and against the light of a man's own conscience, will greatly hinder his high esteem and reputation of Jesus Christ, and so it ivill keep him from comfort, assurance, and sight of his interest in him, so that some- times his dearest children are constrained to ciy out, ' God is departed from me, and he answereth me not, neither by dream nor vision, nei- ther this way nor that,' 1 Sam. xxviii. 15. But,
[6.] Sixthly, The greatest and most common cause of the want of assurance, comfort, and peace, is some unmortified lust, some secret^ special, peculiar sin, unto which men give entertainment, or at least, which they do not so vigorously oppose, and heartily renounce as they should and might. Hinc illce lachrymce, and this is that which casts them on sore straits and difficulties. And how should it be other- wise, seeing God, who is infinitely wise, holy, and righteous, either cannot or will not reveal the secrets of his love to those who harbour his known enemies in their bosoms ? The great God either cannot or will not regard the whinings and complainings of those who play or dally with that very sin which galls their consciences, and connive and wink at the stirrings and workings of that very lust for which he hides his face from them, and writes ' bitter things against them.' Mark, all fears and doubts and scruples are begotten upon sin, either real or imaginary. Now, if the sin be but imaginary, an enlightened recti- fied judgment may easily and quickly scatter such fears, doubts, and scruples, as the sun doth mists and clouds, when it shines in its bright- ness ; but if the sin be real, then there is no possibility of curing those fears, doubts, and scruples arising from thence, but by an unfeigned repentance and returning from that sin. Now, if I should produce all the scriptures and instances that stand ready pressed to prove this, I must transcribe a good part of the Bible ; but this would be labour in vain, seeing it seemeth to have been a notion engraven even on natural conscience, viz., that sin so defiles persons, that till they be washed from it, neither they nor their services can be accepted ; from whence arose that custom of setting water-pots at their entrance into their temples or places of worship. Let him that wants assurance, comfort, peace, and a sight of his interest in Christ, cast out every known sin, and set upon a universal course of reformation ; for God will not give his cordials to those that have a foul stomach. Those that, against light and checks of conscience, dally and tamper with this sin or that, those God will have no commerce, no communion with ; on such God will not lift up the light of his countenance : Kev. ii. 17, 'To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and in that stone, a new name written.' These are all metaphorical expressions, which, being put to- gether, do amount to as much as assurance ; but mark, these are pro- mised, T&j vLKwvTL, ' to him that overcometh,' to him that rides on conquering and to conquer. Oh that Christians would seriously re- member this ! The dearer it cost any one to part with his sins, the more sweet and comfortable will it be to call to mind the victory that through the Spirit of grace he has got over his sins. There is no comfort, joy, or peace to that which arises from the conquests of sin, especially of special sins. When Goliath was slain, what joy and triumph was there in the camp ! So here.
36 SERIOUS AND WEIGHTY QUESTIONS
[7.] Seventhly, Cherishing of any special or peculiar sin, or the keeping up of any known transgression, either in heart or life, against the Lord, and against the light of a man's own conscience, will hinder the soul from that warm^ lively, fervent, frequent, seasonable, sincere, and constant way of duty, as contributes most to the increase of grace, peace, comfort, and assurance, &c.
[8.] Eighthly, Seriously consider of the several assertions and con- current judgments of our best and most famous divines in the present case. I shall give you a taste of some of their sayings, i
First, ' A man,' saith one, ' can have no peace in his conscience that favoureth and retaineth any one sin in himself against his conscience.'
Secondly, Another saith, ' A man is in a damnable state, whatso- ever good deeds seem to be in him, if he yield not to the work of the Holy Ghost for the leaving but of any one known sin which fighteth against peace of conscience.' But,
Thirdly, ' So long,' saith another, ' as the power of mortification destroyeth thy sinful affections, and so long as thou art unfeignedly displeased with all sin, and dost mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, thy case is the case of salvation.' But,
Fourthly, Another saith, ' A good conscience stands not with a pur- pose of sinning, no, not with irresolution against sin.' This must be understood of habitual purposes, and of a constant irresolution against sin.
Fifthly, ' The rich and precious box of a good conscience,' saith another, ' is polluted and made impure, if but one dead fly be suffered in it. One sin being quietly permitted, and suffered to live in the soul without being disturbed, resisted, resolved against, or lamented over, will certainly mar the peace of a good conscience.'
Sixthly, ' Where there is but any one sin,' saith another, ' nourished and fostered, all other our graces are not only blemished, but abolished; they are no graces. 2
Seventhly, Most true is that saying of Aquinas, ' That all sins are coupled together, though not in regard of conversion to temporal good, for some look to the good of gain, some of glory, some of pleasure, yet in regard of aversion from eternal good, that is God ; so that he that looks but towards one sin is as much averted and turned back from God as if he looked to all ; in which respect St James says, " He that offendeth in one is guilty of all,'" James ii. 10. Now, that ye may not mistake Aquinas, nor the scripture he cites, you must remember that the whole law is but one copulative, Exod. xvi. 18 ; Ezek. xviii. 10-13. Mark, he that breaketh one command habitually, breaketh all ;^ not so actually. Such as are truly godly in respect of the habitual desires, purposes, bents, biases, inclinations, resolutions, and endea- vours of their souls, do keep those very commands that actually they daily break. But a dispensatory conscience keeps not any one com- mandment of God. He that wilUngly and wilfully and habitually gives himself liberty to break any one commandment, is guilty of all ; that is, 1. Either he breaks the chain of duties, and so breaks all the
, t ^^^* °^ ^^^^ quotations, with many more of like sort, will be found in Spencer's fine folic of Things New and Old,' (1658.) Cf. under ' conscience' and ' sin.'— G. " Dyke, ' Of the deceitfulness of the heart,' c. 16
CLEARLY AND SATISFACTORILY ANSWERED. 37