Secondly, Conscience troubled doth naturally discover its pollution, By §IIthe slavish, servile, and tormenting fears which do accompany it: So that whereas the proper work of conscience is, By Scripture-light to direct to Christ, so that the troubles thereof, should be like the Angels troubling of the pool of Bethesda, and then immediately to communicate healing; Now it is the clean contrary, These wounds do fester, and corrode more; The conscience by feeling guilt, runneth into more guilt; so that whereas we would think, and say, Now there are hopes, now conscience stirreth, now he begins to feel his sins, we see often the contrary, an abortive, or a monstrous birth after such travails of the soul; and wherein doth it manifest it self more then by tormenting tears about God? So that if it were possible, the conscience troubled would make a man run from the presence and sight of God never to be seen by him: Thus you see it was with Adam, when he had sinned, his conscience was awakened, he knew what he had done, and therefore was afraid at Gods voice, and run to hide himself, such a slavish, servile temper doth follow the conscience, when wounded for sin. Now all such tormenting fears are so many manifest reproaches unto the goodness of God, and his mercy revealed; The hard thoughts, the accusing imaginations, that there is no hope for thee, that thy sins are greater then thou canst bear, or that God will forgive: these dishonour the goodness of God, these oppose his grace and mercy, which he intendeth to exalt in the pardon of sin. Insomuch that the Atheist, who denieth the Essence of God, is in this respect less heinous then thou, who deniest the good Essence of God, He denieth his natural goodness, thou, his moral goodness, as it were. Is not the great scope of God in the Word to advance this attribute of his mercy, especially in Christ he hath made it so illustrious, and amiable that it may ravish the heart of a poor humbled sinner, but a slavish conscience about sin rob; God of this glory? So that although it may be the Spirit of God by the Word, that convinceth thee of thy sin, and affecteth thy conscience, yet the slavishness and servility of it, that is the rust and moth which breedeth in thy own nature, that is not of Gods Spirit.
Secondly, Conscience troubled doth naturally discover its pollution, By §IIthe slavish, servile, and tormenting feares which do accompany it: So that whereas the proper work of conscience is, By Scripture-light to direct to Christ, so that the troubles thereof, should be like the Angels troubling of the pool of Bethesda, and then immediately to communicate healing; Now it is the clean contrary, These wounds do fester, and corrode more; The conscience by feeling guilt, runneth into more guilt; so that whereas we would think, and say, Now there are hopes, now conscience stirreth, now he begins to feel his sinnes, we see often the contrary, an obortive, or a monstrous birth after such travailles of the soul; and wherein doth it manifest it self more then by tormenting teares about God? So that if it were possible, the conscience troubled would make a man runne from the presence and sight of God never to be seen by him: Thus you see it was with Adam, when he had sinned, his conscience was awakened, he knew what he had done, and therefore was afraid at Gods voice, and runne to hide himself, such a slavish, servile temper doth follow the conscience, when wounded for sinne. Now all such tormenting feares are so many manifest reproaches unto the goodness of God, and his mercy revealed; The hard thoughts, the accusing imaginations, that there is no hope for thee, that thy sinnes are greater then thou canst bear, or that God will forgive: these dishonour the goodness of God, these oppose his grace and mercy, which he intendeth to exalt in the pardon of sinne. Insomuch that the Atheist, who denieth the Essence of God, is in this respect less hainous then thou, who deniest the good Essence of God, He denieth his natural goodness, thou, his moral goodness, as it were. Is not the great scope of God in the Word to advance this attribute of his mercy, especially in Christ he hath made it so illustrious, and amiable that it may ravish the heart of a poor humbled sinner, but a slavish conscience about sinne rob; God of this glory? So that although it may be the Spirit of God by the Word, that convinceth thee of thy sinne, and affecteth thy conscience, yet the slavishness and servility of it, that is the rust and moth which breedeth in thy own nature, that is not of Gods Spirit.
