A treatise of original sin ... proving that it is, by pregnant texts of Scripture vindicated from false glosses / by Anthony Burgess.

SECT. III.

The Blindness and Stupidity of Conscience discovered in the several Offices and actings of it.

THirdly, Because this pollution of the conscience is expressed in the gene∣ral, (viz.) blindness and stupidity. Let us examine how this sinfullness is seen in the several offices and actings of conscience, for which God hath placed it in the soul, And

1. One main work of conscience is, to apply, what we read in the Scripture as generally spoken, conscience is to apply it in particular. When it readeth the threatnings and cursings of the law to such sinnes as thou art guilty of, then conscience is to say, This belongeth to me, This curse, This burden, is my curse it's my burden: Because David did not let his conscience do its duty in application. David could condemne sinne in general, His wrath is kindled against such sinners as himself in the general, Nathan was forced to be in stead of conscience to him, saying, Thou art the man: Thus conscience, if not polluted, when it heareth any woe denounced against such and such sinnes, then that stands up, and saith, Thou art the man; hence God giveth the commands by particular application, Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not steal, that conscience may say, This Commandment belongs to me; As natural bodies they act by a corporal contact, so the Scripture worketh upon the soul by a spiritual contact, and that is the application of conscience; Insomuch that if we do a thousand times read over the Scriptures, if we hear Sermons upon Sermons all our life, if conscience doth not apply, all becomes ineffectual. And this may answer that Question,

How it cometh to pass that a man can commit those sinnes, which he knoweth to be sinnes, which his conscience tells him are sinnes? Who are there so much stupi∣fied and besotted by sinne, that do not in the general know, that the waies they live in are wicked, that they provoke God, that they ought not to do so? How then is it possible, that they should close with those sinnes that they know to be so, seeing the will cannot will evil, as it is evil.

Now the Answer is, This ariseth from the defect of conscience, she doth not particularly make such a powerfull application pro hic & nunc, as it ought to do; There is therefore a general knowledge, an habitual knowledge of such things to be sinnes; yea it may be a particular apprehension, that they

are now sinning and offending God; but this is onely a speculative apprehension, it's not a practical one produced by conscience in thee: Oh therefore that all our Auditors were delivered from this original pollution of conscience, for therefore we preach in vain, and you hear in vain, because no application is made to your own hearts! None brings the truth, the command, the threatning to his own soul, saying, This is my portion, none so guilty as I am in this parti∣cular, and thus (as she said to the Prophet) Thou hast brought my sinnes to my mind; or as the woman of Samaria concerning Christ, He had told her of all that she had done: Thus faith the applying conscience, This Sermon brings my sinnes to my mind, This Sermon tels me of the wickednesse at such a time committed by me: It was the Prophets complaint of his hearers, None said, What have I done? They did not make a particular application; Therefore till the grace of God quicken the conscience, making thee to cry out, What shall I do, I have sinned? Gods Word hath found me out; It is me the Law condemneth; It is me that the curses belong to, as if I were mentioned and named, as if I had heard a voice from Heaven, saying, Thou Thomas, Thou John, here is thy sin, here is thy doom; Till (I say) this be done, all thy knowledge in the ge∣neral, all the Texts of Scripture in thy memory, they have no influence at all.

Secondly, Herein is the corruption of the conscience naturally seen, That though it doth apply, yet it is in so weak and cold a manner, that it hath lost its activity and predominancy over the affections and the will of a man: inso∣much that though conscience do speak, do rebuke, do apply, yet a man careth not for it; The affections and the will are not kept in awe by it: Thus although conscience in many doth not so much as stirre, it is stark dead, yet in many it doth sometimes apply, bringing home the Word of God to the heart, so that he can∣not but confesse, if he doth thus and thus he sinneth, but then conscience is too weak, affections and passions like Amnon to Tamar are too strong, and consu∣perate her, whether she will or no: Is not this the dreadfull condition of many, who frequent our Congregations, whose consciences condemn them daily? Thou art such a sinner, thy wayes are damnable, but they slight and despise these ap∣plications of conscience, as rude Scholars the authority of their Master; what care they for the Monitor in their breast? Like Balaam they will press forward to their wickedness, though conscience stand like an Angel with a sword in his hand to stop in the way. Rom. 1. 18. The Apostle speaketh excellently to this purpose, They detain the truth in unrighteousnesse, they keep conscience a pri∣soner, gladly would that do its duty, but they imprison and shackle it; now this weaknesse is come upon conscience by original sinne, otherwise Samson like, no∣thing could bind that, but it would command the will and affections, yea the whole man to obey it: Oh the pitifull estate then of such men, who are sinners against conscience, prophane against conscience, whose lusts are stronger then their conscience! As it is with some poor prisoners, they go up and down with their Keeper; Thus do these men, they go from place to place, from company to company to commit their sins, and conscience as their keeper followeth them up and down, only they despise and contemn the dictates of it, which will be wo∣full in the later end.

