THE DEMAND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE. 485
And from the gracious conscience comes the increase of a peaceable conscience. There must be peace before we can graciously renew our covenants to please God ; but when we have both these, faith in Christ and a resolution to please God in all things, there comes an increase of peace; for then there is an argument to satisfy conscience, when first of all conscience goes to Christ, to the foundation. I have answered God's command ; I have believed, and cast myself upon Christ; I have answered God's promise. He hath promised, if I do so, he will give me Christ with all his benefits ; I have yielded the obedience of faith. Hereupon comes some comforts ; here is the foundation of this obedience. But then when conscience likewise from this resolves to please God in all things, in the duties to God and man, hereupon comes another increase of peace, when I look to the life of grace in my own heart. For a working, careful Christian hath a double gi'ound of comfort : one, in the command to believe, and in the promise, whether he hath evidences of grace or no ; but when he hath power by the Spirit to lead a godly life, and to keep a good conscience in all things, then he hath comfort from the evidence of grace in his own heart, from whence an increase of peace comes. You see what a good conscience is here in this place : ' the answer of a good conscience.' I will not speak largely of it. To come a little further to the point.
Quest. How know we that a man hath a good conscience, a peaceable good conscience, when it is troubled ? For here is the difiiculty, a con- science is never so peaceable and gracious but there is a principle of rebellion in us, the flesh, that casts in doubtings, and stirs up objections, as indeed our flesh is full of objections against God's divine truth. There be seeds of infidelity to every promise, and of rebellion to every command in the word. How shall a man know that he hath a peaceable good con- science in the midst of this rebellion ?
Ans. 1. Let him look if the conscience ansicer God in the midst of opposi- tion and rebellion. My flesh and blood saith thus, My sins are great, and Satan lays it hard to my charge; yet notwithstanding, because God hath promised and commanded, I cast myself upon God. Let us ask our own hearts and consciences what they say to God, what is the answer to God. We see what Job saith: ' Though he kill me, yet I will trust in him,' Job xiii. 15 ; flesh and blood would have shewed its part in Job, as if God had neither respected nor loved him ; yet when Job recovered himself, ' Though he kill me, I will trust in him.' So a man may know, though conscience be somewhat troubled; yet it is a gracious peaceable conscience if peace get the upper hand, and grace subdue corruption, when the conscience, so far as it is enlarged by God's Spirit, can check itself. ' Why art thou disquieted, 0 my soul?' "Ps. xlii. 5. Why art thou troubled? Trust in God. Trust in God reconciled now in Christ. When conscience can lay a charge upon itself, and check itself thus, it is a sign that conscience hath made this gracious answer.
2. Again, one may know, though conscience be troubled somewhat, yet it is a gracious peaceable conscience when it alicmjs allons of the truth of God in the inward man. Whatsoever the flesh say, the word is good, the commandment is good, the promise is good ; as St Paul saith, ' I allow the law of God in my inward man,' Rom, vii. 22. By this a man may know, though his peace be somewhat troubled, that yet, notwith- standing, there is the answer of a good conscience.
3. Again, when a man can break out of trouhle, and such an estate as the
486 TUE DEMAND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE.
devil weakens our faitli by ; for be usctb tbe troubles of tbe cburcb, and our own troubles, to shake our faith, as if God did not regard us : now when conscience can rise out of this, as in Ps. Ixxiii, 1, ' Yet God is good to Israel; yet, my soul, keep silence to the Lord.' Though things seem to go contrary to a man, as if God were not reconciled, as if he had not part in Christ, ' yet, my soul, keep silence, and God is good to Israel.' This contlict shews that there is a gracious part in the soul, and that conscience is a gracious conscience. It is said here, it is ' the answer of a good conscience towards God.'
For conscience, indeed, bath reference to God, and that will answer another question ; for conscience, as it performs holy duties, as it is a gracious conscience, it looks to God.
Quest. Whether may a man knoiv, or how shall he knoiv, that he doth thinffs of conscience? whether be be in the state of grace, and doth things graciously ?
Alls. He may; for why is conscience set in man but to tell him what be doth, with what mind he doth it, in what state he is ? This is a power of the soul which conscience shews. A man may know what estate be is in, and whether he perform things graciously or no.