Secondly, Keep conscience clear, that thou do not add ⟨p. 203⟩guilt to guilt; adding guilt to guilt, is the way to add horror to horror, and terror to terror upon the conscience; guilt in the conscience doth contract dismal fear, amazement and consternation of soul; if conscience doth not shut sin out of doors, why sin will shut peace of conscience out of doors: It is a rule that Bernard gives, Conscience is to be comforted, but first it is to be purified and made clean; this rule is laid down by Eliphaz, if I mistake not, Job 11. 14. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away; and let not wickedness dwell in thy Tabernacles. Beloved, that is the way to keep cut fear, to keep out guilt; if conscience be not a swept and a cleansed room, it will gall, disquiet and vex thy soul; to have conscience pacified, when it is not purified, is but to skin over an old sore, which before it be healed, will break out again; peace saith Bernard, in many men is worse then a spiritual conflict; such a peace for a man to have peace in his conscience, when he indulgeth guilt in his conscience; expect not trouble of conscience to be allayed, if thy conscience be not purified; Prov. 29. 6. In the 1transgression of an evil man, there is a snare; but the righteous doth sing and rejoice. By snare, Solomon there means horror of conscience, it appears by the opposition; Interpreters give this rule, that in the Proverbs of Solomon, that one opposition doth explain the other; why here the righteous shall sing and rejoice in his grace; but the wicked shall have a snare in his sin; he shall have horror and dread of conscience in the sight of sin; Prov. 15. 15. A good and a clear conscience doth keep holy day every day of his life, though he hath hardly any thing else to feed upon; guilt on the conscience, is the way to cause a resurrection of thy fears and doubts, and to bring all thy spiritual hopes to the grave.
Secondly, Keep conscience clear, that thou do not add ⟨p. 203⟩guilt to guilt; adding guilt to guilt, is the way to add horror to horror, and terror to terror upon the conscience; guilt in the conscience doth contract dismal fear, amazement and consternation of soul; if conscience doth not shut sin out of doors, why sin will shut peace of conscience out of doors: It is a rule that Bernard gives, Conscience is to be comforted, but first it is to be purified and made clean; this rule is laid down by Eliphaz, if I mistake not, Job 11. 14. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away; and let not wickedness dwell in thy Tabernacles. Beloved, that is the way to keep cut fear, to keep out guilt; if conscience be not a swept and a cleansed room, it will gaul, disquiet and vex thy soul; to have conscience pacified, when it is not purified, is but to skin over an old sore, which before it be healed, will break out again; peace saith Bernard, in many men is worse then a spiritual conflict; such a peace for a man to have peace in his conscience, when he indulgeth guilt in his conscience; expect not trouble of conscience to be allayed, if thy conscience be not purified; Prov. 29. 6. In the 1transgression of an evill man, there is a snare; but the righteous doth sing and rejoyce. By snare, Solomon there means horror of conscience, it appears by the opposition; Interpreters give this rule, that in the Proverbs of Solomon, that one opposition doth explain the other; why here the righteous shall sing and rejoyce in his grace; but the wicked shall have a snare in his sin; he shall have horror and dread of conscience in the sight of sin; Prov. 15. 15. A good and a clear conscience doth keep holy day every day of his life, though he hath hardly any thing else to feed upon; guilt on the conscience, is the way to cause a resurrection of thy fears and doubts, and to bring all thy spiritual hopes to the grave.
- 1Prov. 29. 6.
