XVII. SERM. is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." As if he had said, If any man have sinned, and his "conscience" be, as it ought, troubled for it, let him remember, that "Jesus Christ" is now interceding for us in Heaven; and that when He was upon earth, "by His one oblation of Himself, once offered, He made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of" mankind in general, and by consequence, for his among the rest. And therefore let him but repent and believe in Christ for the pardon of his sin, and it shall be pardoned, both in the court of Heaven, and likewise in that of his own "conscience." Yea, this is the method which Christ Himself, the great physician of Matt.11.28. souls, hath prescribed in this case; "Come unto Me," saith He, "all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give ye rest," plainly implying, that they who labour under the sense, and are heavy laden with the burden of their sins, if they do but apply themselves to Him, by a true and lively faith, they shall soon be eased of their trouble, and cured of those deadly wounds which sin had made in their breast, as the Israelites were, when being stung by serpents in the Num. 21. 9. wilderness, they looked up to the brazen serpent, which Moses, by God's appointment, made as a type of Christ, in this very case. Wherefore, whosoever thou art, who hast heretofore committed such sins as now lie heavy upon thy "conscience," ready to sink thee down into despair, look up to Christ, as wounded for those very sins, firmly believing, that upon thy hearty and sincere repentance, God, for His sake, doth absolve and acquit thee from them, so as to rest fully satisfied in thine own mind, that He will never be offended with thee any more for them, and then thy "conscience" also will cease to be so. But then I must say to thee as Christ said to the impotent man whom He had cured, in the John 5. 14. Gospel; "Behold thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." Take care for the future, to keep thy "conscience always void of offence both toward God and men." And verily, had you all once felt the smart of a galled conscience, you would need no other argument to persuade you to avoid it; for that, doubtless, is the greatest torment and misery that mankind is capable of, as the wise man observes, saying, "The spirit of a man will sustain his in- Prov. 18.14. firmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?" No man, certainly, except Almighty God support him under it, either in judgment to punish him, or else in mercy to bring him to repentance by it. Ask but such a one, who labours under it, what it is to have a "wounded," an "offended conscience," and he will tell you, that "No sorrow is like unto [Lam. 1. 12.] his sorrow, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted him in the day of His fierce anger." "The arrows of the Almighty are Job 6. 4. within him, the poison whereof drinketh up his spirits, the terrors of God set themselves in array against him." O the wormwood and the gall, the anguish and bitterness of his soul! How doth he fret, and fume, and vex, and tear, and torment himself at the remembrance of his sin and folly! Every thing is uneasy and troublesome to him; yea, he is a burden to himself, he cannot endure himself, but wishes he had never been, or could cease to be; his mind is distracted, his thoughts confounded, his whole soul is overspread with darkness and horror, and tossed to and fro, like a troubled sea, when it cannot rest, "whose waves cast Isa. 57. 20. up mire and dirt." Thus is the poor man always upon the rack, distorted, tormented, terrified, and hurried about by his own outraged "conscience;" as if all the fiends of Hell were let loose upon him. What would he now give, or rather what would he not give for a "good conscience?" If all the crowns and sceptres upon earth were his, he would willingly part with them all upon these terms, and reckon it the best purchase that he ever made. But you, perhaps, may wonder, how any should be so mightily troubled for their sins; for you cannot but all acknowledge that you have sinned, and are sorry for it, and wish you had never done it: but you never found your "consciences" so much concerned about it, but have lived as cheerfully and pleasantly as if you had never sinned at all. It may be so; but I believe there are but few of you but have found your "consciences" give you a secret item now and then, more than you are willing to speak of: and the less you have felt hitherto, the more is behind. Though SERM. your sins were committed many years ago, they still lie at your doors, and your consciences want nothing but God's command to fall upon you for them; for He can make you, Job 13. 26. as He did Job, "to possess the iniquities of your youth," and bring all your sins into your minds together, like so many swarms of wasps about your hearts, to sting you to death. And if He lets you alone, and suffers you to go on without control all your life, that will be the worst of all; for then this life will be no sooner ended, but your misery will begin, and never end at all: for your consciences will rise up with a witness against you, and persecute and torment you for ever. This Christ Himself hath forewarned you of, where He speaks of Hell, as of a place where the Mark 9. 44. "worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched;" that is, where men's consciences, like so many greedy, insatiable, and immortal worms, will be always gnawing at their breasts, and God's wrath, like a raging fire, burning and scorching their souls for ever. cost Consider these things, and then tell me, whether it be not your wisdom and your interest, as well as duty, to keep your "consciences always void of offence," whatsoever it you; and therefore be advised for the future to do it. If ye happen to be in a storm, throw all overboard, rather [1 Tim. 1. than make "shipwreck of faith and a good conscience:" 19.] wealth, honour, liberty, life itself, let them all go, rather than lose that, without which all things else will be but a trouble to you; and which, of itself, will not only supply their want, but afford you more comfort than all things [2 Cor. 1. 12.] upon earth besides. "This is our rejoicing," saith the Apostle, "the testimony of our conscience." This is true, [Tit. 2. 12.] solid, substantial joy indeed, when our "conscience bears us witness," that we have sincerely endeavoured to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." This makes a man to be always of a brisk temper, a sound mind, a cheerful countenance, and a merry heart; and so, as the Prov. 15.15. wise man saith, "he hath a continual feast." Such a one "fares deliciously every day;" not as Dives did, upon meat and drink, but as the Angels do, upon righteousness, and love, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Whatsoever happens, he is still the same; "wise" as a "serpent," "in [Luke 16. 19.] 17.] nocent" as a "dove;" "gentle" as a "lamb," but "bold as a lion;" fearing no evil, because he hath done none. Though the winds blow, and the waves beat upon him, he hath still tranquillity and peace within: this is his support under all his troubles, his refuge in all dangers, his riches in poverty, his honour in disgrace, his pleasure in pain, his strength in weakness, his health in sickness, his life in death, when all things else will fail him: but his "good conscience" will go along with him into the other world, where he will perfectly taste, relish, and enjoy the goodness and the sweetness of it, and bless God to all eternity, that he ever had it, through Jesus Christ our Lord; "to whom with the Father and Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory for ever." SERMON XVIII. THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST PREFERABLE SERM. 1 CORINTHIANS ii. 2. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Ir having pleased our Great Creator to endue us with such principles of reason and understanding, whereby we are capable of knowing Himself, His will, His works, and all things necessary to our serving and enjoying Him, and likewise to fill us at first with such knowledge, as much as we could hold; although by the fall of our first parents our brains are shattered, and all our faculties so disordered and out of tune, that now we actually know but very little, if any thing at all, as we ought; yet our capacities still remaining, we cannot but long to have them filled again. And hence it is, that all men naturally desire knowledge; and how much soever a man knows, he still desires to know more. And seeing no man can possibly attain the knowledge of all things that are to be known, men seem to offer at making up that defect, by undertaking them severally; some to find out one thing, and some another, according to their several tempers, inclinations, and circumstances; and then to communicate their inventions, for the increase of each other's knowledge. As some are only for observing the phænomena, or outward appearance; others are for prying into the secrets of nature, and the first principles by which every thing in its place acteth under God: some are for taking the dimensions of the earth, and particular places in it; others are for |