For a use therefore of exhortation, if so be that this be the effectual baptism, the chief thing that we ought to stand on, this answer of a good conscience, then I beseech you let us all labour for this echo, for this answer: when God saith, 'Seek ye my face,' to answer, 'Thy face. Lord, will I seek,' Ps. xxvii. 8 ; when he saith, ' I will be your God,' to answer, ' We will be thy people.' When he saith in the ministry, ' Beheve,' to answer, ' Lord, I believe, help my unbelief,' Mark ix. 24. Let us labour to echo : this holy echo is the answer in the covenant of grace.
This answer of our faith is set down in Scripture alway when it speaks of the estate of those that are in the covenant of grace. It is mentioned on our part that we take God for our God, and Christ for our Christ : ' My beloved is mine, and I am my beloved's,' Cant. ii. 16, and vi. 3. There is a mutual owning of both sides. Therefore, if we would answer
488 THE DEMAND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE.
the covenant of grace, let us work our hearts to answer, 'WTien we hear in the ministry, and in the covenant of grace, answer. Lord, I desire to believe this; and when there is anything commanded, let our hearts answer, and desire God to bow our inward man to obedience, that we may be pliable. Let us labour to have that free spirit that holy David prays for, Ps. li. 12. That was stopped by reason of his sin ; for when we renew sins against conscience, we stop the mouth of our prayers, that we cannot go to God; we stop the mouth of conscience, that we cannot go boldly to God; therefore he had then lost that freedom of spirit. Let us labour to bo pliable to the Spirit, ready to answer God in all that we are exhorted to, and to yield the obedience of faith to all the promises. That is the state of those that are in the covenant of grace ; there is the answer of a good conscience. Therefore let us resolve to take this course, if we would attain the answer of a good conscience.
First of all, labour that our consciences may he convinced of the ill that is in lis, that we may have a good troubled conscience: first, that we may know thoroughly what our estate by nature is ; and then labour, in the second place, to have2)eace, and then raise and renew our purpose to serve God in all things ; and to try the truth of this, let us put interrogatories to ourselves ; let us ask ourselves, Do I believe ? do I not daub with my heart? do I obey? do I willingly cast myself into the mould of God's word, and willingly obey all that I hear? do I not deceive myself? Let us propound these interrogatories: ' God is greater than our conscience,' 1 John iii. 20. If we answer God with reservations, I will answer God in this, and not in this, — I will yield to religion as far as it may stand with my own lusts and advantage ; — this is not the answer of a good conscience. What is done to God must be done all; what is done zealously and reli- giously, hath respect to all God's commandments and promises, to one thing as well as another. If our hearts tell us there are reservations from false grounds, here is not ' the answer of a good conscience.' Therefore let us search ourselves, and propound questions to ourselves, whether we believe and obey or no, and from what ground we do it.
And let us make use of our baptism upon all occasions, as thus,
1. Satan hath tivo ways of tempting. One is, he tempts to sin, and then he tempts for sin, to accuse our consciences to make a breach between God and us, that we dare not look upon God. When he tempts us, or our corruptions move us, or the world by allurements would draw us to any sin, let us think of our baptism, and the answer we have made there, and make use of it. Is this agreeable to the promise I made ? Surely I have renounced this. Shall I overthrow my own promise ? I make conscience to make good my promise to men, and shall I break with God ? I have pro- mised to God to renounce the flesh, the world, and the devil; to renounce all these corruptions. Let us have these thoughts when we are solicited to sin, when proud nature would have us set up the banner of pride. I have renounced these proud affections ; I shall overthrow my baptism if I yield. And so for the enlarging of our estates, or for getting up to honour to please men's humours, to break the peace of my conscience. These things we have renounced, the world and the vanities of it in our baptism.
The life of many is nothing but a breach of their vow and covenant in baptism. How will they look at the hour of death, and the day of judg- ment, that God should keep his promise with them to give them life ever- lasting, when they never had grace to keep touch* with him, notwithstand- * Qu. 'troth'?— En.