it. This is the evil polluted conscience, lying in every man's breast fast asleep; so that though one sin be committed after another, Though lusts as so many thieves come to steal thy soul away, yet this dog doth not so much as give one bark: Doth not experience abundantly confirm this? see you not most men going on in all evil and wickedness, so that you would think they dare neither eat or drink or sleep, lest so many Devils should come and carry them quick to hell? yet they have a stupefied conscience, it never giveth them one blow, or a check for it: how cometh this serpent in thy breast to be thus benumbed, that it doth not give one hiss? The expression you heard of an evil conscience, was a feared one, That is (as some expound it) a senseless hardened one, like any part of the body that by burning is made insensible: Others say, That as a putrefied part of the member of the body by incision is cut off; so (they say) it 's a conscience cut off from a man, that he hath none at all. Others they allude thus, As brands and marks of infamy are made by hot irons upon the shoulders and faces of stagitious persons; Thus it 's a conscience that is branded and noted by all, whereby he is made infamous and a reproach, where he liveth. All these explications may well be taken in, and although the Apostle speaketh there of some enormous wicked men, more vile then ordinary, yet as Paul, Rom. 3. doth apply, to all men by nature, what the Psalmist had spoken of some notorious, and most ungodly enemies of the Church: because the seed and root of these is in all; so we may appropriate this feared conscience to every man naturally, whereby a man commits gross and foul sins, and yet finds not one prick or stab at his heart for it; What made David, when he had numbered the people to have his heart smite him presently, but because his conscience was sanctified and made tender by God, whereas thou canst a thousand times fall into the same gross-sins, and thy conscience giveth thee not one lash for it? Is not this because thy conscience is stupefied? so that it hath made thee in all thy sins, as Lot was, when made drunk by his daughters, He knew not in the morning what he had done. Thus with the same stupidity and sottishness dost thou act sin, it cometh from thee, as excrements from a dying person, and thou hast no apprehension of them: as in sleep the stomach doth digest that meat, which if waking would so molest it, that there would be no ease, till exonerated: Thus while conscience is asleep, those things are committed, which if it were tender, it would with fear and trembling fly from. O men bitterly to be lamented and mourned over! Conscience which is set as a schoolmaster to direct and reprove thee, is become a flatterer, or rather lieth stark dead within thee, that the Devil, and sin, in all the lusts thereof, may hurry thee whether they please, and conscience doth not contradict; so that you may as well offer light to the blind, speech to the deaf, wisdom to the brute beast, as publish the great truths and commands of God to them, while conscience is thus stupefied within them; Therefore in conversion the first work of grace is to make this tender, and sensible, even of the least sin.
SECT. III.
The Blindness and Stupidity of Conscience discovered in the several Offices and actings of it.
THirdly, Because this pollution of the conscience is expressed in the general, (viz.) blindness and stupidity. Let us examine how this sinfulness is seen in the several offices and actings of conscience, for which God hath placed it in the soul, And
1. One main work of conscience is, to apply, what we read in the Scripture as generally spoken, conscience is to apply it in particular. When it readeth the threatenings and cursings of the law to such sins as thou art guilty of, then conscience is to say, This belongeth to me, This curse, This burden, is my curse it's my burden: Because David did not let his conscience do its duty in application. David could condemn sin in general, His wrath is kindled against such sinners as himself in the general, Nathan was forced to be instead of conscience to him, saying, Thou art the man: Thus conscience, if not polluted, when it heareth any woe denounced against such and such sins, then that stands up, and saith, Thou art the man; hence God giveth the commands by particular application, Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not steal, that conscience may say, This Commandment belongs to me; As natural bodies they act by a corporal contact, so the Scripture worketh upon the soul by a spiritual contact, and that is the application of conscience; Insomuch that if we do a thousand times read over the Scriptures, if we hear Sermons upon Sermons all our life, if conscience doth not apply, all becomes ineffectual. And this may answer that Question,
How it cometh to pass that a man can commit those sins, which he knoweth to be sins, which his conscience tells him are sins? Who are there so much stupefied and besotted by sin, that do not in the general know, that the ways they live in are wicked, that they provoke God, that they ought not to do so? How then is it possible, that they should close with those sins that they know to be so, seeing the will cannot will evil, as it is evil.
Now the Answer is, This ariseth from the defect of conscience, she doth not particularly make such a powerful application pro hic & nunc, as it ought to do; There is therefore a general knowledge, an habitual knowledge of such things to be sins; yea it may be a particular apprehension, that they are now sinning and offending God; but this is only a speculative apprehension, it's not a practical one produced by conscience in thee: Oh therefore that all our Auditors were delivered from this original pollution of conscience, for therefore we preach in vain, and you hear in vain, because no application is made to your own hearts! None brings the truth, the command, the threatening to his own soul, saying, This is my portion, none so guilty as I am in this particular, and thus (as she said to the Prophet) Thou hast brought my sins to my mind; or as the woman of Samaria concerning Christ, He had told her of all that she had done: Thus faith the applying conscience, This Sermon brings my sins to my mind, This Sermon tells me of the wickedness at such a time committed by me: It was the Prophets complaint of his hearers, None said, What have I done? They did not make a particular application; Therefore till the grace of God quicken the conscience, making thee to cry out, What shall I do, I have sinned? God's Word hath found me out; It is me the Law condemneth; It is me that the curses belong to, as if I were mentioned and named, as if I had heard a voice from Heaven, saying, Thou Thomas, Thou John, here is thy sin, here is thy doom; Till (I say) this be done, all thy knowledge in the general, all the Texts of Scripture in thy memory, they have no influence at all.
Secondly, Herein is the corruption of the conscience naturally seen, That though it doth apply, yet it is in so weak and cold a manner, that it hath lost its activity and predominancy over the affections and the will of a man: insomuch that though conscience do speak, do rebuke, do apply, yet a man careth not for it; The affections and the will are not kept in awe by it: Thus although conscience in many doth not so much as stir, it is stark dead, yet in many it doth sometimes apply, bringing home the Word of God to the heart, so that he cannot but confess, if he doth thus and thus he sinneth, but then conscience is too weak, affections and passions like Amnon to Tamar are too strong, and consuperate her, whether she will or no: Is not this the dreadful condition of many, who frequent our Congregations, whose consciences condemn them daily? Thou art such a sinner, thy ways are damnable, but they slight and despise these applications of conscience, as rude Scholars the authority of their Master; what care they for the Monitor in their breast? Like Balaam they will press forward to their wickedness, though conscience stand like an Angel with a sword in his hand to stop in the way. Rom. 1. 18. The Apostle speaketh excellently to this purpose, They detain the truth in unrighteousness, they keep conscience a prisoner, gladly would that do its duty, but they imprison and shackle it; now this weakness is come upon conscience by original sin, otherwise Samson like, nothing could bind that, but it would command the will and affections, yea the whole man to obey it: Oh the pitiful estate then of such men, who are sinners against conscience, profane against conscience, whose lusts are stronger then their conscience! As it is with some poor prisoners, they go up and down with their Keeper; Thus do these men, they go from place to place, from company to company to commit their sins, and conscience as their keeper followeth them up and down, only they despise and contemn the dictates of it, which will be woeful in the later end.
Thirdly, Though conscience may apply, Yet as it doth it weakly and faintly, so also seldom, and not constantly, nor daily. The Cock crew once or twice, before Peter remembered himself; Conscience may apply once or twice, yet the noise of lusts drown the voice of it. Therefore unless it speak frequently, unless it be applying often, as the Prophet did three times to the dead child, there will not be any spiritual life procured: Thus you have the consciences even of natural men in some fits, under the expectations of some great and eminent judgments: They find the power of conscience upon them, as Pharaoh, Ahab and Felix, who trembled under Paul 's preaching, but then this is a flash only; it's like a sudden clap of Thunder that terrifieth for the present, but when past is presently forgotten: Thus in fears of death, under some powerful Sermon, thy conscience giveth a blow, a sharp prick into thy heart, for the while thou art in some agony, in some terror, but because conscience doth it not often, never giving thee over, till it hath recovered thee, hence it is that thou returnest to thy old stupidity again.
Fourthly, As conscience naturally doth not its duty in applying, So neither in witnessing, in bearing testimony to our actions, which yet is one great end why conscience is put into a man. It is ordinarily said, Conscientia est mille testes; conscience is a thousand witnesses, and so indeed when it doth bear testimony to a man's action, it's more then a thousand, it's more then all the world; yea, it is not only mille testes, but mille tortores, a thousand tormentors, but (alas) it's so defiled, that in many things, if not in all things, it faileth, and giveth (at least) no true witness at all; For if there were not this pollution upon it, With what a loud voice would it cry to thee, saying, I know, and God knoweth, what are the sins that thou daily livest in? What little regard this witness hath, appeareth, That if men can accomplish their impieties, and none behold them, if there be no witnesses to confirm it before men, they matter not at all, for the witness that conscience, and God can bear against them: Oh this vileness of thy heart, that thou runnest from the eyes of men, but not considerest the eyes of God, and of thy own conscience that behold thee! Though indeed thy conscience is for the most part mute and speechless, lets thee alone, do what thou wilt, it will not witness against thee, but is bribed rather, and speaks for thee, and flattereth thee. Bewail then the sinfulness upon conscience even in this very particular, that it doth not bear witness to thy evil actions, or when it doth, it is so coldly, and languidly, that thou canst hardly hear the voice of it, whereas, as the Prophet (which is like an external conscience in the Church) is, To lift up his voice like a Trumpet, to inform of transgressions, and not to spare: Thus it should be with conscience in thee; And as there is a woe to that people whose Pastor is a dumb dog, no less is it to those whose conscience also is a dumb dog; So that though the witnesses and testimonies of conscience against thyself, and actions be troublesome and vexatious, thou canst not eat, or drink, or sleep for them, yet this is more hopeful, and may be more preparatory to conversion, then when thy conscience will say nothing, or is corruptly bribed, saying to thee in all thy actions, as Absalom did to everyone that came to him, That his cause was good; but above all these cold and soft whisperings of conscience, as if that were afraid of thee, more then thou of it, are notoriously discovered in the actings of secret sin; For if thy iniquities be committed secretly, though thou livest in secret uncleanness, in secret thieving and cosening in thy dealings, so that the world doth not know it, thou thinkest all is well with thee: Now how could this be, if conscience did roundly bear witness to these secret sins? This would as much shame, affect and torment thee, as if all the world did know what thou hast done in private: Oh but this conscience is muzzled! Or as was said of Demosthenei, when he would not plead for a Client, but pretended a Quinsie in his throat, he did Argentanginam pati; Thus thy conscience hath swallowed a Camel into its throat, and so spareth thee, and lets it alone: Otherwise if conscience did his office, thou who livest in secret sins, wouldst be more molested and disquieted by its continual testimonies against thee, then if all the Congregation had been spectators of thy private wickedness; Therefore the pollution of the conscience by original sin, is fully proclaimed by all the hidden works of dishonesty, by all the close, secret sins committed in the world; For were conscience ready to testify, it would follow thee as close as the shadow to the body, as Asahel did Joah: Oh then let such clandestine sinners be afraid! for though conscience be now stupefied, yet this will one day be the gnawing worm in thee that will never die.
SECT. IV.
The Corruption of Conscience in accusing and excusing.
THe next particular is, That in those actings of conscience which are said to be accusation and excusing, even herein will appear wonderful pollution. It is (as you heard) grossly defiled in application, and in bearing witness; now we may hold it grievously wounded also in regard of these actings, Rom. 2. 15. The Apostle speaking of conscience, which is even in Heathens themselves, he saith, It beareth witness with them, and thereupon their thoughts are accusing or excusing one another. But if we do consider, how naturally conscience behaveth itself in these workings, we shall have cause to be astonished at all the evil which is come upon us; For in the duty of accusing is it not wholly silent? Do not men run into all excess of riot? Do they not embrace any wickedness suggested? Yet where is that Murmuratio and remorsus, as they express it? Where is that regreting, that smiting of conscience which ought to be? Oh how busy is the Devil (as when he possessed some bodies to make them dumb) so also to make thy conscience dumb! It is judged by Divines to be an exceeding great mercy of God, that he hath left a conscience in a man, for if that had not some actings, there would be no human societies, the world would be like a Chaos as it was at first, only conscience is a bridle to men, and a curb to their impieties, but when this is so corrupted, that it cannot do its office; though sins be committed, yet conscience will not accuse, will not condemn; What hope doth then remain for such an one? Conscience is called by Bernard, Speculum animae, the souls Looking glass, by beholding thy conscience thou mayest see, what are thy sins, what are thy duties, what is to be repented of, what is to be reformed: Oh that those who look often into the glass for their bodily faces, (so as to spy every spot, and to mend an hair if it be not handsome) would more consult with this spiritual glass, their conscience would show those deformities, those corruptions that they are not willing to take notice of; only here is the difference, the material glass will faithfully represent what thou art, it will not flatter; If thou art polluted, deformed, it will discover thy face as it is, it will not flatter thee, but conscience is a glass that may be corrupted to make thee appear fairer then thou art, but if clean and pure, then it will not favor thee; But as you see it was with David, when he had numbered his people, presently his heart smote him, such power it will also have over thee: This accusation is called smiting, because of the strong impression it maketh upon the soul; Conscience is also called a Book, and the Scripture may intend this as part, Revel. 20. 12. where at the Day of Judgment it is said, Books shall be opened, and the dead were to be judged according to what is written in those books; One of these books that must be opened, and by which men shall be judged is conscience, that is the debt-book, the Dooms-day-book; There is no sin committed, but there it is set down and registered, and one day it will be found there, though now for the present thou takest no notice of it: As conscience is a book, so as Bernard said ( De Inferiori domo) All books are to reform this book, all other books that are written, yea the Bible itself, they are to amend this book of conscience. This book thou art to read every day, yea conscience is not only a book, but it's the Writer, the Recorder also; Conscience is the souls Secretary or Register, and faithfully sets down every sin, Item, This day such oaths, such lies; Item, Such a drunken fit; Item, Such omission of duties; Thus conscience should do its work; But oh how negligent and sordid is conscience herein! What foul acts may be committed, and yet not the least sting or gripe of conscience? We have a remarkable instance of this in Joseph 's brethren, when they had so cruelly and bloodily dealt with their brother, throwing him in a pit, and as to human considerations' fully destroyed him, yet faith the Text, They sat down to eat and drink; What presently after such an unnatural sin, to find no Scorpions in their breasts, as it were, but to sit down and eat? Genes. 37. 25. as if no evil had been perpetrated; What an adamant or rock were these men's consciences turned into? And is not this the state of many men, and that after the commission of such sins, which even nature may condemn for.
And as from the second act, which is excusing; here we have large matter to treat upon, Who can comprehend the length, and depth, and breadth of the evil of conscience in this very thing? To excuse, to clear, to justify a man's self: Did not conscience thus in the Jews of old? Did not conscience thus in the Pharisees? Doth not conscience thus in the breasts of all civil and moral men? Whence is it that they can say, God, I thank thee I am not as this Publican, I am no drunkard or swearer, and therefore bid their souls, Take all rest? Is not this because conscience is turned into a Chameleon, to be like every object that it stands by? Thus it is with their conscience excusing all they do, flattering a man, saying. His estate is good and secure, they are not such sinners as other men, whereas if conscience were well enlightened and informed out of God's Word, instead of excusing it would impartially accuse and condemn.
Thirdly, Conscience is polluted in a further acting which it hath, for when application, witnessing and accusing will not do, then it terrifieth, which you heard was smiting. Conscience falls from words to blows, Acts 2. 37. It is there notably expressed, They were pricked in heart, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , it was as if a dagger had been stabbed into them, and thus it did work upon Felix, insomuch that it made him tremble. Thus it did upon Cain and Judas; Now conscience naturally is greatly polluted in this thing, for either it doth not at all give any blows, or if it do, it is with slavish servile and tormenting thoughts, that it maketh the sinner run from Christ, and doth indispose him for any mercy and comfort; But of this more in it's time.
Fourthly, Conscience hath a further and ultimate work or acting in a man, and that is to judge It is a witness, an accuser and a Judge also. There is a Tribunal should be erected in every man's heart, where conscience is to sit as Judge, and this Court of conscience is daily to be kept. This is no more then when Psal, 4. we are commanded To commune with our own hearts, and be still; when we are commanded To search and try our ways, or 1 Cor. 11. To judge our selves that we be not judged. This is the great duty which not only Heathens commended Nosce teipsum, and Tecum havita, and which another complaineth of the neglect thereof, In se nemo tentat descendere, but it is very frequently commanded in the Scripture, as the foundation and introduction into the state of conversion, as a constant duty in persons converted to prevent Apostasy. But who is there that doth keep a daily Court thus in himself? That which Pythagoras, Seneca, and Heathens have admired, To examine ourselves, What have I done today? Wherein have I sinned? In what have I exceeded? This Christians, though enlightened by God's Word, are horribly slothful and careless about: When is this examination, this scruteny set up? When are thy actions, thy thoughts called to the bar, and judgment given against them? Now this judgment of conscience is seen about a twofold object, Our Actions, and our Persons; our Actions, they are to be judged, Whether they be agreeable with the Word of God, or no? Whatsoever thou undertakest, and art not persuaded of in conscience as lawful, is a sin, Rom. 14. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin: Now examine thy actions, thou profane man; see whether they will bear the Touchstone or no: Doth thy conscience tell thee, such ways are lawful? Art thou out of faith thus persuaded to do? Look over all thy thoughts, all thy words, thy actions, and weigh them in the balance of the Sanctuary; See whether they be chaff or wheat; Judge them before God cometh to judge them: As our Actions, so our Persons, and the frame and constitution of our souls; and here conscience is more unable to do its work, then in the former; For actions (at least many of them) may be condemned by the light of nature, but when thou comest to search thy heart, to judge that, here is much heavenly skill and prudence required: Did the hypocrite judge himself? Did the civil pharisaical man rightly judge himself, what a mighty change would you quickly see on those, who now bless themselves in their good condition? Had Judas judged himself? Did hypocrites judge themselves? Oh the amazement and astonishment they would be in to see themselves so soul and rotten in the bottom, when they were persuaded all had been well and happy with them! Let conscience therefore set up her tribunal in thy heart, often call thyself before thyself, thy guilty sell before thy condemning self, thy sinful self before thy judging self; for by reason of conscience a man cometh to have two selves; God hath placed it in man, as an Umpire, or an Arbitrator, to judge the matter impartially between God, and thy own soul, so that it may say that which Christ denied of himself, God hath made me a Judge and a divider, to give to man what belongs to him, to God what belongs to God; but conscience being polluted, is not able to discharge this office: Hence it is, that this Court ceaseth, conscience doth not keep any Assize at all; There is no judgment executed within this spiritual society: Therefore let us groan under the weight of original sin in this respect also.
