Iustice without vs. For in mens Courts they proceed secundum allegata probata according to allegation and proofs but God hath appointed another Iudgement in the heart of man there God iudgeth not according to allegation and proofes but according to Conscience and hath associated to euery man a notary of his owne and a witnesse of his owne which hee produceth out of his very bosome so as man shall be made to confesse what hee hath done though all the world excuse him and shall haue comfortable testimony in himselfe though all the world beside accuse him The glory of the power of Conscience appears by the third point and that is the prerogatiues properties of Conscience in a man for 1. It keeps Court in the heart of a man without limitation of time it will call a man to answer and hear Iudgement at any time it is not limited to any terms nor can the Sentence be delaied it hath power to examine testifie and giue Sentence at any time of the yeer at pleasure nor will it admit any appeal to any creature 2. It is subiect properly onely to God no earthly Prince can command the Conscience of a man as will more appeare afterwards 3. It keeps continuall residence in the heart of man it is alwaies with him at home abroad it obserueth and watcheth him in all places in the Church at his table in his bed day and night it neuer leaues him 4. God hath subiected man to the obedience of Conscience if it command erroneously if it be in things indifferent as in the case of meats and daies in the Apostles time if the Conscience doubted or forbade the vse of them which yet in themselues might be vsed the man was bound to follow his Conscience though the Conscience erred and so sinned in doubting or forbidding Rom. 14.14 23. 5. Yea so much honour doth God giue vnto the Conscience that he suffers his owne most holy Spirit to bring-in euidence in the Court of conscience for so we reade that the Spirit of Adoption doth beare witnes before our spirits that is before the Conscience that wee are the sonnes of God Rom. 8.15 6. It is a great prerogatiue that GOD hath granted Immortality vnto Conscience Conscience neuer dies no not when we die Euery mans Conscience shall bee found a lier at the day of Iudgement and in so great request with Christ as that dreadful Iudgement shall be guided according to the euidence and verdict of Conscience Rom. 2.15 16. For the fourth point Conscience is not all of a sort in all men some haue good Consciences and some haue ill Consciences and both these kindes of Consciences must be considered of Conscience considered as good comes to be so either by creation or by renouation By creation Adam had his Conscience good but by the first sinne Conscience became euill in him and all his posterity so as all men naturally haue euill Consciences and no men haue their consciences good but as they are renued The difference between a good Conscience by creation and renouation is this that by creation Conscience was perfectly good from the first moment it was infused till the Fall and did discouer it self by excusing and comforting alwaies for Adam's Conscience till his Fall could accuse him of nothing But by renouation Conscience is good for the time of this life but imperfectly and increaseth in good men by degrees and so because man is renued but in part it is a part of the goodnes of the Conscience to accuse for sinne especially if it be presumptuous after Calling as well as to excuse from faults while the man keeps his vprightnes That a good Conscience should onely excuse is true in this world onely of Conscience as it was good by creation Now concerning the goodnes or badnesse of Conscience these seuen things are to bee considered of First that all mens Consciences by nature are euill Secondly the difference of euill in mens Consciences Thirdly the signes of an euill Conscience Fourthly the hurt of an euill Conscience Fiftly the meanes how euill Consciences may bee made good Sixtly the signes of a good Conscience Seuenthly the great happines of the man that hath a good Conscience For the first that all mens Consciences are by nature euill is manifest because all haue sinned in Adam and lost their originall righteousnes in all the faculties of the soule and so euery man in his naturall condition is in euery point vncleane and to the impure all things are impure euen their Consciences are polluted saith the Apostle Titus 1.15 For the second euill is not in the same degree in all mens Consciences but after a different manner in diuers men for First in most men we see that Conscience is so feeble and works so little that it seemes to be but a small spark or like a bubble which riseth now and then and presently vanisheth Now the reason why Conscience stirs so little in the most men is not to bee taken from the nature of Conscience for that can work all works mentioned before but from diuers things in man For first Adams sin as it depriued all mens Consciences of originall righteousnes which was the life of the Conscience so it brought such a deprauation and euill disease vpon the Conscience that it was neuer healed nor cured in the naturall man to this day but the weaknes arising from the infection holds him downe still Secondly the generall ignorance and darknes which is in the world is one great cause why Conscience lieth so miserably weak and neglected For it cannot work for want of light For in the minde it findes onely a few naturall principles or some generall truthes of religiō which are altogether insufficient to direct in the particular occasions of mens liues Thirdly besides the Law of nature is corrupted in man and so those principles are very muddy and vncertaine and the generals of Religion are poysoned with secret Obiections gathered from the controuersies of so many false religions Fourthly further it is manifest that the cares and pleasures of life oppress conscience in many in them Conscience stirs not not because it cannot stir but because there is no leasure to heare what it saith men are so violently carried to the pleasures and busines of this world As a man that runs in a race many times runs with such violence that hee cannot heare what is said vnto him by some that he passeth by though it were counsell that might direct him in the right way of the race So is it with men that haste to be rich Conscience often calls to them to take heed of going out of the way by deceit or lying or oppression or the like But they pursue riches so violently that they cannot heare the voice of Conscience And so is it with the voluptuous person and with the most men that liue in any habituall gainfull sinne Fiftly yea this weaknes comes vpon
