(3.) The utmost end must be the glory of God and the honour of the gospel : Mat. v. 16, ' Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven ;* 1 Peter ii. 12, ' That they may by your good works which they shall
Vers. 11, 12.] sermons upon 2 Corinthians v. 109
behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.' They do not glorify you, but God, that entertain a good opinion of the christian religion.
(4.) That though this threefold approbation must be looked after, yet every branch of it in its proper place. The order is, that we should first look to God, and then our own consciences, and afterwards a testimony in the consciences of others ; for thus downward, the one succeeding the other, then a man hath the full comfort of his sincerity, but if upward, and singly, or apart, it will not hold ; as if a man had the approbation of others, but not of his own conscience ; or if of his own conscience, but not of God ; if of others, a man cannot rejoice in the testimony of another man's conscience, because another man saith I am a good man ; for another man knoweth not the springs and motives of my actions. Or if I had the bare testimony of mine own conscience, that would not be sufficient for my comfort : 1 Cor. iv. 4, * For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified ; ' there is a higher judge, for I am blind, partial, and unadvised ; till the Spirit concurreth with the witness of conscience, I cannot have a firm find solid peace : Kom. ix. 1, ' I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost ;' and Kom. viii, 16, ' The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.' There are two witnesses, God's Spirit and our conscience. But now descendendo, it holdeth good, and many times one inferreth all the rest. If I have the approbation of God, his Spirit beareth witness with my conscience, and he hath also the hearts and tongues of men in his own hand, or if that be not, the approbation of God is absolutely necessary for my salvation ; the testimony of conscience is very comfortable, and the third conduceth much to our safety, and service in the world. My salvation dependeth upon the approbation of God ; my inward comfort upon the witness of his Spirit in my conscience ; my outward peace and service upon a testimony in the consciences of others. I observe this to a double end.
(Ist.) To direct us in point of duty. A good man should look more to God than to conscience ; and to conscience more than to fame and report ; to a good name in the last place. First he looketh to God, who is above conscience, and who is an infallible judge ; and then he looketh to conscience, which is God's deputy ; and then to good report among men. Invert this order, and great inconvenience will follow. Look to men above God, and it maketh a breach upon sincerity, John V. 44, and John xii. 42. Therefore it is not man, or glory and praise from him, but God alone, that the sincere heart is fixed upon ; as those that run in a race (as the Scripture often compareth our christian course) did not regard the acclamations of the spectators, but the opinion of the qucestor palesircc, or the judge of the sports, who was to determine on whose side the victory was. So again, if the last be set before the second, it will be almost as bad. A christian cannot be safe, if he doth not value and prize the witness of a good conscience before the opinion of men, for then by humouring men a man dis- pleaseth conscience, which is his best friend of all things, and above all persons ; next to God, a man should reverence his own conscience most. So again, if the second be set in the first place, if the judgment
110 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XX.
of conscience be preferred before that of God, what will be the issue but the liardeninfij of the wicked, whose blind conscience is set in the place of God ? Prov. xvi. 2, ' All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes : but the Lord weigheth the spirit.'
(2c%.) To fortify our patience. A man must be approved of God, though his own heart speaketh bitter things to him ; the sentence of God is to be sought in his word. If he mindeth his duty, seeketh after grace more than peace, is resolved to approve himself to God, though he cannot yet assure his heart before him, let the general comforts of Christianity encourage him to wait. Duty thoroughly followed will bring peace in time. We must absolutely endeavour to seek the first. Again, if we have first and second, we must be thankful, though we want the third ; and well satisfied, if approved of God, though dis- esteeraed of the world. We must submit to God's providence, and bear our burden of reproach, if we cannot overcome prejudices, however we must do nothing to feed it, nothing to procure it.