Fifthly, Herein conscience is greatly defiled by original sin, That it is afraid of light, it is not willing to come to the Word, to be convinced, but desireth rather to be in darkness, that so a man may sin the more quietly, and never be disquieted. John 3. 19. Christ saith, This is the condemnation, that light is come into the World, and men love darkness rather then light. As it is with the wicked man, He hateth the light (as our Savior, John 3. 20.) because his works are evil. Truly thus it is, conscience being naught and rotten, therefore it is unwilling to be brought to the light: Hence John 16. 7. It is the work of God's spirit to convince the world of sin; but this is that the natural conscience cannot abide, it is unwilling to be searched and tried, to be ransacked. This is the reason, why men are most pleased with a formal, drowsy, flattering Ministry, they rage at that which is powerful, particular, heart-searching preaching; They do not love conscience should be touched upon, to have that say, Thou arr the man, and all is, because conscience is afraid of any light or conviction to come upon it; for if that be enlightened, then thou canst not with that delight and security commit thy sins, as thou wouldst do; Conscience then would belike Michaiah to Ahab. Thou wilt not abide it, because it always prophesieth evil to thee, and therefore this one thing may discover the vileness of every natural man's conscience, in that it desireth to be in the dark, and that which the Church saith to Christ, ( Awake not my Beloved till he please; ) They say to their conscience, Let not that be awakened, it will take away my comfort, it will make me despair, and thus because they willfully keep a veil over their conscience, it is no wonder if they die in their sins.
Sixthly, Herein conscience is naturally defiled, That it is subject to many multiforme shapes and disguises, it doth appear under so many vizours, that it is hard to know when it is conscience, or when it is something else, far enough from conscience, yet such is the guile and hypocrisy herein, that a man doth easily flatter himself with the name of conscience, when indeed it is corruption in him. It is good to discover that which is a counterfeit conscience, that which appeareth to be Samuel, and in Samuel 's clothes, but is indeed a Devil.
SECT. V.
A Discovery of a counterfeit Conscience.
FIrst, It may not be conscientia, but cupiditas, not conscience, but even a sinful lust may put thee upon many things, yet thou flatterest thyself with the scared title of conscience, saying, it's thy conscience, when if thou didst examine thyself, it would appear to be some corruption: A sad mistake and delusion it is to have conscience, (and so God himself) abused, but yet it is very often so; We see it in Saul, when he sacrificed, and so was guilty of rebellion against God, yet he pretended conscience, that he had done well, and all was to serve God thereby. Absalom when he was contriving that unnatural rebellion against his Father, he pretendeth a vow he had made, and so he must out of conscience perform that. Judas when he repined at the ointment poured out on Christ's body pretended conscience and charity; but it was lust and covetousness moved him: Oh then take heed of treachery herein, lest thou pretending conscience it appear to be thy lust only.
Secondly, It may be thy Fancy and Imagination, which persuadeth thee, and not thy conscience, man consisting of a body as well as a soul, his imagination and fantasy hath great influence upon him, especially when the body may be distempered, as you see in melancholy persons, when humbled for sins, and greatly afflicted, it is hard to discern when it is their fancy, and when it is conscience that worketh in them. It is true, the prophasie ones of the world, they judge all the trouble and wounds of conscience for sin to be nothing, but melancholy and a mere fancy, because they never found the word of God kindly working upon them, therefore they think there is no such thing in the world, as a wounded spirit, but such will one day find that troubles of conscience are more then melancholy, that it is a worm always gnawing, yea that this is indeed hell, for it is because of a tormented conscience, that hell is so terrible, yet though this be so, it cannot be denied, but that sometimes in humbled persons there may be conscience and melacholly working together, for the Devil he loveth to move in troubled waters, and melancholy is called Balneum Diaboli, but this may be cured and removed by medicinal helps, whereas conscience is only pacified and quieted by the blood of Christ.
Thirdly, Custom, education and prepossessed principles, these may work upon a man, as if they were conscience. Many men are affected in religious things, not out of any conscience, but merely by custom; They have been used to such things, brought up in such a way of serving of God, and therefore they cry out, to have such usages still, and all because custom hath prevailed over them; These and such like things may appear like conscience in a man; so that our conscience must be greatly polluted, when the very subject itself is not known, when we cannot discern whether it be conscience or corruption that doth instigate thee, when we cannot Sentire illam, quae facit nos sentire, Conscience that maketh us perceive other things that itself is difficulty perceived. for that it is not conscience, but some other corrupt principle that moveth a man, will easily appear in that it is mutable and changeable according to outward advantages, that which was thy conscience one month, is not the next, because there are outward changes: When Shechem would be circumcised, it was not for conscience, but for Dinah 's sake whom he loved. When Jeroboam erected an Altar, it was not for conscience sake, but carnal policy; So that the mutability of thy soul, turning as advantages do, this argueth, it's not conscience, but some other corrupt principle in thee, as when they cried Hosannah to Christ, and afterwards Crucify him.
SECT. VI.
The Pollution of Conscience discovered in many more particulars.
ALthough much hath been said to the discovering of every man's polluted conscience by nature, yet because conscience is such an Abyssus, a deep Sea, wherein are creeping things innumerable, many depravations and defilements; our work shall be still to make a further searching and diving into it: Whereas therefore the last particular mentioned of the natural pollution of conscience, was in regard of the multiformity of it, and divers resemblances of conscience, which yet were not conscience indeed, this bringeth in another particular defilement of some affinity with it; And that is,
First, Suppose that it be not lust or humor, but conscience indeed that putteth thee upon duties, and those commanded, yet how hardly are they done for conscience sake. It's not any lust, but conscience maketh many men pray, hear, and perform such duties, yet it is not conscience that is the motive, it is some other sinister and unlawful reason that insinuateth itself; so that the same duties may be done out of conscience to God by some, and from corrupt sinful motives by others. The Apostle Rom. 13. 5. pressing obedience to Magistrates (because it might be thought that Christian liberty freed them from any such yoke) he urgeth it, Not only for fear, but for conscience sake: So that if it had been only fear to lose their estates, to lose their lives, and not out of conscience to God's Ordinance, though they did obey, yet it was sinful and ungodly in them, because of their motive thereunto. This also the Apostle Peter speaketh of, 1 Pet. 2. 19. whence he instanceth in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , A conscience of God, (or as we render it) A conscience towards God, as 1 Pet. 3. 21. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , It is not to be understood subjectively, as if God had a conscience; for although God have infinite knowledge, and in that sense may be said to be conscious with our hearts of all the evil we have done, yea, knoweth more sin by us then we do by ourselves, yet we cannot attribute conscience to God, because the notion of that is to denote the sense and awe of some superior, who beareth witness of our evil actions, and is able to condemn for them; conscience therefore is in Angels, because they have a superior, they are not to be a rule to themselves; and Christ also had an holy & undefiled conscience, which yet because of our sins was greatly afflicted with the sense of God's wrath; but God having no Superior, therefore he hath indeed infinite knowledge, but not conscience; Hence when the Apostle calls it conscience of God, that is objectively, a conscience which doth respect the will and authority of God, that doth not look to men, to their applause and praise, but unto God: So that herein will appear an universal pollution naturally upon the consciences of all men, that the good things they do, the evil things they abstain from, is not from mere conscience to God, but because of human and earthly considerations: How many come to our Congregations? How many frequent Ordinances? Is it because of conscience to God, they have a reverential fear of him, they dare not displease him? No, but only the Laws of the Land, or some outward constraint maketh them do so, it's not pure conscience: Thus also there are many devoted sons of Belial to all profaneness, that would with all their hearts run into all excess of rioting, into drunkenness and uncleanness, but they dare not, they are kept off as a dog from the bone with a whip: All their desire is towards it, but the penalty and justice which the Civil Magistrate will inflict upon him, this maketh him forbear, it's far from any conscience towards God that doth restrain them: Oh then bewail the corruption of man in this kind! never in any duties carried out for conscience sake, never abstaining from sin for conscience sake, but because of punishment and the judgment of others. Therefore in private, though God seeth thee as well as if it were at the Market-cross, they can run into all lewdness: Oh if it were conscience to God, thou wouldst • ache heed of heart-sins, as well as of bodily, thou wouldst be afraid to sin in secret, as well as in public, because God is everywhere, and knoweth all things, and thou hast a conscience towards him! And no wonder if conscience be thus predominantly polluted in natural men, for even in the godly themselves, how often do they find proud, vain, self-seeking thoughts insinuate into them? So that it's not only out of conscience to God they do their best duties: Do not some vain-glorious thoughts like so many thieves secretly creep into the heart, and are ready to rob thee of thy treasure? It is true indeed, to the gracious heart these are a burden, and therefore with Abraham, they drive away these flies from the Sacrifice, yet they come again; They do Repellendo tenere, and tenendo repellere, as Tertullian in another case; they beat them back, and yet they hold them also: they strive with them, and yet embrace them: Thus many a sinful motion and vain thought, is like Bernard 's unclean suggestion, which he found, Blande onerosa displicendo placens, and Placendo displicens, kindly troublesome, and coming in with a displeasing pleasure; Insomuch that the godly themselves find the weight of original corruption upon their consciences in this respect, even till their last hour; They do not, they cannot find their consciences so purely and sincerely drawn out to God, in the duties they perform, as they do desire. Paul indeed 2 Cor. 1. 12. saith, Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, we had our conversation in the world. And again, 2 Cor. 2. 17. As of God in the sight of God we speak in Christ; Here was conscience and pure conscience, as to any fundamental deficiency, yet not perfectly pure, for Gal. 5. he saith, The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, so that wheresoever the Spirit is, there the flesh in some measure lusteth against it: Oh them let even the most holy bewail original sin in their consciences, even in this respect! That council given by Paul to godly servants, Colos 3. 17, 18. That what they did, they should do it in singleness of heart, fearing God; They should do it heartily, as unto God, not unto men. The same are all the people of God bound to do in their service to God: Oh how unworthy is it in religious duties to have an eye to man! who will praise or dispraise, if conscience were the motive, thou wouldst neither care for good or bad report; And this pure conscientious working is especially to be attended unto by such who are in public Office; The Civil Magistrate, if he punish an offender, not because he deserveth it, but from malice, or other sinister respects; Though he cry out and pretend conscience and justice a thousand times over, yet God looketh upon him as an unjust Magistrate, though the thing he doth is just. Thus it is also in the Ministers of the Gospel, if they preach the Word diligently and constantly, but yet the principal motives, are either vain glory, or a mereenary respect unto the profit and temporal advantage more then the souls of people, and the glory of God, here also that is done, which conscience requireth, but not upon conscientious motives; we do not these things as of God, in the sight of God. But I must not be too long in this particular, although indeed we can never say enough herein, it is such a close insinuating sin into all men's breasts.
Secondly, The natural conscience is grievously polluted by original sin in regard of the limited and partial conviction, or illumination that it is apt to receive. Conscience will receive light but at a little cranny or hole, it will be convinced to do some things, especially if of no great consequence, but the greater and more weighty things they are apt to neglect. This doughbaked conscience, that is hot on one side, and cold on the other, is the temper of most men: How seemingly religious and zealous in some particulars? And then for dut • ies of greater concernment they are like clods of earth; Our Savior charged this partial conscience upon the Pharisees, Luke 11. 42. They tished mint and rue, but the things of mercy and judgment they neglected; The Chief-priests also they were afraid of defiling themselves by entering into the common-hall, and yet had no scruple about shedding the innocent blood of our Lord Christ? And what is more ordinary then this? May ye not observe many persons as much moved with rage upon the removal of any needless or superstitious Ceremonies, as the Athenians were about their Diana, and yet for gross profaneness and all manner of excessive riot, they are never moved at that, they have no zeal for God's glory, though iniquity abound in every place? Doth not all this discover the hypocrisy and rottenness of such a conscience? Take heed then thy conscience is not like some creatures begotten of putride matter, that in their former part have life, but in their later have nothing but earth or slime; So, in some part thy conscience is alive, and in other things it is dead: If thy conscience tell thee, It's thy duty to pray, to hear, to keep up Family-duties, and yet withal suffereth thee to do unjust, unclean, and other dishonest things of impiety; This is not right, it is not regenerated as yet: So on the other side, If conscience bid thee, Be just and upright in all thy dealings, be merciful and tender to fit objects of charity, and herein thou art ready, but thy conscience doth not at all press thee to the duties of the first Table, to sanctify the Sabbath, to keep up Family-duties, to walk contrary to the sinful course of the world, then it is plain that as yet thy conscience is in the gall of bitterness, it hath but some partial conviction, not a total and plenary one.
Thirdly, The conscience of a natural man in this also is greatly polluted, In that it is very severe and easily accusing of other men's sins, but it is blind about its own, it seeth no evil in itself, while it can aggravate the sins of others. Thus conscience, as in other respects, so in this also is like the eye, which can see all other things, but not itself, Matth. 7. 3. Such a corrupt conscience likewise our Savior chargeth upon the Pharisees, when he calleth them Hypocrites, and biddeth them, Pull out the beam in their own, and then the more in other men's. The Apostle also Rom. 2. 1. beginneth that Chapter, Therefore thou art inexcusable (O man) who judgest others, and doest the same things thyself. What is more ordinary then this, to be Eagle-eyed, to spy out the faults and sins of others, and as blind as a mole about thyself? David was very zealous against that injurious man Nathan represented in a Parable, and in the mean while did not think that he was the man, that this was his sin. Judah also was severe against Tamar, who had played the whore, till she sent him the staff and bracelets, that he might see he was the man. Thus you see even godly men are greatly blinded about themselves; no wonder then if the natural man be wholly in darkness: Oh then pray, and again pray for light to shine into thy own heart! Let conscience turn its eyes inward once more, know the worst by thy self. Think with Paul, I am the greatest of all sinners, with Tertullian, Peccator sum omnium natorum, a sinner with the brand and mark of all sins on me, at least in motion and inclination, say, I see those sins in myself, which the world doth not, none can judge and condemn me more then I can do myself, but the contrary is in every man's natural conscience, he thinketh himself better then others, he blesseth himself in his good heart, and is a severe censurer of other men's sins; Thus he hath those Lamiae of eyes, that he taketh up when he goeth abroad, and layeth aside, when he cometh home.
Fourthly, The conscience naturally is defiled, Because of the ease and security it hath, though if it were awakened, and could do its duty, it would not let thee have any rest day or night. And this is one of the main particulars wherein original sin discovers itself in the conscience; all life, all spiritual tenderness and apprehension is taken away, that whereas conscience is especially seen in the reflex acts of the soul. To know our knowledge, to judge the actions of the mind and the heart, yea and to judge those judgments; now we can no more do these things then very beasts do, and by reason of this there is a great calmness and quietness upon the soul. Dives, who had his soul, Take its ease, found no gripes of conscience: And thus it is the condition of all men, whereas conscience would or should pierce them thorough, and be like so many thorns, not in the side only, but all over the body; now it is fallen asleep, and the man is at rest in his sins, though he be on the borders of hell. Thou mayest call this a good conscience, and bless thyself, because it doth not trouble thee, it doth not accuse thee, whereas indeed it's a senseless conscience, like a dead member that will feel no pain, if it were on the contrary, then it would be a good conscience, if it did accuse, bear witness and condemn thee, then it would be a good conscience; for this is a Rule in Casuistical Divinity, Conscience may be moleste mala, and yet honest bona; and then on the other side, it may be peccate bona, and yet honest mala, Conscience in respect of its troubling and condemning may be evil, and yet in respect of its sanctification good, being awakened by God's Spirit; and on the other side, it may be good, as sometimes we call it, that is quiet, not terrifying, yet in its constitution, be dead and unregenerate: Do not then flatter thyself, that good conscience thou boastest of, is a bad and evil one, a dead, a senseless one: Can that be good, which is not enlightened, is not regenerated? Oh how much better were thy conscience, if it did smite thee, terrify thee, make thee eat with trembling, and drink with trembling! This accusing conscience is far better, and more preparatory to true peace, then that quiet secure conscience of thine; so that thou art indeed to mourn over thy conscience, as being dead within thee.
Lastly. As was said of the understanding speculative, so also the same is true of it as practical, which is the conscience, it is grossly defiled originally, Both because it hath lost its subordination to God and his Word, the true rule of conscience, and also its superiority over the will and affections. So that if we look both ad supra, and ad infra, it is greatly defiled; Towards God it doth not keep its subordination, but naturally falls into two extremes, for sometimes it taketh other rules then the Scripture; as we see in Popery, How horribly is conscience enslaved by the mere commandments of men, where there is no Scripture? Or else on the other side, rejecting the Word wholly as a rule, as those Libertines, who do press it as a duty to be above conscience, and that a man is perfect, when he can sin, and his conscience never smite him for it: Many Volumes would not serve to enlarge sufficiently upon conscience its pollution, in both these extremes, and as for the affections and will, conscience hath now lost its power, it cannot rule these beasts, it cannot command these waves: Hence you see so many live in sins against conscience, their lusts are stronger then their conscience: They sin, and they know they sin, and yet are not afraid to commit them: How often in their addresses to sin doth conscience meet them, as Abigail to David informing of the grief of heart, yea the torments of hell that will be hereafter, yet they will violently go forward: Thus conscience in the crowd of lusts is trodden down, as that lord was, when there was so much plenty.
SECT. VII.
The Defilement of Conscience when troubled and awakened.
