The Puritans, like the prophets of old, emphasise the gravity of sin. They laboured to expose it in its monstrosity, its heinousness, its power - to highlight its exceeding sinfulness. They probed the conscience with the instrument of the law in order to pierce the disease of sin with truth, to discern and expose it for what it is. They also made much of the grace of the gospel, the only sufficient remedy for sin.
20200623
Joel Beeke 3
In our busy and hurried lives we give little thought to the inner workings of conscience. What poor listeners we are to our consciences! We need to tune out all of the distracting noises around us and get alone in the presence of God regularly. We need to study God's word, yes, but we also need to study our hearts.
Joel Beeke 2
A tender conscience is precious in the sight of God. Easily pricked by the thorn of besetting sin, it spurs a person to keep short accounts with God. ... A tender conscience will keep you nearer to God, the fount of all joy and assurance.
Joel Beeke 1
Trusting in Christ as our righteousness, practicing daily self-examination, maintaining a tender conscience and repenting deeply of sin will help us to maintain clear conscience in the light of sin's exceeding sinfulness.
Thomas Watson 04
O the music of conscience! Conscience is turned into a paradise, and there a Christian sweetly solaces himself and plucks the flowers of joy.
Repentance
Thomas Manton
They have a sense of the evil that is in the least sin. This is the difference between a tender conscience and a hard heart. One is afraid to offend God in the least matter, the other makes nothing of sin, and so runneth into mischief, Prov. xxviii. 14. Well, then, a man that hath a tender heart is loath to fall into the least sin, he is ever drawing to God to be kept from all sin. When we are earnest in this matter, it is a sign we are sensible what an evil sin is. Men that side with their own lusts and interests may wonder at the frequent requests of the Psalmist here for establishment and preservation from sin. But those that have a tender conscience are like the eye, soon offended, and make it their business to keep it from offence; they are thus solicitous and earnest with God to be upheld.
On Psalm 119
Richard Baxter 2
Christian Directory
Directions 4 and 7
Keep a tender conscience, which will not make light of sin. It is those that have seared their consciences by infidelity or a course of sinning, who dare venture with Judas or Gehazi for the prey, and dare oppress the poor and innocent, and feel not, nor fear, whilst they cast themselves on the revenge of God.
Keep a tender conscience, which will do its office, and not suffer you to sin without remorse..A seared, senseless conscience will permit you to lie and steal and deceive, and will make no great matter of it, till God awaken it by his grace or vengeance. Hence it is that servants can deceive their masters, or take that which is not allowed them, and buyers and sellers overreach one another, because they have not tender consciences to reprove them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)