Secondly,1 Conscience is naturally polluted, not only by the blindness, but also by the senselessness and stupidity that is upon it. This is the evil polluted conscience, lying in every mans breast fast asleep; so that though one sin be committed after another, Though lusts as so many thieves come to steal thy soul away, yet this dog doth not so much as give one bark: Doth not experience abundantly confirm this? see you not most men going on in all evil and wickedness, so that you would think they dare neither eat or drink or sleep, lest so many Devils should come and carry them quick to hell? yet they have a stupefied conscience, it never giveth them one blow, or a check for it: how cometh this serpent in thy breast to be thus benumbed, that it doth not give one hiss? The expression you heard of an evil conscience, was a feared one, That is (as some expound it) a senseless hardened one, like any part of the body that by burning is made insensible: Others say, That as a putrefied part of the member of the body by incision is cut off; so (they say) it's a conscience cut off from a man, that he hath none at all. Others they allude thus, As brands and marks of infamy are made by hot irons upon the shoulders and faces of flagitious persons; Thus it's a conscience that is branded and noted by all, whereby he is made infamous and a reproach, where he liveth. All these explications may well be taken in, and although the Apostle speaketh there of some enormous wicked men, more vile then ordinary, yet as Paul, Rom. 3. doth apply, to all men by nature, what the Psalmist had spoken of some notorious, and most ungodly enemies of the Church: because the seed and root of these is in all; so we may appropriate this feared conscience to every man naturally, whereby a man commits gross and foul sins, and yet finds not one prick or stab at his heart for it; What made David, when he had numbered the people to have his heart smite him presently, but because his conscience was sanctified and made tender by God, whereas thou canst a thousand times fall into the same gross-sins, and thy conscience giveth thee not one lash for it? Is not this because thy conscience is stupefied? so that it hath made thee in all thy sins, as Lot ⟨p. 227⟩was, when made drunk by his daughters, He knew not in the morning what he had done.
Secondly,1 Conscience is naturally polluted, not only by the blindness, but also by the senselessness and stupidity that is upon it. This is the evil polluted conscience, lying in every mans breast fast asleep; so that though one sinne be committed after another, Though lusts as so many thieves come to steal thy soul away, yet this dog doth not so much as give one bark: Doth not experience abundantly confirme this? see you not most men going on in all evil and wickedness, so that you would think they dare neither eat or drink or sleep, lest so many Devils should come and carry them quick to hell? yet they have a stupified conscience, it never giveth them one blow, or a check for it: how cometh this serpent in thy breast to be thus benummed, that it doth not give one hiss? The expression you heard of an evil conscience, was a feared one, That is (as some expound it) a senseless hardened one, like any part of the body that by burning is made insensible: Others say, That as a putrified part of the member of the body by incision is cut off; so (they say) it's a conscience cut off from a man, that he hath none at all. Others they allude thus, As brands and markes of infamy are made by hot irons upon the shoulders and faces of stagitious persons; Thus it's a conscience that is branded and noted by all, whereby he is made infamous and a reproach, where he liveth. All these explications may well be taken in, and although the Apostle speaketh there of some enormous wicked men, more vile then ordinary, yet as Paul, Rom. 3. doth apply, to all men by nature, what the Psalmist had spoken of some notorious, and most ungodly enemies of the Church: because the seed and root of these is in all; so we may appropriate this feared conscience to every man naturally, whereby a man commits gross and foul sinnes, and yet finds not one prick or stab at his heart for it; What made David, when he had numbered the people to have his heart smite him presently, but because his conscience was sanctified and made tender by God, whereas thou canst a thousand times fall into the same gross-sinnes, and thy conscience giveth thee not one lash for it? Is not this because thy conscience is stupified? so that it hath made thee in all thy sinnes, as Lot ⟨p. 227⟩was, when made drunk by his daughters, He knew not in the morning what he had done.
- 1II. With Senselessness and Stupidity.II. With Senslesness and Stupidity.