HItherto we have been declaring the defilement of conscience naturally by original sin, as it is quiet, stupid, and senseless. The next thing to be done (wherein shall be concluded both this Text, and particular Subject of conscience ) is to discover, how greatly it is polluted, and that when troubled, or awakened. In this particular likewise it will appear devoid of true goodness, and any spiritual qualifications; conscience troubled for sin without Evangelical principles, is like the raging sea, whose waves are tossed with tempests and storms, vomitting forth nothing but froth and foam, And
[ I] First, Herein is the corruption of it manifested, that when it doth accuse, when it doth trouble, is doth it preposterously, not seasonably, and opportunely: For when is the fittest time for conscience to interpose, to put forth its effectual operation, but before the sin is committed? To meet a man, as the Angel did Balaam with a drawn sword, before he curse the people: But this it seldom doth, only when the sin is committed, when God is dishonored, when guilt is contracted, then it accuseth, and that not so much as acting under God, to bring about true peace by repentance and faith, but as the Devils instrument to bring to despair, and so from one sin to plunge into a greater: Thus it was with Judas, how many powerful and penetrating arguments did he meet with, to awaken his conscience? He had thunder-claps enough to raise and awaken his conscience, though dead, and yet for all that, it never smiteth him, it never accuseth him, till he had committed that abominable and unnatural sin: What predictions? What warnings had Judas to make him fly from this sin? our Savior told his Disciples, One should betray him, yea particularly he describeth Judas, he telleth him, He was the man; our Savior forewarned him of the fearful estate of that man, who should betray him, that it had ben better he never had been born; and if anger or threatening would not break him; Our Savior used love to melt him, He washed his feet, as well as the feet of other Disciples, but still conscience in Judas is like an Adamant, and when all this will not do any good, but Judas cometh with a band of soldiers, as the captain and head of them, he seeth some fall down for astonishment and amazement at the presence of our Lord Christ, yet this neither doth startle him, he hath not so much as any regretting and remurmurating thoughts, but goeth on desperately to accomplish his design, and now when all is done, when everything his wicked heart desired was brought to pass, then his conscience like a roaring Lyon, beginneth to awaken out of sleep and to break its chains in pieces; Then he crieth out, I have sinned in betraying of innocent blood; Oh had conscience suggested this before; when the motions to this sin were first kindled in his breast, had he then cast them out of doors with indignation, this is to betray the innocent, this is to become guilty of blood! The very thoughts, the very motions are damnable and abominable, And he bolted them out with hatred, as Ammon did his deflowered Tamar, then had conscience been regular and also prewented his future confusion. but it never pricketh, never condemneth, till the fact be past, and then when it did so, it was upon the Devils design, to bring him to final despair. This may be seen also in David a godly man, though the issue of conscience its accusation was more comfortable; when David out of vain and ambitious ends, desired to number the people, though Joab withstood it, 2 Sam. 24. which might exceedingly have shamed, David, that a mere mortal man should see that sinfulness, which he did not, yet he will proceed, and the people are numbered, but as soon as David had done it, then his hear smote him, when it was done; it smote him not, while it was a doing, the nine months were spent in numbering of the people; Why not before, then it had prevented the deaths of many thousands? But thus it is, conscience will not seasonably and opportunely bear witness against sin Consider then the deceitfullness and falseness of thy conscience herein, all the while thou art contriving sin, purposing, yea and acting of sin, nothing doth trouble thee, but at last, when sin is committed, then it ariseth with horror and terror; And do we not see this constant pollution of conscience in most dying persons, when summoned by God, and arraigned by death, when the sentence of death is upon them? Then their conscience flieth in their faces, taketh them by the throat, oh send for the Minister, let him pray for me, let all that come to me, pray for me. Thus conscience is stirring now; oh but how much better were it, if in thy health time, if in thy strength and power, then conscience had been operative? To have heard thee then cry out, oh my sins! oh I am wounded at the heart! oh pray for me! then there had been better grounds to hope, thy conscience was awakened upon true and enduring considerations, such as would continue always, living and dying, whereas such are but sick-sudden fits of conscience, and commonly turn into greater hardness of heart and obstinancy afterwards.
Secondly, Conscience troubled doth naturally discover its pollution, By [ II] the slavish, servile, and tormenting fears which do accompany it: So that whereas the proper work of conscience is, By Scripture-light to direct to Christ, so that the troubles thereof, should be like the Angels troubling of the pool of Bethesda, and then immediately to communicate healing; Now it is the clean contrary, These wounds do fester, and corrode more; The conscience by feeling guilt, runneth into more guilt; so that whereas we would think, and say, Now there are hopes, now conscience stirreth, now he begins to feel his sins, we see often the contrary, an obortive, or a monstrous birth after such travailles of the soul; and wherein doth it manifest itself more then by tormenting tears about God? So that if it were possible, the conscience troubled would make a man run from the presence and sight of God never to be seen by him: Thus you see it was with Adam, when he had sinned, his conscience was awakened, he knew what he had done, and therefore was afraid at God's voice, and run to hide himself, such a slavish, servile temper doth follow the conscience, when wounded for sin. Now all such tormenting fears are so many manifest reproaches unto the goodness of God, and his mercy revealed; The hard thoughts, the accusing imaginations, that there is no hope for thee, that thy sins are greater then thou canst bear, or that God will forgive: these dishonor the goodness of God, these oppose his grace and mercy, which he intendeth to exalt in the pardon of sin. Insomuch that the Atheist, who denieth the Essence of God, is in this respect less heinous then thou, who deniest the good Essence of God, He denieth his natural goodness, thou, his moral goodness, as it were. Is not the great scope of God in the Word to advance this attribute of his mercy, especially in Christ he hath made it so illustrious, and amiable that it may ravish the heart of a poor humbled sinner, but a slavish conscience about sin rob; God of this glory? So that although it may be the Spirit of God by the Word, that convinceth thee of thy sin, and affecteth thy conscience, yet the slavishness and servility of it, that is the rust and moth which breedeth in thy own nature, that is not of God's Spirit.
Thirdly, The troubled conscience discovereth its natural pollution. By the [ III] proneness and readiness in it, to receive all the impressions and impulses of the Devil. That as in the secure conscience the Devil kept all quiet, and would by no means molest; So on the contrary, in the troubled consience, there be endeavors to heighten the trouble, to increase the flame; and he that before tempted thee to presumption, that God was ready to pardon, that sin would easily be forgiven, now he useth contrary engines, provoketh to despair, represents God as severe, and one, who will never forgive such transgressions, that there is no hope for him, that he is shut out of the Ark, and so must necessarily perish: Thus you see he wrought upon the troubled conscience of Judas, and of Cain, one goeth trembling up and down, and cannot cast off the terrors and horrors which were upon him; The other is so greatly tormented with anguish of soul, that he hangeth himself: In what whirlepooles of despair, In what self-murders, and other sad events hath a troubled conscience agitated and moved by the Devil cast many into? Now all this ariseth, because the wounded conscience being not as yet regenerated, doth hearken more unto the Devil, then unto God's Spirit; The Spirit of God through the Word of the Gospel, speaks peace to the broken in heart, offereth oil to be poured into such wounds, holdeth out the scepter of grace; but the troubled conscience heareth not this, believeth not this, but what the Devil, that soul-murderer, and Prince of darkness doth suggest, and dart into the thoughts, that is received and followed; Hence it is that so many have been under troubles of conscience, under terrors of spirit for sins for a season, but all this pain in travel was only to bring forth wind and emptiness, all hath either ended in tragical and unbelieving actions, or in a bold and more hardened obstinacy; and the great cause of this hath been the Devils moving in these troubled waters, he hath presently interposed to mar this vessel, while upon the wheel. Know then, that when thy conscience is awakened and grieved, then is the Devil very busy, then he tempteth, he suggesteth, but keep close to the Word, see what the Spirit of God calleth upon thee to do; get out of the crowd of those Satanical injections, and compose thyself in a ferene and quiet manner, to receive the commands of God in his Word; for the Spirit of God that calleth to believe, to come in, and make peace with God, but the Devil he presseth a final departure from God.
[ IV] Fourthly, The troubled conscience is internally polluted, By that ignorance and incapacity in knowing of what is the true Christian-liberty purchased by Christ. I speak not as yet of that main and chief liberty which is freedom from the curse of the law through the blood of Christ, but in many doctrinal and practical things. The Apostle Rom. 14. speaketh much of the weak conscience, which hath not attained to that solid judgment, as to know its liberty and its freedom from Judaical rites, and all other Commandments of men about the worship of God: Indeed the notion of Christian-liberty may quickly be abused to profane dissoluteness, but yet the true Doctrine about that, was one of the greatest mercies brought to the Church in the first reformation; for there the conscienees of all were grossly entangled and miserably inthralled: yea, their Casuists, who took upon them to resolve and direct conscience, they were the greatest tormentors of all, insomuch that they then seemed to be in a wilderness, or rather under an Egyptian bondage, wherein were many laws and Canons▪ many Doctrines and opinions that were as Luther expresseth it about one homicidissimae: Now to this bondage the conscience of a man is more naturally prone, then unto any obedience to the true commands of God. Indeed the conscience of man naturally is miserably polluted about the knowledge of those tyes and obligations that are upon it, for sometimes it contracteth and, limiteth them more then it ought: Hence it is that a man, yea a godly man may live in the omission of many duties, in the commission of many sins, and yet not know that he doth so, and all because we do not study the extent of the obligation of conscience, and from this it is that many good men have endeavored to grow in more knowledge, to study the commands of God obliging of them, and upon enquiry have found cause to do those things they never did before, and also they would not for a world walk in the same paths they once did. Thus Melancthon remembering his superstitition while a Papist, Quoties cohorrui, &c. How often doth horror take bold on me, when I think with what boldness I went and fell down before Images, worshipping of them? This is one great pollution of conscience, not to know its divine obligations that are upon it: But then on the other side, the conscience smitten about sin, is many times prone to stretch its obligations beyond the due line, they judge sins to be where there are none. They make duties where God hath not required, and all because the troubled conscience is like a troubled fountain, a man cannot see clearly the face, neither are we then able to judge of anything truly. It is a rule in Philosophy, Quicquid per humidum videtur, majtu apparet; Every object through an humid, ormoist medium, appeareth greater then it is, thus also doth sin and duties through a grieved wounded conscience: therefore for want of the true knowledge of our Christian-liberty, there is a scrupulous conscience, called so, because as little stones in the shoe hinder the feet in going, so doth the scrupulousness and timerated thoughts much annoy in a Christian walking. These commonly are without end, as one circle in the water begets another, or (as Gerson resembleth it,) like one Dog that barketh, setteth all the Dogs in the Town on barking, so doth one scruple beget another, and that many more: Now although a scrupulous conscience may be for the main tender and good, yet the scrupulousness of it ariseth from the infirmity and weakness thereof, and maketh the soul paralytical in all its actions; These scruples make a man very unserviceable and to live very uncomfortably, and although God in great mercy doth many times exercise the truly godly sadly with them, thereby to humble them, to keep them low, to say with Agur they have not the understanding of a man, to be kept hereby from gross and foul sins, yet they are to be prayed against, for these scruples are like the Egyptian Frogs always croaking, coming into the chamber, and in at every window, thereby disturbing thee in thy duty. If thy conscience were sound and clear, the light thereof would quickly dispel these mists.
Again, From the blindness of a troubled conscience, cometh also the sad and great doubtings upon the heart, whereby the soul of a man is distracted and divided, pulled this way and hailed that way, Rom 1. 14. The Apostle speaketh at large about a doubting conscience, and showeth how damnable a thing it is to do anything doubting, whether it be a sin or not. A doubting conscience is more then a scrupulous, for Divines say a man may go against a a scrupulous conscience; because the conscience is for the main resolved that such a thing may lawfully be done, only he hath some fears and some jealousies moving in him to the contrary. But a doubting conscience is when Arguments are not clear, but a man stands as it were at the end of two ways, and knoweth not what to do: now if conscience were well enlightened and informed out of God's Word, it would not be subject to such distracting doubts, but because of its natural blindness, therefore it is at a stand so often. Hence
In the last place, it becomes from a scrupulous doubting to a perplexed conscience, so ensnared that what way soever he taketh he cannot but sin, if he do such a thing he sinneth, and if he doth it not he sinneth, as in Paul, who thought himself bound to set himself against Christians, if he did persecute them it is plain he did sin, if he did not he thought he sinned. It is true, Casuists say, Non datur casus perplexus, there cannot be any case wherein there is a necessity of sinning, because a man is bound to remove the error upon his conscience, but yet the ignorance and blindness of man doth bring him often into that perplexed estate.
There remain two chief particulars, wherein the pollution of a natural and troubled conscience is observable. which are
In the sixth place, A proneness, to use all unlawful means, and to apply false remedies for the removal of this trouble.
Seventhly, A direct and open opposition to what is the true evangelical way, appointed by God for to give true peace and tranquility to such a conscience. Before we descend to these particulars, It is good to take notice of some general Observations, which will greatly conduce to clear the particulars.
What a blessed Thing it is to come well out of the pain of a troubled Conscience.
FIrst, That it is a most blessed and happy thing to come out of a troubled conscience, in a good, safe, and soul-establishing way. For this womb of conscience, when in pain and travail, is apt to make many miscarriages, yea sometimes it is so far from having any joy, that a man-child is born (I mean the true fruit of holiness produced) that there is a monster brought forth in the stead thereof. Doth not experience and Scripture confirm this, that many have come out of their troubles of conscience, with more obstinacy and willfulness to sin again? That as the wind blowing upon coals of fire, which might seem to extinguish the fire, doth indeed increase it: Thus these pangs, these gripes of conscience which sometimes they have felt, that made godly friends say, Now there is hope, blessed be God, that maketh them feel the burden of sin: These hopeful workings (I say) do at last end in a senseless stupidity; Pharaoh for a while, and so also Belshazzar and Felix trembled; Conscience in these did give some sharp stings, but (alas) it came to no good use, so rare a thing is it, to come in a gracious manner out of these waves and storms upon thy soul: Experience also doth give in full testimony to this; How many do we see that for some time, yea (it may be) years have had as it were an hell within them? They have eat their bread, and drunk their drink with trembling and astonishment; They have been even distracted with the terrors of the Lord; but if you observe the later end of such, they have at last grown secure and stupid, as if the Spirit of God had never visited them in such a dreadful manner: So that we may say to many, What is become of those troubles thou didst once groan under? Where are those fears, those cries, those agonies, thou hadst then? Where are those zealous and fervent workings of heart which did so burn within thee once? Alas, after these meltings and thawings a greater frost and cold hath come upon them; That as sometimes frequent and constant aguish fits do at last end in a consumption: Thus frequent troubles of conscience upon some fits and seasons, do sometimes end in a plain dedolency and stupidity of conscience, never to be troubled more. God hath left thee to be like an Adaman • and stone, so that though thou sinnest never so grossly, yet now thy conscience is seared, and thou canst be bold and rejoicing in the midst of thy impieties. Thus you see it's a great consequence for any one laboring under the troubles of conscience, diligently to consider, how he cometh out of them, for now is the time of saving or damning of thee, now is the time thou art in the fire, either to be purged and refined, or to be consumed: Oh pray, and get all thy godly friends to pray, that these troubles may be sanctify, that they may be blessed to make a through change upon thee! Better never have had such a wounded conscience, such a troubled heart, and then to return to thy vomit again; for every sin committed by thee after these troubles hath an high and bloody aggravation; Thou knowest how bitter sin is; Thou hast tasted what gall and wormwood is in it; Thou hast been in the very jaws of hell, hast had some experience of what even the damned feel, and wilt thou go to such sins again? wilt thou put these Adders into thy breast again, that have almost stung thee even to despair? Therefore set a Selah, an accent (as it were) upon this particular, thou who hast been a troubled sinner, and see how thou comest to be freed from this spiritual pain.
A great Difference between a troubled Conscience, and a regenerate Conscience.
IN the second place, You must know, That there is a great difference between a troubled conscience and a regenerated, or sanstified conscience. The conscience may be exceedingly troubled about sin, have no peace or rest because of sin, yet be in the state of original pollution, yet be destitute of the Spirit of Christ: This mistake is very frequent, many judging the troubles of conscience they once had to be the time of their conversion to God, though ever since they have lived very negligently and carelessly, without the strict and lively conformity of their lives to the rule: whereas we see in Cain, in Judas, these had even earthquakes (as it were) upon their consciences, They had more trouble then they could bear, yet none can say, they had a regenerated conscience. It is true indeed, these troubles of conscience may be introductory and preparatory to the work of conversion, but if ye stay in these, and think to have had these is enough, ye grossly deceive your own souls, Act. 2. 37, 38. When Peter did in such a particular, and powerful manner set home upon the Jews, that grievous sin of killing the Lord Christ, it is said, They were pricked in heart; Here their consciences were awakened, here were nails (as it were) fastened by the Master of their Assembly into their souls; yet when they cry out, saying, What shall we do? Peter doth direct them to a further duty, which is, to repent; Those troubles then, those fears and agonies, were not enough, a further thing was requisite for their conversion. Thou then who art troubled rest not in these, think not this is all, but Press forward for regeneration, without this, though these troubles did fill thy soul, as much as the Lecusts did Egypt, yet thou wouldst go from begun torments here, to consummate torments hereafter. It is true, a gracious regenerated conscience may have its great troubles and agonies, be in unspeakable disquietings, but I speak of such who are yet only in innitiatory troubles, who are (as yet) but in the wilderness, journeying towards Canaan; all these troubles do not infer regeneration, but are therefore brought upon thee, that thou mayest be provoked to inquire after this new creature.
What may be the Causes of the trouble of Conscience, which yet are short of true saving Motives.
IN the third place take notice, of what may be the cause and motives which may make thy conscience awakened and troubled, which yet are not from true saving principles.
1. The commission of some gross and heinous sin against conscience; this may work much terror. The very natural light of consciene in this particular is able to fill the soul with fears, Rom. 2. The Heathens had their consciences acusing of them. We read of Nero, that after he had killed his mother Agrippina, he was so terrified in his conscience, that he never dared to offer sacrifices to the God's, because of the guilt upon him, yea, and as Tertullian (lib. de animâ cap. 44.) observeth from Suetonius, after this parricide, he who in his former times never used to dream (it's noted of him as a rare and strange thing) was constantly terrified in his dreams with sad imaginations. Thus you see natural conscience upon the committing of some gross sin, hath power of itself to recoil and with heavy terror to overwhelm a man. Some also do relate of Constantine, that having been the cause of the death of his eldest son Crispus, upon groundless suspicious, was greatly tormented in his conscience, not knowing what to do, and thereupon was advised to receive the Christian Religion, in which alone there could be found an expiation for so foul an offense.
2. The trouble of conscience may arise from some heavy and grievous judgment that hath overtaken us. Conscience may lie asleep may years; the sins thou hast committed long ago may be almost forgotten, and yet some judgment and calamity, falling upon thee afterwards, may bring them to mind: Thus Joseph 's brethren, whose consciences were so stupid (as you heard) that upon the throwing of their brother into the pit, they could sit down as if nothing a • led them; many years after, when they were in anguish of mind by Joseph 's severe carriage towards them, Gen. 42. 21. Then they said one to another, We are very guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear, therefore is this distress come upon us; so that some unexpected calamity may be to us, as the hand-writing on the will to Belshazzar, making conscience to tremble within us.
