[2.] A conscience implies a law, by which good and evil are distin- guished ; for if we make conscience of anything, it must be by virtue of some law or obligation from God, who is our maker and governor, and unto whom we are accountable, and whose authority giveth a force and warrant to the warnings and checks of conscience, without which they would be weak and ineffectual, and all the hopes and fears they stir up in us would be vain flmcies and fond surmises. I need not insist upon this, a conscience implies a law. The heathens had a law, because they had a conscience : Eom. ii. 15, ' Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing, or else excusing one another.' They have a conscience doth accuse or excuse, doth require according to the tenor of the law. So when the apostle speaks of those stings of conscience that are revived in us by the approach of death, he saith, 1 Cor. xv. 56, ' The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.' Those stings which men feel in a death- threatening sickness, are not the fruits of their disease, but, justified by the highest reason ; they come from a sense of sin, and this sense is strengthened and increased in us by the law of God, from whence con- science receives all its force.
[3.] A law implies a sanction, or a confirmation by penalties and rewards ; for otherwise it is but an arbitrary rule or direction, which we might slight or disregard without any great loss or danger. Xo ; the law is armed Avith a dreadful curse against all those that disobey
180 THE FIRST SERMOif. [Ps. XXXII 1, 2.
it. There is no dallying with God, he hath set life and death before us ; life and good, death and evil, Dent. xxx. 15. Now the precept, that is the rule of our duty, and the sanction is the rule of God's pro- cess, what God will do, or might do, and what we have deserved should be done to us. The one shows what is due from us to God, and the other what may justly be expected at God's hands; therefore, before the penalty be executed, it concerns us to get a pardon. The scripture represents God as ' angry with the wicked every day,' standing con- tinually with his bow ready, with his arrow upon the string, as ready to let fly, with his sword not only drawn but whetted, as if he were just about to strike, if we turn not, Ps. vii. 11-13.
[4.] A sanction implies a judge, who will take cognisance of the keeping or breaking of this law ; for otherwise the sanction or penalty were but a vain scarecrow, if there were no person to look after it. God, that is our maker and governor, is our judge. Would he appoint penalties for the breach of his law, and never reckon with us for our offences, is a thought so unreasonable, so much against the sense of conscience, against God's daily providence, against scripture, which everywhere (in order to this, to quicken us to seek forgiveness of sins) represents God as a judge. Conscience is afraid of an invisible judge, who will call us to account for what we have done. The apostle tells us, Pvom. i. 32, the heathen ' knew the judgment of God, and that they that iiave done such things as they have done are worthy of death.' And providence shows us there is such a judge that looks after the keep- ing and breaking of his law, hath owned every part of it from heaven by the judgments he executes : Rom. i. 18, ' The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men ;' hath owned either table, by punishing sometimes the ungodliness, and some- times the unrighteousness of the world ; nay, every notable breach by \vay of omission or commission. The apostle saith, ' every transgres- sion,' and 'every disobedience.' These two words signify sins of omission or commission : it hath been punished, and God hath owned his law, that it is a firm authentic rule. And the scri])ture also usually makes use of this notion or argument of a judge to quicken us to look after the pardon of our sins : Acts x. 42, 43, ' And he hath commanded us to preach and testify to the people, that it is he that was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and dead. To him give all the pro- phets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.' So Acts iii. 19-21. Surely we that are to appear before the bar of an impartial judge, being so obnoxious to him for the breach of his holy law, what have we to do but to make sup- plication to our judge, and prevent execution by a submissive asking of a pardon, and accepting the grace God hath provided ?
[5.] A judge implies a judgment-day, or some time when his justice must have a solemn trial, when he will reckon with the lapsed world. He reckons sometimes with nations now, for ungodliness and unright- eousness, by wars, and pestilence, and famine. He reckons with par- ticular persons at their death, and when their work is done he pays them their wages : Heb. ix. 27, ' It is appointed lor all men once to die, and after that the judgment.' ]3ut there is a more general and final judgment, when his justice must have a solemn trial, which is in