Again, the joy of the base-minded man, is in his pleasure, but he dares not avow this. He dares not say, my rejoicing is this ; for then every man would scorn him as a beast. The rich man, he joys in his riches, but he dares not be known of this, for he would then be accounted a base earthly- minded man. Eveiy man would scorn him. He studies to have all the pleasure, and all the comfort that these things will afford, and yet to cover them. Because he thinks, that there is a higher matter that he should joy in, if he were not an atheist.
A Christian is not ashamed of his joy, and rejoicing. ' I rejoice in this,' saith he. For,
1, It is well bred. It is bred from the Spirit of God witnessing that his name is written in the book of life, witnessing that his sins ai'e forgiven, witnessing that he lives as a Christian should do, witnessing that he hath the evidences of his justification, that he hath a holy hfe, the pledge hkewise of futm-e glory. His joy is well bred.
2. Likewise it is permanent. Other men's joy and rejoicing is but as a flash of thorns, as the wise man calls it, as it were, a flame in thorns ; as the crackling of thorns, which is sooner gone. And it is an unseemly glorying and rejoicing, for a man to glory in that which is worse than him- self, and in that which is out of himself. As all other things are out of a man's self, and worse, and meaner than a man's self; therefore a man cannot rejoice in them, and be wise. It is a disparagement to the wisdom of a man, to glory in things that are meaner than himself, and that are out of himself. A holy Christian hath that in himself, and that which is more excellent than himself, to glory in. ' This is our rejoicing, the testimony of our conscience.'
All other rejoicing it is vain gloiy, and vain rejoicing. Therefore in Jer. ix. 23, saith he, ' Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the strong man glory in his strength, let not the rich man glory in his riches ; ' but if a man will glory, ' let him glory that he knows the Lord to be his,' and that he knows himself to be the Lord's. When he knows the Lord to be his, and himself to be God's by faith, and a good conscience, then there is matter of glorying.
Of all kind of men, God doth hate proud boasters most of all ; for glory is the fi-oth of pride, and God hates pride. He opposeth pride, and sets himself in battle array against it, and who can thrive that hath God for his enemy ? Boasting and pride in any earthly thing it is against all the com-
208 COMMENTARY ON
mandmcnts almost. It is idolatry, it makes that we boast, and glory in, an idol ; whorcus \vc should f,'lory in God that gives it.
And it is spiritual adultery, when wo cleave in our affections to some outward thing more than to God. It is false witness. Pride is a false glass. It makes the things and the men themselves that enjoy them to seem greater than they are. The devil am])li(ies earthly things to a carnal man in a false glass, that they seem big to him ; whereas if he could see them in their true colours, they are false things, they are snares and hin- drances in the way to heaven, and such names they have. The Scripture gives an ill report of them, ' They are vanity and vexaticjn of spirit,' Eccles. i. 14 ; because we should be discouraged from setting our affections on these things, and from glorying in them.
Therefore let us take heed of false glorying. If we will glory, we see here what we are to glory in. ' This is our rejoicing, the testimony of our conscience,' &c. And this we may justify and stand by that. It is good. It is the ' testimony of conscience.'
' This is our rejoicing, the testimony of our conscience.'
The testimony of conscience, it is a matter and ground of joy to a true Christian. Here we are to consider these things.
First, to consider a little the nature of co)iscieiice.
And then, that conscience bears ivitness ; that there is a testimony of con- science.
And that this conscience bearing witness is a (jround of cimifort.
For the first.
Every man feels and knows what conscience means. There be many rigid disputes of it among the schoolmen that had leisure enough ; and of all men knew as little, and felt what it was, as any sort of men, living under the darlmess of popery and superstition, and being in thraldom to the pope, and to the corruptions of the times they lived in. They have much jangling about the description of it, whether it be the soul itself, or a faculty, or an act.
In a word, conscience is all these in some sort, in divers respects. Therefore I will not wrangle with any particular opinion.
1. For what is conscience, but the said itself reflecting upon itself ? It is the property of the reasonable soul and the excellency of it, that it can re- turn upon itself. The beast cannot ; for it runs right forward. It knows it is carried to the object; but it cannot return and recoil upon itself. But the soul of the reasonable creature, of all even from men to God himself, who understands in the highest degree, though he do not discourse as man doth, yet he knows himself, he knows and understands his own excellency. And wheresoever there is understanding, there is a reflect act whereby the soul returns upon itself, and knows what it doth. It knows what it wills, it knows what it affects, it knows what it speaks, it knows all in it, and all out of it. It is the property of the soul. Therefore the original word in the Old Testament that signifies the heart, it is taken for the conscience {[l<l). Conscience and heart are all one. I am persuaded in my soul, that is, in my conscience ; and the Spirit witnesseth to our spirit, that is, to our conscience. Conscience is called the spirit, the heart, the soul ; because it is nothing but the soul reflecting and returning upon itself.