3. God as a just Judge can command these Hornets and Bees to arise in thy conscience. It is plain, Cain, when he set himself to build Towns, thought to remove that trembling which was upon him, but he could not do it; how many have set themselves with all the might they could to be delivered from this anguish of conscience and could not? because God is greater then our conscience, if he command terror and trembling none can expel it. This troubled conscience is threatened as a curse to such, who did break the Law of God, Deut. 29. 65▪ 67. The Lord shall give thee a trembling heart—and sorrow of mind—In the morning thou shalt say, would God it were day—for the fear of thy heart. Here we may observe, that God can, when he pleaseth, strike the heart of the most jolly and profane sinner with such a trembling conscience, that he shall not have rest day or night; and when God, after much patience abused, doth smite the soul with such horror and astonishment many times: This never tendeth to a gracious and Evangelical humiliation, but as in Cain and Judas is the beginning even of hell itself in this life. So fearful a thing is it to fall into the hands of the living God, when provoked, Heb. 10. 31. For in such (as ver. 27.) there is a certain fearful looking for the indignation and wrath of God, which will devour the adversaries.
4. This troubled conscience may, and doth often come by the Spirit of God convincing and reproving by the Word, especially the law discovered in the exactness and condemning power of it. Joh. 16. 8. The Spirit of God doth reprove or convince the world of sin; Now conviction belongs to the conscience principally; and indeed this is the ordinary way for the conversion of any; God's Spirit doth by the Law convince and awaken conscience, making it unquiet and restless, finding no bottom to stand upon; it hath nothing but sin, no righteousness to be justified by; the law condemneth, justice arraigneth, and he is overwhelmed, not knowing what to do; This is the work of God's Spirit; and of this some do expound that place, Rom. 8. 15. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but of adoption; It is the same spirit which is called the spirit of bondage, and of Adoption, only it's called so from different operations; It's the spirit of bondage, while by the Law it humbleth us, filleth the conscience with fear and trembling; not that the sinfulness or slavishness of these fears, opposing the way of faith, are of the Spirit, but the tremblings themselves; and it is the Spirit of Adoption, when it rebuketh all tormenting fears, giving Evangelical principles of Faith, Love and Assurance; Now these fears thus wrought by the Spirit of God in the Ministry of the Word, though they be not always necessary antecedents of conversion, yet are sometimes ordained by God, to be (as it were) a John the Baptist, to make way for Christ.
Lastly, These troubles of conscience may arise ( through God's permission) from the Devil: For when God leaveth thee to Satan's kingdom; as it was the case of the incestuous person, to be buffeted by him, tempted by him, you see he did so far prevail with him, that he was almost swallowed up with too much grief: Therefore when God will evangelically compose the conscience by faith in Christ's blood, he taketh off Satan again, and suffereth him not to cast his fiery darts into us any longer.
The false ways that the wounded Conscience is prone to take.
THese things explained, Let us return to consider the pollution of natural conscience in the two particulars mentioned, whereof
The first is, That the wounded conscience for sin is very ready to use false [ VI] remedies for its cure. These stings he seeleth are intolerable, he cannot live and be thus, he taketh no pleasure in anything he hath, but he cometh not to true peace, for either they go to carnal and sinful ways of pleasure, so to remove their troubles, or to superstitions and uncommanded ways, of devotion, thinking thereby to be healed: The former too many take, who when troubled for sin, their hearts frequently smite them, they call this Melancholy and Pusillanimity; Tush, they will not give way to such checks of conscience, but they will go to their merry company, they will drink it away, they will rant it away, or else they will go to their merry pastimes and sports: Thus as Herod sought to kill Jesus as soon as he was borne, so do these strive to suffocate and stifle the very beginnings and risings of conscience within them: Oh wretched men prepared for hell torments! Though now thou stoppest the mouth of conscience, yet hereafter it will be the gnawing worm; It's this troubled conscience that makes hell to be chiefly hell; It's not the flaming fire, it's not the torments of the body that are the chiefest of hells misery, but the griping and torturing of conscience to all eternity; This is the hell of hells.
Others, when none of these means will rebuke the storms and waves of their soul, but they think they must perish, then they set themselves upon some superstitious austere ways, as in Popery, to go on Pilgrimage, to enter into some Monastery, to undertake some bodily affliction and penalty, and by these means they think to get peace of conscience; but Luther found by experience the insufficiency of all these courses, That all their Casuists were unwise Physicians, and that they gave gall to drink instead of honey.
[ VII] In the next place therefore, This pollution of a troubled conscience is seen, In it's opposition to Christ, to an Evangelical Righteousness, and the sway of believing. Conscience is far more polluted about Christ and receiving of him, then about the commands and obedience thereunto; for naturally there is something in conscience to do the things of the Law, but the Gospel and the Doctrine about Christ is wholly supernatural and by revelation: Hence although it is clear, That the conscience truly humbled for sin ought to believe in Christ for expiation thereof; Yet how long doth the broken heart continue ignorant of this duty? Their conscience troubleth them, accuseth them for other sins, but not for this, of not particularly applying Christ to thyself for comfort, whereas thou art bound in conscience to believe in Christ, as well as repent of sin; I say, thou art bound in conscience, and if thou doest not by particular acts of faith receive Christ in thy arms, as Simeon did bodily, but then spiritually, thy conscience is to trouble thee, and to accuse thee for it; But how averse and froward is the troubled conscience in this particular? How hardly instructed evangelically? How unwilling to rest upon Christ only? Their conscience that is very tender about other sins, thinketh it no sin not to apply Christ, yea it disputeth and argueth against it; but at last such broken hearts know, that they are to make conscience of the premisses, as well as the precepts, conscience of faith as well as repentance, Heb 9. 14. The Apostle there teacheth us, That it is the blood of Christ, which purgeth the conscience. Run not to anything, but to the blood of Christ; when thou art slung, behold this Serpent; Let thy conscience be Evangelical, as well as Legal; The Gospel is God's Word, as well as the Law, and by that thy conscience is obliged to lay hold on Christ for pardon.
CHAP. III.
Of the Pollution of the Memory.
SECT. I.
2 PET. 1. 12.
T He original pollution of the Mind and Conscience hath at large been declared; We proceed now to the Memory, which belongeth also to the intellectual part of a man: And as Philosophy informeth us, That it is the treasurer which conserveth the species, so Divinity will inform us, That it is an evil treasure, or shop, wherein are stored up all kinds of evil.
The Text mentioned will suppeditate fit matter for this Doctrine. And First, We must diligently explain the words, wherein we may take notice,
1. Of the illative particle, or note of inference, [Wherefore.] He had exhorted them, To give all diligence to make their calling and election sure, A necessary duty. We strive to make our outward estate, and the evidences of that sure; but make sure of Heaven, make sure of an interest in Christ; for this assurance will be a cordial to thee in thy greatest extremities, it will make thee above the love of life, and the fear of death. This duty he encourageth unto by the consequent benefit thereof, Hereby an entrance shall be abundantly ministered unto you, into the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ; And having laid this foundation, he brings in the infere • e in my Text, Wherefore I will always put you in remembrance of these things. These truths are so necessary, so excellent, that you are to have them always in your mind; and withal, your memories though regenerate are so weak and sinful, that you need perpetual Monitors and prompters to possess your souls with these things.
In the second place, we have the Apostle Peter 's care, purpose and diligence expressed, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , I will not be negligent; The Vulgar Latin renders it, Incipiam, I will begin Estius thinketh it did read 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , but that word is never used, and therefore Estius doth from the Latin go to the Greek Copies, which is a practice contrary to the Tridentine Doctrine. The word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , is used for to neglect, to have no regard, to slight and make no matter of a thing, Heb. 2. 3. only when the Apostle expresseth his care negatively, I will not, we must remember that rule given by Interpreters, that Adverbs of denying do often express the contrary with the greater Emphasis, I will not be negligent, that is, I will be very diligent and industrious.
Thirdly, You have the Object matter about which this diligence is exercised, and that is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; The word signifieth to bring to mind, to cause to remember, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifieth any short writing, whereby anything is brought to our mind: The word is used in other places, which will be improved in pursuing the Doctrine. This is enough for the present that the holy Apostle doth not disdain to become a Monitor and Remembrancer unto them, being in this an instrument of the holy Ghost, whose work it is to bring things to our mind, which are forgotten.
Fourthly, You have the aggravation of this from the time, He will put them in remembrance always; He will be the good Prophet that will lift up his voice and not cease; They must not think his importunity and frequent admonitions needless and uncivil; They need this duty always from him, and therefore in season and out of season, he will suggest it to them.
Lastly, There is a further aggravation from the qualification of those he will thus remind, Though ye know and be established is the truth; This is considerable, they had the true knowledge of these things, if they had been ignorant, if they had not yet understood these things none would wonder at this diligence, but though they know these things, yet he dare not omit this importunity. Again, though they did know, yet they might be wavering and staggering, ready to apostatize from this they did know; No, they are 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , established, firmly settled and fixed, and yet their minds and memories need many divine helps to excite and stir them up, yea this duty upon their memories is so great and necessary, that the Apostle further amplifieth himself herein, as if enough could not be said about it; For at the next verse, he giveth us a reason of this faithfulness and diligence, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , I think it fit, or just and righteous; It did belong to him as an Apostle, he could not do what was his duty, if he did fail herein, and that not for once, but continually, as long as he was in this Tabernacle, he calleth his body a Tabernacle, that is, Nomen pastorale, and militare, it denoteth the shortness and brevity of his abode in the world, and then the great hardship and difficulty he was to conflict with; It implieth, he was but a stranger here, as all the godly are; and therefore whereas the Cretans called those places they had on purpose to receive and lodge strangers in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the same word did the Church use and apply to the Burial places of believers, signifying hereby, that they were pilgrims and strangers: He useth also a significant word for his death, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which is applied to the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt, a place of bondage, and the Ironsornace. so is this world to the godly, therefore death is an 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . Now in this expression also is couched a reason, why he will not cease to put them in mind of these truths, for he shall not be long with them, he will work while he hath day; he remembers that command of our Savior, Negotiamini, work be diligent merchants to increase spiritual gain, while I come.
Again, There is another latent reason of this duty in the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , to stir up; It is used of those who awaken any out of sleep, Luke 8. 24. So that this supposeth even the memories of the most godly to be, as it were, dull and sleepy, very heavy and negligent about what they ought to be diligently exercised with But yet the Apostle hath not said all his mind herein, for verse. 15. he professeth this care of his for the good of their memories shall extend even after his death, I will endeavor that after my decease, you may have these things always in remembrance. Now that would be done by these very Epistles, they would be as continual memento 's to them. See then here the godly zeal and faithful diligence of a godly Pastor, it extends to the future as well as the present, he is afraid after his decease, all he had preached should be forgotten; And doth not experience sadly confirm this? After the death of a godly Minister, How quickly are all his labors, all whose precious truths he had made known forgotten, as if they never had such a Preacher amongst them? However, if these soul-saving truths be forgotten, Peter will take care that the sin should not lie at his door, he will be faithful to do his duty. And Chap. 3. 1. take notice how again he taketh up this profession of his care and zeal to help their memories. He wrote both these Epistles to stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance. Their pure minds 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , such as are discovered and tried (as it were) by the Sunnebeams, the least more, any vain thoughts or sinful motions are discovered and abandoned, yet though they have such pure minds, he writeth Epistle upon Epistle to stir them up by remembrance; and as if all this were not enough to quicken up their memory, the Apostle Jude writing to the same persons doth almost write the same things verbatim, which the Apostle Peter had written in this second Epistle, and verse. 4. he proclaimeth this to be his end, To put them in remembrance, though once they knew this; It was for their memories sake by way of exhortation, not for their understandings by way of instruction. Now from all this we may gather,
That such is the weakness and sinfulness of the memory, and that even in the regenerate, that they need daily divine helps to provoke it to its duty. And whereas the sinfulness of our memory may be two ways, either actually by a willful forgetting of holy things, and a careless neglect of them; or original, whereby the memory through Adam 's fall, as well as the other parts of the soul, are become all over unsanctified, and hath no suitableness or proportion to divine objects and holy duties. I shall speak of this later, though as expressing and emptying itself into actual and willful forgetfulness, for of this original and native pollution of the memory, must we understand this Text in a great measure, which the Apostle by frequent filing would get off, as so much rust, seeing he writeth to those that are sanctified, and as also he speaketh of this as a permanent and an abiding weakness in them; Now in the regenerate all contracted habits of sin, are expelled by virtue of the new birth; And as for actual sins, they are transient, so that there remaineth no other defilement, but original, and the relics or immediate products thereof: If then the most holy do need quickening helps to their memory, because of the dullness and slowness in it about holy things; It is plain, the memory, as well as the other faculties of the soul, is depraved by original sin; and if in the sanctified person the memory hath this partial and gradual sinfulness in the unregenerate, and natural man, it must be all over polluted and made unsavory about any good thing. Observe,
That the memory of every man by nature is wholly polluted by original sin. It cannot perform those offices and acts for these holy ends, as it was at first enabled to do in the state of integrity. It will be very useful and profitable to anatomize the sinfulness of the memory, as we have done of the other intellectual powers, for it is from the pollution of this part that all wickedness is committed. The Scripture makes this the character of all wicked men, That they forget God. Psal. 9. 17. implying, That if we did remember God, his Greatness, his Power, his holy Will, we should not fall into any sin: Insomuch that we may in some sense say, All they evil is committed, because of thy evil and sinful memory, hadst thou remembered such and such threatenings, such and such places of Scripture, they would have preserved thee from this impiety.
SECT. II.
What we mean by Memory.
TWo things must be premised before we enter into the main matter:
First, What we mean by the memory. Aristotle wrote a little Book about Memory and Remembrance (De Memoriâ & Reminiscentiâ ) and from him many have taken up large and useless Disputes herein. It is not my purpose to teach you with these thorns, it is enough that there is acknowledged a sensitive memory, which is common to men with beasts, and an intellective, though that be questioned, but against all reason, for the soul separated doth remember, as appeareth in that Parable, where Abraham said to Dives, Son, remember thou hast received the good things of this life, Luk. 16. 25. Angels also must necessarily remember, because all things are not present to them, therefore past things they cannot know, but by way of memory: God is said in the Scripture often to remember, but that cannot be properly, because to him all things past and future are as present, so that he cannot be said to remember properly, no more then to fore-know only such expressions are used by condescension to our capacity. Aristotle distinguisheth between Memory and Remembrance, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and this (he saith, as far as is yet observed) no creature can do but man. When therefore I shall speak of the Memory, I shall understand it as it is Remembrance, and as it is Intellectual; for in man we may say his memory is in a great part the understanding, knowing things as they are past. Therefore Austin, and the Master of Sentences following him (though this be disclaimed by many that came after) make three powers or faculties in the rational part of a man, his Understanding, his will and Memory, which they call the created Trinity, and by it, (they say) is resembled the blessed and increated Trinity; But I shall not dispute this, for I shall speak of Memory as the same with the understanding only in this particular, as it is carried out to things that are past, for that is the necessary object of Memory, that it must be past, we do not remember a thing present, or a thing future.
SECT. III.
A twofold weakness of Memory.
IN the second place, While we speak of the weakness of the Memory about good things, we must take notice of a twofold weakness, a Natural weakness, and a sinful weakness; a Natural weakness is that which ariseth from the constitution of the body, and unfit temperature of the brain, for though the actions of the understanding be immaterial, to know and to remember, yet they require the body as the Organ and the Instrument; So that as the most artificial Musician cannot discover his skill upon an Instrument whose strings are out of order, so neither can the understanding of a man put forth its noble actions, when the body is out of order; Hence we read that some diseases, or other events have deprived men of their memory, so that they have forgot their own name. By this we see, That the soul doth act dependently upon the body, being the form informing of a man, and giving his being and operations to him. Now it's useful to know this distinction; for many good people, especially when grown in year, do much complain that their memory is gone; They cannot carry away so much of a Sermon, or from good Books, as once they did, and this doth much grieve them, they look upon themselves as drones, and not Bees, that carry home honey from every flower, but this may support them, that this is a natural affect in the memory, not a sinful one; For as Aristotle observeth ( Lib. de Memoriâ & Reminiscentiâ. ) neither in children, or in old men, is there such a capacity for memory, in children, because of the too much moisture; And therefore it is (saith he) as if a man should imprint a Seal in the water, which because of its fluid nature would receive no impression, nor in old men is there such a capacity of memory, because of their dryness and siccity, as if a man should imprint a seal upon a dry piece of wood, it would not receive any form or character. If then in thy old age, thy memory faileth, know this is a natural imbecility, as sickness and pain is not a sin. Others again they abuse this distinction, for when they are urged to holy duties, called upon to remember what hath been preached, then they excuse themselves with their bad memory, God help them they have an ill memory; but if thou hast a memory for other things, jests and merry tales, or businesses of profit, and no memory for holy things; This is thy sin, thou hast no memory in the these good things, because thou hast no heart, no delight about them, as is more to be shown: Yea, I must add, that though a natural weakness in the memory be not a sin, yet it is the fruit of sin, and so ought deeply to humble thee, for thy memory would have had no such defects and weaknesses, if Adam had not fallen: As therefore diseases and death, though they be not sin, yet are the effects of sin, and therefore we are to humble ourselves under them, so thou art to do under thy imperfect memory, though sickness or old-age hath much impaired it.
SECT. IV.
OUr work is to discover the sad and universal pollution of the Memory. And by the Memory we mean only the mind, as it extends its actions to things that are past; And thus the Scripture speaketh, 2 Pet. 3. 1. To stir up your pure minds by remembrance. Tit. 3. 1. Put them in mind to be subject, &c. Mind is there for memory: Thus Austin also maketh memory in a man, to be either the soul, or the power and faculty of the soul: Thus the Latin Etymologers make Memini reminiscere, to come of Men's, yea Minerva made the goddess of learning, is, Quasi Mineriva, à memini. And common speech amongst us maketh mind and memory all one, as when we say, It was quite out of my mind. &c. So that both the Scripture and the judgment of the learned, yea and the use of the vulgar will allow us to speak of the memory, as nothing else but the mind considering of things as past.
SECT. V.
The great Usefulness of the Memory.
BUt before we speak to the discovery of this Memory, it is good to take notice of what use and consequence it is, that so when we shall consider the dignity and serviceableness of the memory, we may then bewail the sinfulness thereof, for when that is made sinful, it is as if a fountain were poisoned, of which all must drink: or as the air pestilential, which all must receive in their nostrils: if the memory be corrupted then all is corrupted; Hence (as you heard) all wicked men are said to forget God. Memory is of so great use, as the Heathens made a goddess of it, yea they make it to be the mother of the Muses of all Arts, of all Wisdom and Prudence; No tongue can either express the serviceableness of it, or the nature of it, not the serviceableness of it; For if there were no memory, there could be no discourse, no civil society; if there were no memory, a man could not take heed of any danger, or prevent any mischief; hence they attribute it to the forgetfulness and stupidity of the Fly, that when it is flapt off from the meat, and was in danger of death, yet it will immediately fly to it again: Thus would man without memory plunge himself into all misery; If there were no memory, there could be no learning, no human sciences, for memory is made the mother of them; Yea, if there were no memory, there would be no Religion, no Worship of God, or service of him: Thus both the natural, civil and religious life of a man would be destroyed were there not a memory; So that we are infinitely bound to praise God for this power left in us, and as deeply to humble ourselves, that it is so corrupted, that it cannot do its proper acts in a spiritual way at last, thereby to promote our happiness, our memory helpeth to damn us, not to save us.
