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ing their engagements in baptism and their so often repeating it at the communion, and their renewing of their vows when they have been sick ? How can we look for performance on God's part, when we have not had grace to perform our part, but our whole life hath been a satisfying of our base lusts ! Let us make that use in temptations to sin ; let us fetch arguments against sin from our baptism, from the answer that we made then ; for we must make good now that that was made then, or else it is in vain,
2. Again, irhen tve are solicited bij Satan to be disconrarjed, let us con- sider that we are baptized ' in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; ' and consider that the promise is made whensoever wo repent, without any exception of time, nay, though we have broke with God,— for Satan will use that as a chief weapon, ' Thou hast fallen, thou hast fallen,' — jet as it is Jeremiah iii. 1, seq. Though a man will not take his wife after a breach, yet God transcends us; he is God, and not man. Therefore, after breaches, if we yet answer his command and his promise, — for the command of believing is upon us while we live, — if we believe, and ' confess our sins, we shallhave mercy,' if we come and cast ourselves upon Christ. Therefore, after relapses," let not Satan abuse them to make us despair. Baptism is a seal of our faith, and faith is enjoined us all the days of our hfe. All this time of life is a time of grace, and we are com- manded to repent and believe. Let not Satan therefore discourage us after sin ; let us go to our baptism. It is a seal to us of faith and repentance Tvhensoever we believe and repent.
3. When we are solicited to distrust in God for the things of this life any v-ay, as if God cared not for us, let us consider that we have answered, that ' we believe in God the Father Almighty ;' therefore he is our Father, he knows what is good for us, and he loves us. He is an almighty God. It is an article of our faith that we have answered to : let us make it good upon all tempta- tions in that kind. Dolh not God care for us ? He had an ark for Noah in the worst times, when the flood overwhelmed the whole world. So if there be the answer of a good conscience, he will have an ark for his Noahs, to save, and protect, and defend us ; he is a Father Almighty. Let us know the grounds of our religion, the articles of our faith, the grounds and foundation of our faith. Let us consider the good things promised there, and consider withal that we have all engaged ourselves to believe those things, and to make use of our faith upon all occasions. Those that cannot read, if they have no other, let them look on these two books, the book of their baptism and the book of conscience. They would be sufficient to instruct them. Some people pretend ignorance. Consider what thou art baptized to : the grounds of rehgion ; consider there what thou hast renounced ; consider in particular whether this thing that thou art moved to be God's or the devil's command, and answer Satan and thy lusts by not answering of them ; give them their answer, and tell them a good conscience must answer God's command and promise. But they must have their answer by denial, by this answer of a good con- science. Those that cannot read, and are not learned, let them make use of the learning of their baptism. There is a world of instruction and com- fort, a treasury of it in baptism. I dare be bold to say, if any Christian, when he is tempted to any sin, to despair or discouragement, if he consider what a solemn promise he hath made to God in baptism, it would be a means to strengthen his faith, and to arm him against all temptations. There is no man sins, but there is a breach with God first in wronging the
490 THE DEMAND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE.
promise be hath engaged himself to in baptism. "We all that are here have been baptized, let us learu to make more conscience of this blessed sacrament than we have done, and let us labour to have the answer of a good conscience at all times.
What a comfort is it when our hearts and consciences makes a gracious answer to God in believing and obeying, and in renouncing all God's and our enemies ! What a comfort is such a conscience ! It will uphold us in sickness, in death, and at the day of judgment, in all ill times in this life. A conscience tlaat hath answered God by beheving his promises, and hath renewed the covenant to obey God in all things, what a wondrous peace hath it ! Let the devil object what he can ; let our unbelieving hearts object what they can, yet notwithstanding, if it be a renewed sancti- fied conscience, it can out of the privity of its own act say, I have believed ; I have cast myself upon God's mercy in Christ ; I have renounced these motions, and suggestions, and courses, and though I be overcome with temptations, yet I heartily hate them. What a comfort is this !