business of your lives to make sure of those things which will go with
warnings of conscience—lest a warning conscience prove a gnawing
conscience, a tormenting conscience. The blind man in the Gospel,
Mark 8, newly recovering his sight, imagined trees to be men; and
the Burgundians expecting a battle, supposed long thistles to be
lances. Thus men under guilt are apt to conceit every thistle a tree,
and every tree a man, and every man a devil. Take heed of tongue-
tied consciences; for when God shall untie these strings, and
unmuzzle your consciences, conscience will then be heard, and ten
concerts of music shall not drown her clamorous cries.
Hearken to the voice of conscience, obey the voice of conscience, and
when conscience shall whisper you in the ear, and tell you there is
this and that amiss in the house, in the habit, in the heart, in the life,
in the closet; don't say to conscience, "Conscience be quiet, be still,
make no noise now, I will hear you in a more convenient season,"
Acts 24:24-25. The heathen orator could say, "A man may not depart
a hair's-breadth all his life long from the dictates of a good
conscience." Will not this heathen one day rise in judgment against
those who daily crucify the light of their own consciences? But,
6. The sixth word of advice and counsel is this—Make it the great
business of your lives to make sure of those things which will go with
you beyond the grave. Riches and honors and titles, and all worldly
grandeur—won't go with us beyond the grave. Saladin, a Turkish
emperor, lying at the point of death, after many glorious victories,
commanded that a white sheet should be borne before him to his
grave, upon the point of a spear, with this proclamation: "These are
the rich spoils which Saladin carries away with him, of all his
triumphs and victories, of all his riches and realms that he had; now
nothing at all is left for him to carry with him but this sheet." It is
with us in this world as it was in the Jewish fields and vineyards—
they might pluck and eat what they would while they were there—but
they might not pocket nor put up anything to carry with them, Deut.
23:24-25. Death, as a porter, stands at the gate, and strips men of all
their worldly wealth and glory!
Athenseus speaks of one who, at the hour of death, devoured many
pieces of gold, and sewed the rest in his coat, commanding that they
should be buried with him. Hermocrates, being loath that any man
should enjoy his goods after him—in his will, made himself the heir
of his own goods. These muck-worms would fain live still on this side
Jordan; having made their gold their God, they cannot think of
parting with it. They would, if possible, carry the world out of the
world. But what says the apostle? "We brought nothing with us into
this world, and it is certain"—see how he assures it, as if some rich
wretches made question of it—"we can carry nothing out," nothing
but a winding-sheet, 1 Tim. 6:7. Oh, how should this alarm us to
make sure our calling and election, [2 Pet. 1:10; 2 Cor. 5:17; 2 Sam.
23:5; 1 Thes. 5:23; 2 Cor. 1:12.] to make sure our interest in Christ, to
make sure our covenant-relation, to make sure a work of grace in
power upon our souls, to make sure the testimony of a good
conscience, Gal. 4:5-7, to make sure our sonship, our saintship, our
heirship, etc., Romans 8:15-16; for these are the only things that will
go with us into another world.