SECT. VI.
Of the Nature of it.
ANd as for the Nature of memory, though Aristotle and others after him, have undertaken to say much about it, yet Austin doth much bewail the ignorance and weakness of a man in this thing, ( l. 10. conf. ) calling it, the unsearchable recesses and vast concavities of the memory, saying,
SECT. VII.
Demonstrations of the Pollution of the Memory.
THat the memory is thus polluted will appear,
1. By several discoveries thereof. And
2. By the particulars wherein.
In the former way, herein we have a full demonstration of the depraved nature [ I] of our memory, In that we need the Spirit of God to sanctify and help it; So that one work or office of the Spirit of God is to be a remembrancer unto us about holy things; It's the gift of God's Spirit to give thee a good memory, to make thee able to remember holy things: This is clearly and unquestionably affirmed, John 14. 26. The comforter which is the holy Ghost, I will send in my name, and he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Here we see the Spirit of God hath a twofold office or work to do:
1. To teach us holy things: We are blind and unbelieving, not knowing spiritual objects, till God's Spirit doth teach us; But this is not all, suppose we be taught and instructed, is all done then? Do we need the Spirit of God no more? Yea. Therefore
2. The Spirit of God putteth itself forth in a further work, which is to bring the things thus taught to our remembrance. As then the mind in respect of understanding and knowing cannot do anything about what is spiritual without the Spirit of God, so neither can the mind about remembering: Certainly if the memory of itself could do these things, the Spirit of God would be in vain: If the Moon and Stars could give so much light as to make a day, the Sun would be in vain: Hence the children of God do evidently find and feel the work of God's Spirit upon their memories, as well as their understandings, for in their temptations, how ready to be overwhelmed? how ready to be swallowed up with such thoughts? and then the Spirit of God doth seasonably re-mind the soul of such Promises, of such comfortable Arguments; So also upon the temptation to any sin, the Spirit of God doth interpose and prevent it by making them to remember such a threatening, such a place of Scripture, and this stoppeth them from the evil they were ready to do, for they are the Disciples themselves, though sanctified and made so eminent to whom this Spirit of remembrancing is promised as useful and necessary; If then the Spirits presence and assistance be thus necessary even to a regenerate man's memory, this argueth the natural defilement and impotency of it to any good thing, for where nature is able, there the Spirit of God is not necessarily required.
A second Discovery of the pollution of the memory may be from the end [ II] of the Scripture, why God would have it written, so as to be a perpetual monument to his Church. Among other ends this is one, to be a memorial to us, to put us in continual mind of the duties required of us: Thus the Apostle Peter endeavoreth to make believers always remembering of the Gospel by those Epistles he did write to them. It is true, the Orthodox do justly refuse that of Bellarmine, who will make the Scripture to be only utile communitorium, as if that were the chief end, why the Scriptures were written, viz. to serve for our memory only, and not to be a rule of our faith, for he himself doth acknowledge it to be a partial rule: But the principal and chief end, why the Scriptures are delivered to the Church is to be a Canon and Rule to it, so that the Church must not believe, worship or live, otherwise then the Scripture commands: This is not a partial but a total Rule, neither may anything be added to it, or detracted from it. But yet we grant also, That the Scripture may have other secondary and subservient ends, whereof this is not the meanest, to be useful to our memory; And certainly, one great cause of so much evil committed by thee, is forgetfulness of the Scripture; The Apostle James, Chap. 1. 25. doth notably instance to this purpose, for he compareth a forgetful hearer of the Word, to one that looketh in the glass, and going away straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was; If therefore we did abide and continue looking in this glass, take notice what we are by the direction of the Word, how quickly would we reform? He that doth make a practical use of remembering the Scripture, so as to regulate and order his life accordingly can never miscarry. To have the word of God in thy memory against such and such a temptation, would prevent all the evil thou fallest into, John 15. 20. when our Savior would encourage his Disciples against the hatred of the world, he saith, Remember the Word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater then his master; Remember this truth, and that will make thee suffer more willingly: So John 16 4. These things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them; To remember Scripture in the season, to have the Word of God in thy mind, when a temptation like Joseph 's Mistress is soliciting of thee, this will cause, that no deadly thing shall hurt thee; for the word of God is a two edged sword. it's an hammer, it's fire, it's the sword of the Spirit, by it both the Devil, and all temptations are subdued, Christ overcame the Devil by Scripture. Now if that be not in thy memory, then it cannot be any ways serviceable to thee in the time of need. Exercise your memories therefore in the Scripture, and that not for memories sake, much less for ostentation, to show what a good memory you have above others, but for a practical and holy use; Treasure up such a place against thy drunkenness, thy whoredoms; Treasure up such a place against pride, earthliness and covetous desires; What a precious and excellent memory is that which is like a mine of gold, or an Apothecaries shop, that can from the Scripture presently fetch what Antidotes against sin, or cordials to revive that he pleaseth? And truly our memory should be filled up only with Scripture considerations. This is the cabinet and choice closet of thy soul; If a man should take his cabinet that was for jewels and precious stones, and fill it only with mud and dirt, would it not be exceeding great folly? No less is it, when thy memory is full of stories and merry tales, and in the mean while rememberest not what God saith in his Word, which would be so useful to thee for thy souls good, acknowledge then the goodness of God to thee in providing the Scriptures as an help to thy memory, and withal know that seeing the Spirit thought it necessary to commit them to writing, hereby is fully declared the pollution and sinfulness of thy memory; For in Heaven, when the memory will be fully sanctified and perfected, then there will be no more use of the Bible, we shall not then need to read the Scriptures to quicken up our minds, for all imperfection will then be done away.
[ III] Thirdly, The sinfulness and weakness of the memory is manifested not only by the end of the Scriptures in general, but also several parts of the word of God are peculiarly so ordered, that they might be the more easily conserved in our memory. Thus when any great deliverances were vouchsafed to the Church, those mercies were made into Psalms and Songs, that for the meters sake, and the pleasantness of the matter, all might have them in remembrance: This method did signify how dull and stupid our memories are, and how apt to forget the benefits and mercies of God, and therefore our memories are to be helped therein: Thus the 119 th Psalm, is put into an alphabetical order, thereby to further our memory about it, yea there are two Psalms, Psal. 8. 1. and Psal. 70. 1. which have this Title, To bring to remembrance; And the matter of those two Psalms containeth a complaint under afflictions and earnest importunity with God for deliverance. The Spirit of God by instruments made them to be composed for this end, that afflicted and troubled souls should have them in remembrance; and indeed we may say of every Chapter, as well as of those Psalms, A Chapter to bring to remembrance; yea, of many Verses, A Verse to bring to remembrance; And because the memory is so slow and dull about holy things, you may read of a peculiar command to the Jews in this case; and although the same obligation doth not belong to us, yet it teacheth us all, what forgetfulness and oblivion is ready to seize upon us about holy things, Numb. 15. 39, 40. God doth there command Moses, to speak to the children of Israel, that they make fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations. It was a perpetual Ordinance; And why must this be done, To remember all the Commandments of God: This was God's special command? The Church under the Gospel may not in imitation hereof prescribe Ceremonies, or appoint Images to stir up the dull memory of man. The Popish-Church commendeth their Crucifixes and their Images upon this account, because so helpful to the memory, being the Lay-men's Books; But (though the memory be greatly polluted, yet) it belongs not to man, but to God as part of his regality, to appoint what he pleaseth, to stir up and excite the memory in holy things; God hath appointed other things, the Word, and Ministry, and Sacraments for our memory (as is to be shown,) and therefore this is a devotion which God will reject, because not having his superscription upon it.
Fourthly, That the memory of man is naturally polluted is plain, By the [ IV] Ministry appointed in the Church of God by Christ himself, for one end of that is, to bring us to remembrance. Thus you heard the Apostle Peter speaking, he thought it meet 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , just and righteous while he was in the flesh, to put them always in remembrance of these things: so Jude also: Thus Paul enjoineth Timothy, 2 Tim. 2. 14. Of these things put them in remembrance: so 1 Tim. 4. 6. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good Minister of Jesus Christ. He is not a good or faithful Minister of Christ, tha is not diligent to put you in mind of Scripture-things: The Ministry is not only to instruct the ignorant, to convert the profane, but also to put int mind those that do know, and are converted. They are like Peter 's Cock, upon his crowing, Peter was brought to remembrance, and he went out, and wept bitterly. Every Sermon we preach should bring thy sins and thy duties to remembrance. The Spirit of God (you heard) had this office to bring things to your remembrance, and the Ministry is the instrument by which he doth it. Alexander would have a monitor to be always prompting this mementote esse hominem; And the Romans, when riding in glorious triumph, would have some to remember them of their mortality. But Christ hath provided a more constant help for thee, to have spiritual watchmen and remembrancers, who are never to cease minding of thee; Say not then, what should I go to hear a Sermon for, I know already as much as can be said? For though that be false, yet if it were granted, you must know, the Ministry is for your memory as well as judgment, and who needeth not to have that often quickened to its duty?
Fifthly, In that Christ hath appointed Sacraments in the Church, which [ V] among other ends are to quicken up and excite our memory; it is plain, that they are polluted, that we are prone to forget all the benefits of God, though never so precious; Sacraments have for their generical nature a sign; They are signs, and that not only obsignatives and in some sense exhibitive, but also commemorative; hence in the very Institution of the Lord's-Supper, we have this injunction, Do this in remembrance of me, 1 Cor. 11. 24. Not that the commemoration of Christ's death with thankfulness and joy, is the total and adequate end of the Lord's-Supper, as the Socinians affirm, making us to receive no new special influences of God's grace thereby upon our souls, or any renewed exhibitive Communion of Christ with his benefits to us, but merely a commemoration, of what benefit is past: As (say they) the Israelites, when they celebrated that public mercy of deliverance out of Egypt, had not thereby a new deliverance, but only there was a celebration of the old: Thus they would have it in the Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper. But the principal and chief end of the Lord's-Supper, is to convey further degrees of grace and comfort to the true receivers, yet we acknowledge it also a special and great end in the Sacrament to be commemorative, and that Christ hereby would have our memories quickened about that infinite love shown to us in dying for us, Now what can be more demonstrating the naughtiness and sinfulness of the memory then this very thing? For, who would not think that Christ's voluntary giving up of himself to such an accursed and ignominious death for us, would always be in our minds? Such signal and transcendent expressions of love would be with us rising, and waking, and going to bed, That though the Devil and the world did never so importunately crowd in with their suggestions, yet this should always be uppermost in our hearts and affections; but Christ by this very institution, doth hereby manifest, what dull and stupid memories we have, and that about the greatest mercies that we are capable of: Would it not be strange if a malefactor should forget his pardon, or Rahab forget the scarlet thread in the window, that was to be the preservative of her life? yet our forgetfulness is greater, when we do not remember our Savior, and his sufferings for us. And for the other Sacrament of Baptism; how greatly is our obligation by it forgotten? how grossly we do forget that covenant with God, and the dedication of us unto God, renouncing the Devil and his lusts? That was appointed to be a commemorative sign; But how sinful is our memory? for we do (as it were) need another sign to put us in mind of that, and so in infinitum, what little power hath the memory of these Sacraments upon us? Yea, how little do they come in our mind, thereby to improve our duties and consolations?
[ V] Lastly, That our memories are naturally sinful will appear, If we consider, how it was with Adam in the state of integrity, he was made right, Eccl. 7. which doth extend to the spiritual perfection of all the parts of his soul; As his mind was endowed with all necessary light and knowledge, so his memory also with all strength and vigor; so that forgetfulness of anything that was his duty, was no more incident unto him, then any other sin; It was not, because naturally he had a bad or a forgetful memory, that made him break the Law of God; for if God had created him found and perfect, in all other parts of his soul, only left him to a weak and frail memory, he could not have been happy, either in temporal or spiritual considerations: As his soul was thus perfected, so his body was in a found and well tempered constitution, having no redundancy of humors thereby to hinder the operations of the soul by memory, he was not subject to diseases or old age, or anything else, that doth empair the memory of man, but now our sun is become a dunghill, and our gold dross: As original sin hath pestilentially insected all parts of the soul, so the memory hath not escaped this pollution; for where it is naturally able, there it is spiritually impotent; when it might remember, if improved and put upon, there is it negligent, and careless: how many say, They cannot remember any good thing delivered to them? press them about the Scripture, and the good truths of God preached to them, and they will justify themselves by pleading the badness of their memory, whereas it is for want of a good heart, and a good will; if thy affections were ardent and burning about these things, thy memory would be more retentive of good things then they are. Besides, little do you know, what your memory would do, if you did put it upon frequent exercise, few know what their memories could do, if exercised about holy things, because few are industrious and active to put it on work. Austin (lib. 4 to de origin animae. ) relateth of his friend Simplicius, how he was desired to repeat verses out of Virgil backwards and forwards, and also the Prose of Tully, with an inversed order, and this he did to their great admiration, yet Austin saith, That Simplicius did solemnly protest, that he never did so before, neither had he ever tried, whether his memory were able for such an exercise or no. By this example. we see, that none know what their memories would do, if they did more carefully and diligently put them upon it. But grant that the memory be naturally impotent, though this you heard be not formally a sin, yet it is the fruit of it, and so matter of humiliation. Learned men say, That what fit constitution and temperature is required in the brain for a sound and solid judgment, the contrary is for a good and strong memory, and therefore (they say) it is, that a strong judgment, and a strong memory, seldom go together; As (saith Erasmus ) the beast Lynx hath a most acute sight, but is a most stupid and forgetful creature: Now if this be so, then this ariseth from Adam 's fall, for no doubt Adam had both a perfect judgment, and a perfect memory, and it cometh through original sin, that the body is so distempered, that what helpeth for one faculty of the soul, impedeth and hindereth the other. The Sum of this particular is, That wherein our memories do now come short of that, which Adam's memory while perfect was able to do, that is either expressly and formally a sin, or the immediate issue and punishment of sin.
SECT. VIII.
Wherein the memory of man is polluted.
THis sure foundation then being said, Let us proceed to show, Wherein the memory of man is so greatly polluted; And that will appear,
First, Very remarkably, If you consider all the several objects which by the Scripture we are daily to have in our memory, and we are naturally in a constant and daily forgetfulness of them. Only it is good to take notice of a distinction which Vossius (De Origin Idolat. lib. 1. cap. 11.) observeth out of Bonaventure,
The first and most signal object of our memory, which the Scripture speaketh of, is God himself; God is not only the object of our faith, and of our love, of our minds and wills, but also of our memory; We should always keep up the remembrance of God in our thoughts, and this would be a most potent Antidote against all kind of sin; Therefore is all evil committed, because we do not remember God at that time, Deut. 8. 18. Moses doth there command the people of Israel to take heed of trusting in their own righteousness and goodness, or of attributing their wealth and riches to their own power. But (saith he) thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, implying, That the Sun and the night can no more stand together, then the remembering of God, and carnal confidence can; the ambitious man, the voluptuous man, remembering God, would find it to be like thunder and lightning upon the soul; This would immediately stop him in his ways of iniquities: Thus 2 Sam. 14 11. that suborned woman of Tekoah in her disguised Parable to David, complaining of some that would rise up against her, to destroy her son, she desireth the King to stop the revengers wrath by this Argument, Let the King remember the Lord thy God: Thus when thou art solicited, enticed to any evil, way, Remember thou God, the infinite God, the just God, the omniscient God, the dreadful and terrible God in all his ways of anger. Nehemiah also maketh use of this Argument to quicken up the Jews against sinful fear and cowardice in God's work, Nehem. 4. 14. 1 said to the Nobles and Rulers of the people, be ye not afraid of them, but remember the Lord which is great and terrible. This God complaineth of, Isa. 57. 11. Thou hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart, and therefore were they so propense to all their abominations. These Texts may suffice to inform, that our memories ought constantly to be fixed upon God, and no sooner do we let him out of our mind, but immediately some sin or other is committed. But how unspeakably is the memory of every man naturally polluted herein? When is God in their thoughts? Amongst those millions and millions of objects which thou dost remember, when is the great God, the just God, the holy God thought on? May you not see it by the bold impiety and undaunted wickedness of all unregenerate men, that they remember not God? Yea the godly themselves find in part this pollution upon their memory. Whence arise those carnal fears, those dejected thoughts, Is it not because you forget the greatness and goodness of God? Bewail thy memory-sinfulness, as well as other sins.
2. As the Scripture prescribes the object of our memory ( viz ) God himself, so it doth instance in one time more then at another; Though at all times God is to be remembered, yet in one time of our age, though there be greatest cause, yet our lusts and desire after other things do greatly hebetate our memory; We have the injunction from Solomon himself, Eccl 12. 1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth; Here you see who is to be remembered, & when he is to be remembered, God is to be remembered, and that in the time of our youth, But do not the strong effects of original sin heightened also by actual sins discover herein most palpable impiety in young persons, they remember their lusts, their pleasures in the days of their youth, and God is never in all their thoughts: Oh where may we find a young Timothy, that was acquainted with the Scripturee from his infancy! Where an Obadiah, That feared God from the youth? Do not most young persons live so negligently about holy things, as if they were allowed to be dissolute, as if the things of Heaven and eternity did not belong to them, as if Solomon had said the contrary, Do not remember God in the days of thy youth, be not so strict and precise, but follow thy pastimes and pleasures? Thus the very memory of God and holy things is a burden to young persons; They think Solimon spake far better, Chap. 11. 9. when he saith, Rejoice, O young man in thy youth, let thy heart cheer thee, and walk in the ways of thy heart, remove sorrow and evil away; They like this well; This is good, but there is a sting in that which followeth, Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgment; This will quickly damp all thy youthful jollities. Let then young persons especially bewail the sinfulness and forgetfulness of their memory herein; This is the best and most flourishing time for your memory, now it is put upon to learn either Mechanical Trades, or the Liberal Arts, your memories are most drawn out in inferior things, but take the advantage to employ it more about holy things; You hear old persons complain, they have lost their memory, they grow forgetful, therefore fix your memories upon good things while you may.