Thirdly, Though conscience may apply, Yet as it doth it weakly and faintly, so also seldom, and not constantly, nor daily. The Cock crew once or twice, be∣fore Peter remembred himself; Conscience may apply once or twice, yet the noise of lusts drown the voice of it. Therefore unlesse it speak frequently, unless it be applying often, as the Prophet did three times to the dead child, there will not be any spiritual life procured: Thus you have the consciences even of natural men in some fits, under the expectations of some great and eminent judgements: They finde the power of conscience upon them, as Pharaoh, Ahab and Felix,

who trembled under Paul's preaching, but then this is a flash only; it's like a sudden clap of Thunder that terrifieth for the present, but when past is pre∣sently forgotten: Thus in fears of death, under some powerfull Sermon, thy conscience giveth a blow, a sharp prick into thy heart, for the while thou art in some agony, in some terror, but because conscience doth it not often, never giving thee over, till it hath recovered thee, hence it is that thou returnest to thy old stupi∣dity again.

Fourthly, As conscience naturally doth not its duty in applying, So neither in witnessing, in bearing testimony to our actions, which yet is one great end why conscience is put into a man. It is ordinarily said, Conscientia est mille testes; con∣science is a thousand witnesses, and so indeed when it doth bear testimony to a mans action, it's more then a thousand, it's more then all the world; yea, it is not only mille testes, but mille tortores, a thousand tormentors, but (alas) it's so defiled, that in many things, if not in all things, it faileth, and giveth (at least) no true witness at all; For if there were not this pollution upon it, With what a loud voice would it cry to thee, saying, I know, and God knoweth, what are the sinnes that thou daily livest in? What little regard this witness hath, appear∣eth, That if men can accomplish their impieties, and none behold them, if there be no witnesses to confirm it before men, they matter not at all, for the witness that conscience, and God can bear against them: Oh this vileness of thy heart, that thou runnest from the eyes of men, but not considerest the eyes of God, and of thy own conscience that behold thee! Though indeed thy conscience is for the most part mute and speechless, lets thee alone, do what thou wilt, it will not witness against thee, but is bribed rather, and speaks for thee, and flattereth thee. Bewail then the sinfulnesse upon conscience even in this very particular, that it doth not bear witnesse to thy evil actions, or when it doth, it is so coldly, and languidly, that thou canst hardly hear the voice of it, whereas, as the Prophet (which is like an external conscience in the Church) is, To lift up his voice like a Trumpet, to inform of transgressions, and not to spare: Thus it should be with conscience in thee; And as there is a woe to that people whose Pastor is a dumb dog, no lesse is it to those whose conscience also is a dumb dog; So that though the witnesses and testimonies of conscience against thy self, and actions be trou∣blesom and vexatious, thou canst not eat, or drink, or sleep for them, yet this is more hopefull, and may be more preparatory to conversion, then when thy conscience will say nothing, or is corruptly bribed, saying to thee in all thy acti∣ons, as Absolom did to every one that came to him, That his cause was good; but above all these cold and soft whisperings of conscience, as if that were afraid of thee, more then thou of it, are notoriously discovered in the actings of secret sinne; For if thy iniquities be committed secretly, though thou livest in secret uncleanness, in secret thieving and cosening in thy dealings, so that the world doth not know it, thou thinkest all is well with thee: Now how could this be, if conscience did roundly bear witness to these secret sinnes? This would as much shame, affect and torment thee, as if all the world did know what thou hast done in private: Oh but this conscience is muzzled! Or as was said of Demosthenei, when he would not plead for a Clyent, but pretended a Quinsie in his throat, he did Argentanginam pati; Thus thy conscience hath swallowed a Camel into its throat, and so spareth thee, and lets it alone: Otherwise if conscience did his office, thou who livest in secret sins, wouldst be more molested and disquieted by its continual testimonies against thee, then if all the Congregation had been spectators of thy private wickedness; Therefore the pollution of the conscience by original sinne, is fully proclaimed by all the hidden works of dishonesty, by all the close, secret sinnes committed in the world; For were conscience ready to testifie, it would follow thee as close as the shadow to the body, as Asahel did Joah: Oh then let such clandestine sinners be afraid! for though conscience be

now stupified, yet this will one day be the gnawing worme in thee that will never die.