3. The Scripture commends the Word of God likewise as the object of our memory. Timothy had learnt the Scripture from his Infancy: The word of God was for this end (amongst others, as you heard) committed to writing, that so we might the more readily have it in our memories, Mal. 4. 4. the Prophet commands them to remember the Law of Moses with the statutes and judgments, yea they were to have such a ready and familiar knowledge of the Word of God, that when they were rising or walking, they were to be speaking of them, Deut. 6. 7, 8, 9. we may there see what care is taken that the Law of God should be always in their mind; but do we not evidently behold the cursed and wretched pollution of man's memory in this particular; Why is it that little children will remember any Songs sooner then the principles of Religion? Why is it that many persons who are not able to remember anything of the Scripture, or the Sermons they have heard, yet can remember Ballads and Songs, they can remember their youthful pranks, and talk of them with delight, but they cannot give any account of the good truths that in their younger years were preached to them? When do ye hear such say, Such a Sermon wounded me at heart, it sticketh still upon me, I shall never forget it? Now is not the sinfulness of the memory greatly to be bewailed in this particular? If it were holy and sanctified it would take more delight and joy to remember Scripture-truths then anything else, whereas now thy memory is like a sieve that lets the corn and weighty grain fall through, but the light refuse stuff that it retaineth: Thus what is solid and would do thy soul good, that quickly passeth away: Oh that we could not fay, our Sermons pass away as a tale that is told, for those you do remember, and you will carry a long while in your mind, empty, frothy things those abide long with you! Would you not judge it madness in the Husbandman, if he should pluck up and hinder the growth of his corn, and let cockle and tare, with other weeds flourish? Thus thou dost about thy memory, throw away the flours and keep the weeds, whereas thy memory should be like the holiest of holies, nothing but what is select and sanctified should enter therein.
4. That I may not be too long in these instances, The works of God, whether in his mercy, or in his wrath, they are to be the object of our memory. Thus the Scripture speaketh often of remembering his marvelous works. Matth. 16. 19. Christ reproveth his Disciples, because they did not remember the miracle of the loaves; All the great mercies to his Church, all the severe judgments of God upon those that hate him, should be kept in constant remembrance from generation to generation: But who seeth not the sinfulness of our memory in this particular? What liar remembereth Ananias and Sapphira 's judgment? What unclean person Zimri and Cozbi? What drunkard Belshazzar 's hand-writing on the wall?
SECT. IX.
Inferior Objects of Memory.
WE are discovering the particulars, Wherein the memory of man is so greatly polluted; we have instanced in the Object of it, which is God, and the things immediately relating to God; These things we constantly forget, though God gave us a memory chiefly for these things. In the next place, there are Objects in the inferior region (as it were) which the Scripture commendeth to our memory, and about that also we shall find our minds never exercised therein. That I may not be infinite, I shall select some few of those Inferior Objects. And
First, It is a duty often urged in Scripture, To exercise cur memory about our sins past, to bring them to mind, and accordingly to humble ourselves and repent. But is not every man's memory naturally polluted herein? How many sins are there committed many years ago? How many youth sins which thou never hast a bitter remembrance of? It is not wormwood and gall to thee to think of thy former vanities: Thus the memory well exercised is the introduction to repentance. A man can never repent that doth not first remember; Can he humble himself for that which he hath forgotten? Ezek. 16. 61, 63 God there makes a gracious Covenant and promise of pardon and forgiveness to the Israelites; and then he showeth, that this fire of his love shall melt and thaw their hearts, though like iron, they shall be ashamed and confounded, but how is all this done? by remembering. Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, so that it is impossible to set upon the work of repentance and conversion to God, unless first thy memory be excited up, unless thou look upon thy former life, and remember this have I done, and thus I have lived, such sins and follies come into my mind, yea in true repentance thy sins will always be in thy memory, when eating, or drinking, or walking, thou wilt be thinking, Oh the wretch that I have been! Oh the beast and fool that I was in such and such impieties! Thus Joh and David remembered the sins of their youth, Psa. 51. 3. David acknowledging that murder and adultery which he had committed a year before, yet he saith, My sin is ever before me. Thus you see in repentance, the memory is wonderfully quickened, bringeth those sins to mind that have been committed many years ago, and therefore you have the expression, 1 King. 8. 47. of a people repenting, If they shall bring back to their heart, so it is in the original, we render it, If they shall bethink themselves; By this we see, that in true conversion there is a bringing back again of our sins to our hearts, that whereas we had forgot this and that sin which might be charged upon us; Now we begin to arraign ourselves, and bring in a severe indictment against our own souls, for such and such transgressions: Oh then, mourn bitterly for thy evil and wicked memory herein! How many sins, how many iniquities even like the sand on the sea-shore might come into thy mind and amaze thee, giving thee no rest, till thou hadst obtained the pardon of them? But thou art so far from this, that rather thou strivest and laborest to put them out of thy memory; If thy sins come to thy mind, presently thou divertest thy thoughts, turnest thy memory to other things; and thus as the noise of the Cart-wheel, because nearer to us, maketh us not bear the noise of thunder at that time, so other things more delightsome and pleasing, being next in our memory, we wholly forget what might turn to our salvation: Hence it is that natural men love no good conference, no reproof, no powerful preaching that may bring their sins to remembrance, but say as the woman to Elisha, 1 King. 17. 18. What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance? So that herein our desperate pollution is seen, that we bring not our sins to our remembrance, yea we voluntarily forget them, use all the means we can, that we may never have them in our minds.
Secondly, The bad or good examples of others we should remember, and accordingly imitate or avoid them: All the examples of wicked and godly men, should be so many Monuments, so many Memorials to us: The Inscription upon Sennacherib his Tomb was, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Whosoever looks on me, let him be godly, by remembering the wrath of God upon me for my evil ways. Our Savior ( Luke 17. 32.) commands us to Remember Lot's wife; In her we have such an instance of God's wrath, that it ought never to be forgotten, and therefore, saith Austin, turned into a pillar of fault, that she might season us; God had delivered her out of Sodom from the fire and brimstone ready to have consumed her, and withal he chargeth her not to look back, but she either out of curiosity, or out of a worldly affection and desire to her goods that were left behind looketh back, upon which God doth immediately punish her in this wonderful and unheard manner; Now our Savior applieth this to everyone who taketh upon him the profession of Christ, leaveth off his former conversation, but afterwards returneth to it again: And is not this the condition of too many, that do not only with Lot 's wife look back to Sodom, but even go back into Sodom again? How terrible will the later end of such be? Remember this dreadful instance, you who for a while give over your profaneness and impiety, but afterwards fall to it again, such are not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven: Thus also we should take notice of all the good examples we meet with in the holy Scripture, what good men there were, how they lived, and how God blessed them; Our memories should be a good treasury, whereby we should be abundantly furnished to do the good and avoid the evil, Lege Historiam ne fias Historia, but rather remember Histories and examples, lest God make thee an example: Thus Heb. 13. 7. they are commanded to remember such who had been guides to them, and to follow their faith, considering the end of their conversation; How holy, blessed and comfortable it was, the godly Ministers and holy Pastors God hath given to his Church, you should diligently remember, taking notice how God was with them in their Doctrine, in their lives, in their deaths; This would much prevent that Apostasle of many into errors, and following after heretical persons; Do but remember how wonderfully God was in the spirits and lives of many holy Pastors in the Church, who did bear witness against such errors, as many now are led aside with: Who would not desire to live the lives, and die the deaths of such holy gracious men?
Thirdly, Another object of our memory commended in Scripture is, The former works of God's Spirit which happily have been upon us, but we have decayed and revolted. This were alone necessary for many a man, and especially in these times; Remember what love thou didst once bear to the Ordinances; Remember what delight and sweetness thou didst once find in them, but now thou hast cast them off Thus the Apostle remindeth the Galatians, Gal. 4. 15. Where is the blessedness you once spake of? Once they did so rejoice in Paul 's Ministry, accounted it a blessing of an eminent nature, but now began to slight it. There are also many who have formerly been zealous and active for good things, they manifested their good desires about the things of God to all the world, but now they are become like so many clods of earth, they have forsaken the better part, which with Mary once they did choose, and are either turned dissolute or earthly, crawling upon the ground like so many worms: Thus these flourishing trees are quite withered, having neither fruit or leaves: Thus the Church of Ephesus, guilty of partial Apostasy, Revel. 2. 5. is enjoined To remember from whence she is fallen; and this counsel is to be given to many persons, Remember it was otherwise with thee once; Remember it was not so with thee, as it is now; The time hath been thy heart hath been much affected with the word of God preached; The time hath been thou hadst family-duties, and daredst not to neglect the family-worship of God; But now, What is become of all this Religion, You that began in the Spirit, do you not end in the flesh? Especially your memories are often to be stirred up and quickened, who have been under many fears and dangers, who have been at the point of death: Oh what thoughts, what resolutions have you made against sin! What bitter thoughts and apprehensions had you about your former evil ways? But (alas) how quickly are all those agonies of soul forgotten? In this your memories are very much polluted, that all your vows, all your promises to God, all your fears and terrors are forgotten: Thou that art now embracing of thy lusts, entertaining thy Delilah 's again, Oh remember what thou didst think of these things, when thou didst look upon thyself as a dying man! Oh remember what woes and wounds were upon conscience! What confident expressions, if ever God did recover thee again, if ever thou wert delivered again, all the world should see thy repentance and Reformation? These things thou shouldest remember, and shame thyself, yea be confounded and never able to open thy mouth to excuse thyself.
Fourthly, The Scripture doth propound to our memory, as a special object, never to slip out of it, The consideration of our later end, the day of death, the day of Judgment, these things are to be constantly in our memory. The neglect of this is made by the Prophet Jeremiah a bitter instance in his Lamentations concerning the people of Israel, Lam. 1. 9. She remembered not her later end, therefore she came down wonderfully; Here the forgetting of her later end is made the cause of all those strange and wonderful judgments which come upon them: Thus Isa. 47. 7. Babylon is there arraigned for her pride and arrogancy, And she did not lay the judgments of God to heart, neither did she remember the later end of it; And how pathetically is God's desire expressed, Deut.32. 29. Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their later end; Here you see the sum of all godliness is expressed, in considering our later end: No wonder then if men who forget their death, and the day of Judgment be violently carried on to all excess of riot; For what should stop or stay them in their paths? Whereas didst thou remember, (as Solomon adviseth his young man) That for all this thou must die, thou must be brought to judgment; This would bind him (as it were) hand and foot; Quicken then up thy memory, whatsoever thou forgettest, do not forget that thou art a mortal dying man, that the day of judgment is coming upon thee, which thou canst not avoid; The memory of this would make thee fly from every enticing sin, as Joseph did from his mistress.
Lastly, The Scripture requireth, That we should remember the desolation and troubles that are upon others, especially the Church of God. So that although it be never so well with us, though God give us our hearts desire, yet the remembrance of the afflictions and straits of others should make us mourn and pray for them: Thus Col. 4. 18. Paul calleth upon them to remember his bonds: So Heb. 13. 3. Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them: What an hard and great duty is this, yet if thou art not a dead member in the body; if spiritual life be in thee, thou wilt remember the sad condition, the afflicted estate of many of God's children, when thou enjoyest all thy soul longeth for. It was thus with good Nehemiah, he was in the Princes Palaces, he wanted nothing for his own advantage, yet he mourned and was sad from day today, because he remembered how it was with Jerusalem: See how impossible a thing almost David: maketh it to forget Jerusalem, Psal. 137. 5. If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning; If I remember thee not, let my tongue cleave to the rooff of my mouth; If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy; here is a gracious worthy spirit; see what David resolveth shall be in his memory more then the chiefest good in this world; he will forget his own friends, his own joys, yea his own self, sooner then the Churches good: now may not even a godly man bewail his forgetfulness herein? Thou mindest thy own estate, thy own family, seekest thy own self, but how little is thy memory about the affairs of the Church? Thou dost not remember how many afflicted Joseph 's, how many impoverished, Lazar's there may be in the Church of God? how many exiles and banished persons; how many desirous to take up the crumbs that fall from thy table; Did we remember the afflictions and straights of others, it would put us more upon prayer for them, and it would also make us walk more thankfully and humbly for our mercies then we do? And thus you see, though the memory be a vast treasure, though it hath infinite recesses and capacious receptacles, yet the Scripture hath prescribed matter enough to fill every corner (as it were) and if the memory were thus frighted, if it were such a good storehouse, how happy would it be? whereas naturally it's like a cage of unclean birds, and a den of thieves. I proceed therefore to show (as it was to Ezekiel about the Jews ) still more abomination in this memory of ours.
SECT. X.
The Memory is polluted in respect of its inward vitiosity adhering to it.
SEcondly, As the memory is thus defiled about its proper objects, so there is [ II] much inward vitiosity adhering to it; And this we may take notice of, as a main one, The dullness, sluggishness, and stupidity of it, especially as to heavenly things: who can give any other reason, why good things, holy things, should not be remembered as well as evil and sinful things, but only the native pollution of the memory? And from hence it is, that there is such a lethargy (as it were) upon the memory; for if Peter, 2 Pet 3. 1, writing to those who were sanctified, and that had pure minds, yet he thought it meet to stir them up, a metaphor (as you heard) from men asleep, who need to be awakened; how much more doth the memory of a natural man need stirring and exciting? There is then a wonderful stupidity and sleepiness (as it were) upon the memory, it is even rusty (as it were) and unfit for any use; men do not exercise and put their memories upon practice, little do they know what they could remember, if they did mind it, and exercise themselves to remember what is good; Thou complainest of a bad memory, of a slippery memory, No, it is thy laziness, it's thy bad heart, it's thy want of diligence; Thy memory would be as good, and as active for holy things, as it is for earthly things, if you did put it in practice more, but the memory being naturally dull and stupid, thou lettest it alone, thou never improvest it, never awakenest it, and so through thy forgetfulness thou comest eternally to perish; This lethargy upon thy memory, though a sad disease, yet might be cured, if thou wert real and industrious about it, much praying, and much practicing of it in holy things, would make it as expedite, and as ready about good things, as ever it was in any evil things.
In the third place, The memory is naturally unsanctified in this particular, [ III] that wherein it can or doth remember, there it produceth not suitable operations, nor doth it obtain its end. The end of remembering what is good, is to love it, to practice it, and to imitate it; The end of remembering evil, is to loath it bitterly, to repent of it, and to fly from it: Now herein our memory is grossly polluted, that it never obtaineth this blessed and holy end, whereas if our memories were never so admirable, as that of Symonides, or Appelonius Thyaneus, when he was about an hundred years old, yet if our memory be not effectual, and operative, to make us more holy and heavenly, this is a sinful and defiled memory: And for this reason it is, that wicked men are said to forget God, because though they do remember him, yet they do not perform those duties, to which their memory should be subservient. For as the end of knowledge, is action, so the end of memory also is to be doing; and as it is said, If ye know these things, happy are ye, if ye do them; so when ye remember these things, it's a blessed thing to put them in practice. But how often do we see by experience, that where the memory is naturally very good, there morally it is very bad and sinful? Do you not meet with many that can remember the Scripture, remember Sermons, yet never remember the practice of them? whereas God hath given us memory, for the same end he hath given us a knowledge, which is to direct and help us in our operations. That as in beasts, they have a sensitive memory in them to preserve their natural being, The Ox remembereth his Masters crib; the bird remembereth her seasons, and all this for natural preservation; The Be remembereth the place of her hive; The Ant her nest, (though some Philosophers, because of the great siceity of the constitution of those creatures, attribute it to a natural instinct, rather then memory:) so this should be much more true in men, therefore doth God bestow on us an intellectual memory, that thereby he might spiritually preserve himself, making use of that which is advantageous to his soul, and avoiding all that which is destructive. As then we are not to know only that we may know, or to know thereby, making ostentation that others may take notice of it; so neither are we to remember, that we may remember only, or to brag of our memory, that others may wonder to see what a strong and retentive memory we have, but that thereby we may be more promoted, and advanced in heavenly things: Let all such tremble under this consideration, who have very quick and sure memories about the Scripture and the Sermons they hear, yet are very ungodly in their lives, and walk in a contrary way to all that they do remember. This argueth thy memory is not a sanctified memory, that it carrieth not on the work of grace in thee; for which end only it ought to be employed. It is observed that two sorts of men need a good memory; First, The liar, Oportet mendacem esse memorem, now every professing Christian living wickedly, is a liar, for with words he acknowledgeth him, butin works he denieth him; insomuch that thou who liest thus to God, shouldst remember thy professions and obligations, the second sort is, of greatest accomptants, such who have great sums to cast up, and to be accountable for, these also had need of great memories, and such is every man: Oh the vast and numberless particulars of which he is one day to give an account to God! Oh what a proficient in holiness might thou have been, if all the good things thou rememberest were in a practical manner improved, if thou couldst give a good account to God of thy memory, for that you are to do, as well as of the improvement of other parts of the soul! As God at the day of judgment will have an account of every talent he hath given thee, of thy understanding, of thy will, how these have been employed, so likewise of thy memory; What is that good, that holiness, thy memory hath put thee upon? and this also you who are young ones and servants, living in godly Families, are diligently to attend to, for you think this is enough, if you can remember a Sermon, or Catechistical heads, so as to give an account to your Governors; if you can satisfy them, you think this is enough, but thou art greatly deceived, for therefore art thou to remember, that thou mayest do accordingly, Thou art never to forget this or that truth, that so it may be ready at hand to direct thee in all thy ways: and this is indeed a divine act of memory. There are those who teach the art of memory, and give rules to perfect a man therein, but divine and holy operation, is the end of the Christian art of our memory.
Fourthly, The pollution of our memory is seen, In that it is made subservient to the corrupt frame and inclination of our hearts. We remember what our hearts are set upon, what our affections are earnest for, whereas our memory should precede and go before them, for the intellective memory is the same with the mind and understanding of a man; for although to remember be not properly an act of knowledge, yet this intellective memory we make the same with the mind of a man, as it extends to things that are past. The memory then is to make way for the heart and the affections, to be directive to them, whereas now for the most part it is made a slave to the corrupt heart; for if the understanding in it all's hegemonical, and primary actions hath lost its power, how much more is this true in the memory? For the most part therefore the badness of the heart makes a bad memory, and a good heart a good memory; men complain they cannot remember, when indeed they will not remember; their hearts are so possessed and enslaved to earthly things, that they remember nothing but what tendeth thereunto: This is the ground of that saying, Omnia quae curant senes meminerunt, Old men remember all things, their hearts are let upon, all things, they do earnestly regard; They can remember their bonds, the place where their money lieth, because their hearts are fixed upon these things, but no holy or good things can lodge in their memories: The rule is, Frigus est mater obiivionis, Coldness is the mother of oblivion, as is partly seen in old men; and thus it is even in old and young, their hearts are cold, earthly, lumpish, even like stones about holy things, and therefore it is no wonder if they remember them no better; so that we may generally conclude, That the cause of all they blockishness and forgetfulness about divine things, is thy sinful and corrupt heart, if that were better thy memory would be better. We have a notable place, Jer. 2. 32. Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number. Can a bride forget her attire and ornament? it is impossible, because her delight and affections are upon it, but (saith God) My people have forgotten me, days without number. Why so? because I am not that to them, which ornaments are to a bride (saith God) if they delight in me, rejoice in me, if they did account me their glory, then they would never forget me: By this you see, that therefore we forget God, and his ways, because our hearts are not in love with him; Can he that is powerfully conquered by love of a friend forget his friend? Doth he not always remember him? Is not a friend alter ego? Is not the lovers soul more where it loveth then where it animateth? Thus it would be also with us in reference unto God; therefore we have bad memories, because bad hearts: It is true, some natural causes may either deprive us wholly of, or greatly enervate the memory: Thus Messalla that famous Orator, judged to be more elaborate then Tully, two years before his death, forgot all things, even his own name. Hermogenes also that famous Rhetorician, who wrote those Rhetorical institutions which are read with admiration of all, and this he did when he was but eighteen years old, and some six years after grew merely stupid, and senseless, without any evident cause of whom it was said, that he was; Inter pueros senex, & inter senes pure. Thucydides (as Vostius reporteth. ( Orat. institut. lib. 6.) speaketh of such an horrible pestilence, that those who did recover of it, grew so forgetful, that they did not know their friends, neither remembered what kind of life or profession they once followed; So that natural causes may much weaken the memory; but if we speak in a moral sense, then nothing doth so much corrupt the memory about holy things, as a sinful and polluted heart.
[ V] Fifthly, The pollution of the memory is seen, In that it is not now subject in the exercise of it to our will and power. We cannot remember when we would, and when it doth most concern us, whereas in the state of integrity, Adam had such an universal Dominion over all the powers of his soul, that they acted at what time, and in what measure he pleased: Thus his affections were subject to him in respect of their rise, progress and degree; and so for his memory, he had all things in his mind, as he would: Some indeed question, Whether Adam did then Intelligere per Phantasmata? But that seemeth inseparable from the nature of man, while upon the earth, and living an animal life, though without sin. No doubt his soul being the form of the whole man, did act dependently upon the instrumentality of the body, though such was the admirable constitution of his body, that nothing could make the operations thereof irregular. Adam then had nothing which could either Physically or Morally hinder the memory, but all was under his voluntary command, whereas such an impotency is upon us, that if we would give a world, we cannot remember the things we would; Hence we are force to compel ourselves, by one thing after another, to bring to our minds what is forgotten, for in remembering there is some dependence of one thing upon another; as rings, if tied together, are more easily taken hold of, then when they lie singly and loosely. And this Austin (lib. 10. confess. ) maketh to be the Etimology of the word Cogito, Cogito à cogo, as Agito ab ago, Factito à facio, as if to cogitate were to force and compel things into our minds. Let us then mourn and humble ourselves under this great pollution of nature, that those things which are of such infinite consequence, which are as much as our salvation and eternal happiness are worth, yet we do not, we cannot remember.
[ VI] Hence in the sixth place, The memory being not under our command, it falleth out, that things come into our minds, When we would not have them, yea when it is a sin to receive them. How often in holy duties, in religious performances, do we remember things, which happily we could not do, when the fit season and opportunity was for them? Do not many worldly businesses come into our minds, when we are in heavenly approaches to God, that as Job. 1. when the sons of God came and appeared before God, then Satan came also and stood with them? Thus when thou art busy to remember all those Scripture-arguments, which should humble thee in God's presence, which should exalt and life up thy soul to God, How many heterogeneous and distracting thoughts do crowd in also, so that this worldly business, and that earthly employment cometh into thy remembrance? Insomuch that the people of God, though their memories are sanctified, and so cleansed in much measure from original filth in the dominion of it, yet do much groan under this importante and unseasonable remembering of things; for hereby our duties have not that united force and power, as they should have, neither is God so glorified in our addresses to him, as he ought to be, Psal. 86. 11. David there prayeth, That God would unite his heart to fear his Name; And the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7. doth therefore speak so warily and tenderly in the case of marriage, That they might serve the Lord without distraction; And no doubt dividing and diverting thoughts are as troublesome to the godly heart in holy duties, as the croaking frogs were to Pharaoh, when they came up into his chamber: Say then with indignation to all those intruding and violent thoughts, which make thee not hoc agere, instant in the duty thou art about, stand aloof off, and be gone; Bolt the door upon them, as Ammon on Tamar; What doth Saul among the Prophets? How cometh these uclean things into the holiest of holies? Let the fear of God be like the Porter or Watchman, to keep out all things that would then come into thy memory, Liberet me Deus (said he) ab hom • pe unius tantum negotii, when thy heart minds only one thing, when it is God only thy soul is fixed upon, and thou art not diverted otherwise, such duties are effectual and prevail much. Thus you have at large heard the many ways, wherein this noble and useful part of the soul is grossly polluted, what a Sepulcher (as it were) it is, wherein are contained nothing but loathsome and abominable things. Come we then to make some Use of it. And
Use 1. Is the memory thus defiled about holy and divine objects? It is so forgetful of what is good? Then we see it is no matter of wonder, if the most people, who sit under the continual means of grace do abide, and continue in their wicked ways, as much as if never any Prophet had been amongst them • For they go away from all Sermons, remembering no more then stones in the wall; They are the Apostles forgetful hearers, Jam. 1. and so presently let all things slip out of their minds; Thus forgetfulness (of which you hear so much) is the mother of all that disobedience and wickedness many live in. The Apostle giveth a good exhortation, Heb 2. 1. We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things Which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip out of our mind; We must give earnest heed: All your thoughts, and care, and study should be, how to keep the good truths of God in your mind, and that always, lest that everything thou hearest should fasten upon thee, even till thou comest to the grave. The Greek word also 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is emphatical; The Margin maketh it from vessels that leak; Others from wet and bloached paper, upon which we cannot write anything. Let us then look to our memories more then we have done, pray for the sanctification of them, seeing by the evil thereof the Ministry is made ineffectual. And because the memory is thus weak, we see the necessity and usefulness of a twofold custom, of writing of Sermons, and of repeating them afterwards in the Family; of writing (for whatsoever some pretend to the contrary, yet) it is a special means to make a thing be more fixed in our memory; and this was the reason why God would have the King of Israel, write the book of the Law, and that with his own hand, because hereby he would remember it more tenaciously. And as for repeating of Sermons (besides that it is part of the Sanctification of the Sabbath) it doth greatly help to make the Word ingrassed into us; So that those Families where there is no repeating of the Word preached, do plainly discover, that they regard not the retaining of it in their hearts, and so are not afraid to be found in the number of forgetful hearers.
Use 2. If the memory be thus defiled, then this also showeth the necessity of parents duty, in the constant instruction and teaching of their children in the principles of Religion; children have not understanding to serve God with, and therefore their memory, which is easily quickened in them, must be the more drawn out, that so they may serve God as they are able: It's good seasoning these vessels betimes with wholesome liquor.
CHAP. IV.
Of the Pollution of the Will of man by Original Sin.
SECT. I.
JOHN 1. 13.
T He original pollution of the Understanding, Conscience and Memory, hath been largely and fully discovered; We now proceed to the other part or power of the rational soul, which is the will; That is in the soul like the primum mobile in the Heavens, that doth carry all the inferior orbs away in its own motion, or like the fire among the elements that doth assimilate everything else to itself. This is the whole of a man; A man is not what he knoweth, or what he remembereth, but what he willeth; The understanding is but as a Connsellour; The will is as the Queen sitting upon its Throne, exercising its dominion over the other parts of the soul; The will is the proper subject and seat of all our sin, and if there could be a Summum malum, as there is a Summum bonum, this would be in the will. Seeing therefore that our will is the master power of the soul, and is to that, what the heart is to the body, the principle of all motion and action, the more we find this will, thoroughly infected with sin, the greater will our misery appear: Neither mayest thou fear that the doctrinal discovery of that poisoned fountain in thee, and the representation of thy soulness and loath somness upon thee may discourage thee, but hereby thou wilt be brought to loath thyself, and admire the riches of grace in Christ, which shall pardon and glorify such a noisome wretch as thou art by nature. Indeed Lorinus (Comment. in 17. chap. Act. ) relateth of Ptolemy King of Egypt, that he banished one Hegesius a Philosopher and eloquent Orator, because he did so pathetically and sensibly Declaim upon the miseries of man's life, that many were thereby cast into such grief, that they made away themselves; but our end in discovering of this universal leprosy of sin upon us by nature, is to bring us into an holy despair of ourselves, a renouncing of our righteousness, that so Christ may be all in all.
Come we then to make inquiry into the original pollution of our will, which is a subject of very large territories; The Disputes about it are voluminous, but I shall be as brief, as the nature of this truth will permit, and whereas concerning the will, we may consider the nature of it absolutely, in its proper works and operations, or relatively in its state, as free or enslaved. I shall treat of both, because herein original sin hath put forth itself more then in any other parts of the soul. And
First, I shall begin with the will absolutely considered, as it is the great and mighty part of the soul, and that from this Text, which because of the different thoughts of learned Interpreters, doth deserve a diligent explication. And
For the Coherence of it, you may take notice of the sad and bitter event described by the Evangelist, of Christ's coming as light into the world; Though he came to his own, and that as a Physician to the sick, as a Savior to such who were lost, yet his own received him not. Now lest it might be thought this rejection of Christ was universal, he addeth, Some did receive him, and 〈…〉 dclareth the unspeakable benefit and privilege vouchsafed to such. So that in the words we may take notice,
1. Of the Subject, who are thus honored and highly blessed by Christ, Such as received him, and what this is, is explained, viz. Such who believe on his Name. In this is comprehended all our Evangelical Duty, and that both inwardly and outwardly, only faith is expressed, because this is virtually all. This is the seed and the root, the soul and life, the salt that seasoneth the whole man.
2. We have the Privilege or Benefit, which is said to 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the right or dignity of being the sons of God, for so the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , is to be understood, and therefore Popish Disputes about the power of free-will in holy things from this place. is wholly impertinent, only the difficulty is,
Quest. How they who believe in Christ can be said to have this privilege given them of Sonship, seeing that they could not believe, unless they were first born of God, and so the sons of God?
Answ. Some therefore do understand this Sonship in respect of that future glory, which in Scripture is sometimes called Adoption, and 1 John 3. 1. Then it will properly appear that we are sons of God; But we may well enough understand it of our Adoption and Sonship even in this life, and this is said to be obtained by faith, because in our sense and feeling there must be believing, before we come to know this privilege doth belong to us; or else though faith and Sonship be together in time, yet in order of nature one precedeth the other.
Thus we have the Subject and the Privilege; But in the next place, we have the Description of the efficient cause, for it was not their own power and freewill that made them believe; Therefore the efficient cause is set down, first, Negatively, and then Positively; Negatively, by removing those false causes that men might imagine; and we have a three-fold enumeration of them, Not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man. Divers Interpreters go divers ways, though much to the same sense: Some think the Evangelist by blood doth not in the general mean natural generation, and then afterwards distribute it into two particulars, not of the will of the flesh, that is of the woman; Nor of the will of man, that is not of the man. Others (supposing the general) interpret the distribution thus; Not of the will of the flesh, that is not naturally; Nor by the will of man, that is, not by human adoption, for so some are made legal sons amongst man. Others, they think all these enumerations are but to signify one thing, and therefore the opposition to all is God; But we may not think the holy Ghost doth so industriously reckon up these several ways, but that some special thing is intended by everyone; Although, as Erasmus observeth, the emphatical Article is not in the original. By blood therefore we understand any dignity or excellency of birth, it's bloods in the plural number, either by an Enallage, and so an Hebraism, as Maldenate; Or else because of the long succession by birth: And this may well oppose the carnal opinion reigning both with Jew and Gentile, for all know how the Jew boasted in his birth, because he was the seed of Abraham, therefore he thought the favor of God necessarily annected to him; And for the Gentile, What a vanity and sinful humor is in persons to be proud of their birth, that they come of noble parents? For, although this be an outward civil dignity amongst men, yet it maketh nothing at all to their spiritual dignity, yea many times hindereth it, according to that observation, Heroum filiinoxae, Regeneration then doth not come according to such civil and political respects.
2. Not of the will of the flesh] that is, not of the natural will and choice of 〈◊〉 he hath no power or ability in him so much as to will a better condition then 〈◊〉 is in.
Lastly, Not of the will of man] that is, not by the will of man, though perfected and adorned with many acquired perfections; Not by the will of a Plato, or an Aristotle, or a Seneca; So that here is a twofold will denied from efficacy in grace, the will considered in its natural abilities, or in its acquired abilities: Thus 2 Pet. 1. 21. The prophesy in old time is said, Not to come by the will of man, but the will of God; The will of man is there supposed to be in some raised and eminent ability above what it naturally hath, and therefore opposed to the will of God in a more peculiar and extraordinary manner putting forth itself. Thus we have all false causes removed, and the true one affirmed, which is God himself.
So that this Text doth plainly triumph over all the proud opinions of Pelagians, Socinians, Arminians and Papists, who either give whole or part of the work of conversion to the will of man; For the Evangelist is very diligent to exclude the will from any efficiency herein, under any respect whatsoever. Observe,
The will of every man is naturally so polluted, that it cannot produce or cause our regeneration. It is not by the will of the flesh, or by the will of man, that we are born again.
SECT. II.
Propositions concerning the Nature of the Will.
BEfore we come to launch into this ocean of wormwood and gall (for the polluted will, polluteth all other things) Let us say something to the nature of the will, not enlarging ourselves, either as Philosophers or Divines do in this point, but select only what is fit for our purpose.
First, Therefore consider, That God hath appointed and ordered in nature, that every apprehensive power should have an appetitive power proportionable thereunto. The apprehensive being like the eye to discern and discover the object; The appetitive like the hand to embrace it: Thus the Angels, as they have an understanding to know things, so they have a will to desire them; In beasts there is a sensitive apprehension by imagination, and a sensitive appetite accordingly. Now because man in his soul is like an Angel, and in his body communicateth with beasts, therefore he hath both a twofold apprehension, intellectual and sensitive, understanding and imagination; and also a twofold appetite, a rational one, which is the will, and a sensitive one, which is the sensitive appetite in a man, wherein the passions and affections are seated; The will then is in a man his rational appetite, following the proposition and manifestation of the understanding: For if a man did know what was good, or what is evil, and no appetite to embrace the one, or avoid the other, he would be no better than a stone or a statue for all his reason. We see then why God hath placed such a power in the soul, as the will is; It is that the good which the understanding manifesteth may be embraced and entertained, and the evil it doth discover may be shunned, Whether this will be distinct really from the soul itself, and from the understanding is a Philosophical Dispute, and will not tend to your edification.
Secondly, Though it be the appetite in a man, yet it is a rational appetite, it is subjected in the rational soul. There is a three-fold appetite,
1. Natural, which is in the motion of inanimate things, as in the stone to descend downwards, this is called an appetite, though properly it is not so, because it doth not follow knowledge, but is consequent upon the form immediately.
2. There is the sensitive appetite, which moveth upon the knowledge of sense, and this is both in beasts, and also in men, yea naturally we live and desire, even all the motions of the soul are according to sense, and so in this respect man is become like the brute beast: But of this afterwards.
3. There is the rational appetite, and that is called the will, and this is in man only; a beast hath not properly any will, no more then he hath understanding, so that the will of a man is a noble and high faculty in him, appointed to follow reason, and to be regulated by it in all things; and therefore Austin saith, Voluntas tantum est in bonis; The will is only in good things; If a man love evil or desire evil, this is not voluntas (saith he) but cupiditas; It doth not deserve the name of the will, but of lust, but common speech is otherwise, there is a bad will, a corrupted will as well as a good will, only when we say, the will is a rational appetite, that must not be understood formaliter, but participative, as they say, that is, the will doth not know, doth not reason, but is directed thereby, therefore it is called coeca potentia, a blind power, and if you say, it is blind, How then can it see the good proposed? I answer, it followeth the good proposed, not because it knoweth it, but because of its essential subordination to the understanding; Hence it is that to have a good will, it is so requisite to have a sound mind. Ignorant and blind minds are always accompanied with corrupt and polluted wills; There cannot be a sanctified will, where there is not an enlightened mind; This should make the ignorant and stupid to tremble in their estate they live in: This should make you prize knowledge above gold and pearls, as also to wait upon the Ministry with diligence, seeing that by knowledge the will cometh to be made holy.
Fourthly, we are the more to inform ourselves about its depravation, by how much the more noble and excellent it is. It is hotly disputed between the two factions of Thomists and Scotists, which is the more excellent faculty, the understanding or the will; The Thomists are for the understanding; the Scotists for the will, but these two cannot absolutely and in every respect be commended before each other, only in respect of power and efficacy, the will is more eminent, for the understanding itself in respect of its exercise is subject to the dominion of the will, and the will also is properly the original and fountain of all good or evil in a man; for though the understanding hath actual sinfulness, and the affections, yet this is because of the will either directly or indirectly; so that to an actual deliberate sin there is required some kind of voluntariness, either expressly or interpretatively, either in se, or in causâ; Original sin (you heard) was voluntary in some sense, although we need not judge of that by Aristotle 's rules, who was ignorant of any such thing. Therefore Julian the Pelagian triumphed in his Aristotelical Philosophy against original sin, despising his Ecclesiastical Judges, as not knowing Aristotle 's Categories; as if (saith Austin ) he desired a Synod of Peripatetics rather than Judges in the Church; but though original sin, with the indeliberate motions thereof, have not the actual personal will of a man, yet all other sins have, so that the pollution of the will, is in effect the pollution of the whole man. Hence
In the fifth place, There is this difference between the understanding and the will in relation to its objects, The understanding doth receive the species of the object, to itself, not the objects themselves; and therefore when we know or understand evil as an object, this doth not defile the understanding, but is a perfection of it. Thus Godknoweth all the evil committed in the world, yet his knowledge is not polluted thereby, Scire malum, non est malum, but the will that goeth out to the objects as they are in themselves, and thereby loving of them, is what the object is. Thus if we will sin it is sin, and not if we know sin, because the will goeth out to a sinful object as it is in itself, so that above all keepings we are to keep the will, for what that is placed upon, it presently becomes like it; If thou lovest the world, or earth, thou art earth, thou art of the world: Hence all the while sin is kept out from the will, though it be in thy mind, though it be by suggestion to thee, yet because there is no consent, it is not thy sin but thy misery. I speak not of the motus principatus, which are antecedent to our will, but of suggestions only offered from without, but when the will yieldeth, when that consencs, it becometh thy evil immediately, as poison while it is in the remote parts of the body may not kill, but when it striketh to the heart, then it is mortal. Thus sin in temptation, sin in suggestion doth not destroy till the will receive it, so great a matter is it to look to this power of the soul. For
In the sixth place, Because of this rule and dominion the will hath therefore it is called the universal appetite of the whole man. We see all the other powers of the soul have their peculiar and proper inclination, The eye to see, the ear to hear, the understand to know, but the will is to will the good for the whole person, therefore it is not limited to one good object, more then another, but bonum in communi, the good in general is the object of it, so that the will is the universal appetite and inclination of the whole man; now if this great wheel that moveth all, be irregular and out of order, what good can be expected in the less wheels, if the foundation be destroyed, how can the building be established: Let then your attention, your thoughts and affections be greatly quickened, while we anatomize all the evil of the will. This is the most grievous and most dreadful instance of all the pollution original sin infecteth us with.
In the 7 th place, When we speak of the pollution of the will, The wera [will] may be take ambigously; for sometimes thereby is denoted, the power to will, someomes again the very act of willing, and sometimes the object that we do will, is often called our will: Thus when the Scripture speaketh of God's will, it doth sometimes mean the object willed, and this is often called God's will, sometimes the act of willing, thus ( if God will ) and sometimes that power whereby he doth will, not that there is, Potenis volendi properly in God, for all power is, Perfectibilis per actum, whereas everything in God, is actum purus, only we speak so of God, according to our capacity. Some indeed have questioned, Whether we may porperly attribute the word [will] to God; or metaphorically only? but seeing that simply to will, is, Perfectio simpliciter simplex, and absolute and most simple perfection, therefore it is not to be denied to God; for as the Psalmist saith He that maketh man know, shall not be know? Thus he that maketh man will, shall not he will? only will is not in God, as it is in man, for man's will is carried out to a good desired, or not enjoyed. In our will there is, convenientia and indigentia; First, A convenience, or sutebleness between the faculty and the object, and therefore we will it: And then there is an indigency or want of it; Now God's will being the same with his Essence, is absolutely perfect and sufficient, but the created will in man is otherwise, and this will since man's fall, whether taken for the power to will, or the act of willing, or the object will • d, is altogether a corrupt and a diseased will, there is nothing found or good in it; Although our purpose is to speak of the will as a power in the soul, yet prone to put itself immediately into actings.
In the eighth place, The will having this great dominion over the whole soul, and being the universal appetite of a man, therefore it is that in it is seated obedience or disobedience to God. Obedience or disobedience to God is not properly, at least not primarily, or radically, in any part but in the will. It is true, all the other parts of the soul in regeneration are made holy and sanctified, and thereby in their way conformable to the will of God, yet obedience and disobedience are primarily acts of the will; so that as the will is qualified, so is a man said to be obedient to God: A good will is the good tree, that maketh the fruit good, and a bad will is the bad tree that maketh the fruit bad. As then all the evil or good of a tree cometh from the root, so doth all the evil or good of a man come from his will; For till this be sanctified, till this be renewed, nothing can be good in a man; Therefore if you examine, what is the cause of all the impiety, and all the wickedness that most commit, it is because their wills are corrupt, their wills are rebellious; Their minds, their consciences many times, tell them they ought to do otherwise, only their wills are slubborn and contumacious, Joh. 5. 40. Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life: So in the Parable, Mat. 21. 29. when the son was commanded to go, and work in the vineyard, he saith, I will not, It is then the will of man, that is the desperate and implacable enemy to all the things of God, men may delude themselves with reasons and fair glosses, but it is their will, and only their unsanctified will, that maketh them continue in such opposition to God; now the will is therefore the root of all obedience, of disobedience in a man, because that is like the Centurion in a man's soul, whatsoever it biddeth this, or that power of the soul do, it doth; what it bids the mind think, it thinketh; what it bids love to love, it loveth; what it bids the hand move to, it moveth to; for there are two acts of the will wherein it demonstrateth its dominion, The Elicite acts, and the Imperate; Elicite are those which the will doth immediately produce, as election, intention, consent, &c. and herein it hath full power, yet so, as that it's in subordination to God; The Imperate acts, are those which are produced by other parts of a man, yet from the command of the will, so when we move our hands or our feet, these are imperate acts of the will; Thus when we turn our mind from one object, and place it upon another, this is an imperate act of the will: The affections also they are in some measure under the command of the will, but not so absolutely as the body and the motions thereof are. By which you see that all things in a man are reduced to his will, and therefore the more active and universal this is, the greater is the defilement thereof.
In the ninth place, The will in regard of its constitution at first, hath for its object that which is good; And in the state of integrity it was always a true real good, but in this state of revolt from God, the will cannot indeed be carried out to anything but what is good, only it's but an apparent good, a disguised good, it is a true and real evil. As the object of the understanding is truth, and it cannot give its assent to that which doth appear to be false, so the object of the will is good; neither can the will have any motion or tendency to any object, which hath not the color (at least) of some good. As the Devil appeared in Samuel's clothes, and so was believed to be Samuel; Thus doth all the evil in the world, which doth at any time seduce and draw the will aside, it hath the mantle and covering of good; It being impossible that the will should desire evil▪ as it is evil. It is true, some deny, that bonnus is the object, adiquate, and general of the will; but they say, good is the object of the will, as it is prosequntiva, prosecuting and desiring; but malu •• is the object of the will, as it is persequntiva and aversiva, as it doth repel and dislike, so evil is the object of the will; For displicency and hatred are acts of the will, and the objects of these is evil. But we speak of the will now, as it is a rational desiring appetite, satisfying itself with love of some object, and if this be not good, either real or apparent, the will can no more tend to it, then the eye to music, or the car to colors; only by original sin, herein ariseth our unspeakable miserey, that the good which the will doth now embrace, is only a counterfeit specious guilded good, no true real good; They are but seeming goods, and real evils; Like the Glow-worm that shineth in the night, and is nothing but an earthly worm; Like a rotten Post or Tree, that in the night seemeth to be glorious, but in the day we know what it is: Thus if we could take off the visor, the painting from those objects, we place our wills upon, we shall see nothing but damnable guilt, and real abominable evils, which will at last damn our souls, Per falsa mala itur ad vera bona, per falsa bona itur ad vera mala; by that which is speciously good, we come indeed to that which is truly evil; and by that which is apparently evil, we come to what is substantially good.
Lastly, In the will (according to those that are exercised in School-Divinity) We are to conceive in it suitable and proportionable affections, to those we call passions in the sensitive part. Thus in the will (as it is a rational appetite) there are love, joy, desire, fear and hatred. This is plain, because in Angels there are such affections; so also in the soul separated, there is love and joy, earnest desire for the coming of Christ, and its reunion to the body; by which it appeareth evidently, that besides those passions in a man, which work by a corporal transmutation, there are these spiritual and immaterial affections, or rather actions, and operations of the will; So that the will loveth, the will rejoiceth, the will desireth, &c. This is the more to be attended unto, because hereby this pollution of original sin, will appear the more extensive and diffusive; The love of the will, the desire of the will, the joy of the will are become abominable.
SECT. III.
. 1.
The Corruption of the Will in all its several Operations.
THese Doctrinal introductions thus substracted, Let us proceed to open this noisome Sepulcher, this dead and defiled will, which hath been spiritually dead, not as Lazarus four days, but ever since Adam 's fall, and therefore must needs be stinking and unsavory to a spiritual discerning. And let us
First, Take notice of its defilement in all its several operations, which the will aboundeth with; And we find them out of the Schoolmen thus marshalled; The will (say they) may be carried out to good simply, and absolutely as good, and then it is only a bare volition, which is either inefficacious and conditional, called velleity or efficacious and absolute, then it is volition in the general; or else it may be carried out to good relatively, as it is finis, an end, and then either this end is enjoyed and possessed, which maketh the act of the will, called fruition, or else it is desired and purposed to be obtained, which maketh another act of the will called intention.
In the next place, The will may be considered, as it operates about the means to its intended end. And
1. There is a yielding unto and embracing of such a mean propounded to that end; and this act in the will is called consent, for the understanding that doth properly assent, and the will consent. This act of the will to consent unto a thing is of great importance in Casnistical Divinity, for there may be suggestions and fiery injections of diabolical temptations, but if the will doth not consent, as you see Christ's holy will did not in his combat with the Devil, they do not become our sins. Of this consent more in its time.
2. If there be several means conducible to such an end, then cometh another act of the will, called Election, or a choosing of one thing rather than another, that which consulation is in the understanding, Election is in the will.
Lastly, When the Will hath thus intended the end, and chosen efficaciously its means, then is there the last act of the will, which is called usus the use or the application of all the other powers of the soul, to bring this end about. It useth the understanding, it useth the affections, it useth the whole body to accomplish it.
Thus you see what are the several operations of the will; It is now necessary to take all these singly by themselves, to show how grossly the will is disordered, and by that you will be convinced, that the corruption of the will, is indeed the corruption of the whole man, which made Austin frequently define sin by a mala volunt as, and that which is good by a bona volunt as, because of the dominion the will hath in the whole man.
. 2.
The Corruption of the Will in its general Act, which is called Volition.
FIrst therefore, Let us begin with the general act, which is called Volition, the bare willing of a thing, which you heard, was either conditional and imperfect, or efficacious; for the former kind, How much corruption is there in the will, and that both about sin, and also about good? About sin, What secret wishes and wouldings are there in a man naturally, that sin were not sin, Vtina • n hoc non esset peccare, said he, that thy pleasures were not sins, that thy unlawful profits were not sins, there is this secret corruption in the will, whereby it would have the nature of things changed, vice to be virtue, and virtue to be vice. Some indeed dispute, Whether there be any such actings of the will as may be called velleities, and not volitions? But experience teacheth there are, so the Apostle, Rom 9. 3. I could wish myself accursed, there is an incomplete act of the will; When the Psalmist saith, The fool hath said in his heart there is no God, Psa. 14. 4. that is in his wish, in his incomplete will; for absolutely a man cannot will that which is impossible; If then we do but observe the motions of the will in this respect, we shall find the number of these sins, to be like the sand upon the sea shore: Oh the many secret ungodly wishes that do by swarms rise up in thy will, which though thou takest no notice of, yet God doth and will accordingly judge thee!
As thus the will is sinful in one way by its incompeat acts, so also when it cometh to what is good, when it should in a powerful, lively and efficacious manner be carried out to it, it is very remiss and languid; insomuch that they are but velleities, they are the sluggards wishes, that desireth and yet starveth himself, because he never putteth out his hands to work; Is not this half and faint willing of the things that are good, the root and cause of most men's destruction? Preach to them, press them about repentance, about conversion to God, and they promise you they will do it, and God give us his grace to do it, and no more is done; whereas thou shouldst will what is good with all thy might and strength, above gold and silver, above life itself: These wishers and woulders in Religion never make true converts. But of this more in its time.
. 3.
The Corruption of the Will in its Absolute and Efficacious Willing of a thing.
COme we then to the next act of the Will, which is an absolute and efficacious willing of a thing, and here no tongue of men and Angels can express the depravation of it; For if we do consider the true proper and adequate object of the will, it is God only; He is the supreme and universal good, having in him after an eminent manner all good whatsoever; So that no object can fill the capacity of the will but God only. The good things of the creature can no more fill up the will, then the air can the stomach of an hungry man; but if we consider how it standeth with our will, as it is now corrupted, of all objects it is most averse to God; Hence the Scripture describeth every wicked man by this, That he hateth God, not under the notion as he is good, but as he is holy, as he is a just Judge, who will punish every wicked transgressor; Know then, and bewail this unspeakable defilement upon thy will, that it is most averse to its proper object, no stone doth more naturally descend to the center, then thy will should tend to God, Amor men's pondus meum, illuc feror, quocunque feror, A man's love is his weight; now if thy love be spiritual, that weigheth thee to God, but if thy will be carnal, that presseth thee to carnal objects.
2. Thy will is corrupted in respect of its object, because all the creatures are to be willed by thee, no otherwise then they tend to God, or lead thee to him, whereas naturally we will the creatures, for the creatures sake, and so make it instead of a God to us: As the Sun being the primum visible, all things are to be seen by the light thereof; so God being the primum amabile, the first and chiefest thing to be beloved, all things are to be loved with a participation from it: But who may not groan under our corruption herein? Every creature we desire, we are apt to terminate ourselves upon that, and to go no further; Do we will health, parts and the comforts of this life, in reference to the glory of God? So that herein we may see the depth of our corruption: It was not thus with Adam in his integrity; There is not a creature, that thy will is pitched upon, but thy soul commits fornication with it; Leave not the meditation of this point, till thy heart in an holy manner break within thee.
. 4.
The Corruption of the Will in its Act of Fruition.
THe next Act is that which is called Fruition; An operation (you heard) of the will, when it doth possess a thing, as its ultimate end, end resting in it, as a center, and desiring no further; For as the stone cannot of itself hang in the air, but must descend to the earth, and there it resteth: So the will of man moveth up and down in a restless manner, like Noah 's Dove, till it find out an object wherein it doth acquiesce with fullness of content. Now there is no object that we may thus frui, enjoy ultimately, and for itself's sake, but God only. That distinction of frui and uti, to enjoy and use only, which Austin first excogitated, the Schoolmen are large upon; To enjoy a thing, is to have it for its self sake, referring it to no further end, for the Rule is, Appetitus finis, is infinitus, The soul never hath enough of that which it ultimately desireth, but yet desireth nothing else but that. As in Philosophy it is said, Materia semper appetit formam, the Matter doth constantly desire new forms in sublunary things; Hence is that frequent alteration, transmutation and generation, but in the heavenly bodies, the matter (they say) is satiated, desireth no other, because of the great activity and perfection of that form; Thus it is in moral things, the heart of a man, while carried out to any earthly thing, cannot meet with its complement and fullness of blessedness, and therefore like the Horsleech still crieth, Give, give, Sen caret optatis, seu fruitur miser est. It is a Sheol that is always craving, only when terminated upon God, because he is bonum quo nihil melius, there cannot be any good desirable, which is not transcendently in him; therefore the sanctified will doth enjoy him only: Thus David, Whom have I in heaven but thee, and none in earth in comparison of thee; In Heaven David had none but God, not Angels nor Arch-angels, Heaven would not be Heaven, if God were not enjoyed. Indeed Divines do commonly call the enjoyment of God in Heaven fruition, and that is immediate, complete and perfect fruition, but yet even in this life, believers partake of God, have communion with him, and do enjoy him. It is indeed by saith, not yet by vision, but the object of faith is as real and operative in the soul, though not to such a full degree, as the object seen Thus you see, that according to the true order and constitution of things, God only is to be enjoyed, he only is to be loved, and desired for his own sake, and all things else in reference to him. But on the breadth, the depth and length of our natural defilement therein! What spiritual Geometry can measure the dimensions hereof? For doth not every natural man enjoy something or other, which is as a God to him? Why is Covetousness called Idolatry? Why are some said to have their belly a God? Is not all this, because they love these things, and enjoy these things for their own self's sake? Whereas we ought only to use them, as instruments of God's glory, and advantages of grace, not to abide or dwell in them; They are to be taken as Physic, which is not received for its self's sake, but because of health; So that were it not for health, a man would never use it: Thus it ought to be with us, in all the comforts we have in this world, to use them no further then they are subservient to our spiritual condition; we are ex officio discendere, not cupiditate ruere, such a crucified and circumcised heart the Apostle exhorteth to, 1 Cor. 7. The time is short, those that marry must be as if they married not, those that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not If a man desire a garment, he would not have all the clothe in the Country, but as much as serveth for his garment; So neither are we to desire wealth, riches, honors, any comfort without end, but as much as will conduce for Heaven. The travailer will not burden himself, no not with gold and silver, who hath a long journey to go; Oh then call off thy will again and again? Say, Why art thou fastened here? Why stayest thou here? Look further, look higher, This is not God; As the Angel did on a sudden so ravish John, that he was ready to worship him, but the Angel forbad him, saying, I am thy fellow-servant, worship thou God; So these creatures had they a voice would speak, when thou art at any time ravished with the excellency of them, do not love us, love God; do not delight in us, delight thou in God, we are but thy fellow-creatures, yea not so much, but inferior and more ignoble then man. Jansen (Lib. 2. de statu naturae lapsae. ) following his Austin, will not allow us any love to any thing but God; we may use it (say they) but not love it; yea he rejects that assertion, we may love the creatures, but moderately; this is (saith he) as if we should say, there is a moderate covetousness, a moderate pride; and we must grant, that the Scripture doth many times speak of the love of the creature, as absolutely and intrinsically a sin. Thus, Love not the world, nor the things of the world, 1 Joh. 2. 15. He doth not say, Use not the world, but love not the world; and thus, The love of money is the root of all evil, not the having of it or using of it. But this seemeth to be too rigid and stoical; and it is indeed a mere Question De nomine; for, take love in the sense they do, for the willing of a thing, for its own self's sake, thus it is intrinsically a sin to love any creature, it is spiritual Idolatry, and a breach of the first command, but then the Scripture doth allow us to love the creatures, so we do not love them more then God. Thus Husbands are commanded to love their wives, and we are to love our Neighbors as ourselves; So that to love the creatures is our duty, we should sin, if we did not, only the excess and inordinacy is sinful, and this we are guilty of, when we enjoy anything but God, Now though none will acknowledge themselves guilty of this sin, yet every natural man doth enjoy some creature or other, his will is fastened upon something that is not God: It is true, this sin is very secret and subtle, the godly themselves have much ado to find it out in their own hearts; the will of a man is such an unsearchable Abisse of all evil, but do not thou crawl on the ground like a worm any longer, Set thy affections on things above. It is indeed a Question worthy much enquiring into, How a man shall know whether he doth enjoy a creature or use it only, when it is a Sarah, when an Hagar only? And here the godly themselves are often in great uncertainties; The root of things lieth hid under ground; The first Letter commonly which beginneth a Book hath so many gaudy flourishes about it, that it is hard to know what it is: Thus also it is in our hearts and conversations; what is the Summum bonum, the great wheel that moveth all, the ultimate rest of our soul, it is very difficult to find out; but it is not my work now to dive into this, it is enough that we know, The will of every man is naturally so polluted, that it enjoyeth a creature instead of God, it cannot will, love, and embrace him as the chiefest good. Proceed we then to the next act of the will about the end, and that not as possessed and enjoined, but 〈◊〉 be obtained and acquired, and that by some means, which we call Intention,