the Conscience of some by custome of sinnes that are not sinnes of gaine or pleasure as the sinnes of negligence slothfulnes passion or the like in which men are wilfully confirmed and will not regard the checks of their owne conscience Finally one great reason why the most of vs feele so little of Conscience is the euill hearing of the Word of God for the Word of God powerfully preached would awake the Conscience but that most men set themselues to neglect it by a willing and wilfull intertaynment of distractions and in voluntary forgetting of what they haue heard and so hood-winking themselues it is no wonder they cannot see Secondly some mens Conscience is stark dead it stirs not at all The Conscience is compared to a part of the body that is not onely without sense and rotten but is seared with a hot iron and this is the case onely of some notorious either Hereticks or malefactors that haue liued a long time willfully in some monstrous wickednesse either knowne or secret 1. Timothy 4. verse 2. This seared Conscience is either ioyned with a greedines to commit speciall wickednes or with a reprobate mind that is so horrible stupid that it iudgeth euill to bee good or at the best not dangerously hurtfull Ephes. 4.18 Rom. 1.28 Thirdly in some men the euill of Conscience lieth in this that it is ouer-busy and sins too much and so in two sorts of men first the superstitious or secondly the desperate The superstitious person is many times disquieted by his Conscience in doing well or when hee doth that which is not vnlawfull as the Popish priest is troubled for comming to our Churches or the Christian that is carried with preposterous zeale is troubled for obeying the Magistrate in vsing his liberty in things indifferent in the desperate the euill of Conscience is the horrible tormenting of them beyond the bounds of the offence of Conscience and that in two things First in that it presents the wrath of God to them without the hope of mercy in Christ as did the Conscience of Cain Secondly in that it driues them to doe that against themselues which is desperately wicked as to make away themselues as the desperat Conscience of Iudas and Achitophel did Fourthly in some men there was a temporary goodnes in the Conscience of which they made shipwrack and so vtterly lost the goodnes they had for a time And thus many hypocrites doe that for a time get the forme of Religion euen into their Consciences but afterward falling into the immoderate loue of the world or the lust of some particular sinne fall cleane away from Religion and so lose the goodnes which they had 1. Tim. Chap. 1. verse 19. Thus of the differences of euill in the Consciences of diuers men the signes of an euill Conscience follow But before I giue the signes wee must take notice of a distinction and that is that the Conscience may haue euill in it and not bee an euill Conscience Conscience in this life in men regenerate is renewed and restored but in part and so may erre sometimes and in some cases and yet bee no euill Conscience As for instance in certaine weak Christians in the Primitiue Church who yet were godly men the Apostle shewes Romans 14. that some Christians for Conscience sake did refuse certaine meates and daies the Conscience erred in iudging those meates and daies to bee vnlawfull to be obserued and vsed and yet hee calls them that were so led by an erring Conscience hee calles them I say brethren But when wee speak of an euill Conscience we meane Conscience vnregenerate As a man may haue sinne in him and yet bee a good man so may Conscience haue blindnes in it and yet bee a good Conscience The signes of an vnregenerate Conscience may bee gathered from the differences of euill Consciences The signes then of an vnregenerate still Conscience are these First when it is quiet in the committing and after the committing of knowne sinne whether open or secret For open sins as for drunkennes swearing lying prophanation of the Sabbath and the like the Conscience cannot bee good when these or the like open wickednesses are cōmitted and so when it is quiet notwithstanding secret whoredome or filthines of any kinde or continuall wickednes in the thoughts or desires that Conscience that can abide a foule hart is a wicked Conscience Secondly when it excuseth for doing notorious euils and so they haue euill Consciences that could trouble and persecute euen to the death godly men and yet think they did God good seruice Iohn 16.2 The signes of an vnregenerate stirring Conscience are these First when the Conscience serues onely to tell ill newes when it serues to tell a man onely of his losse by Adam or the Law but neuer comforteth him by bringing-in any euidence of God's fauour in Christ. That Conscience that terrifies without Christ that is without mixing any of the comforts of the Gospell in Christ is an euill Conscience the speciall property of a good Conscience is to excuse and comfort and therefore that Conscience that doth onely accuse is an euill Conscience Secondly when the Conscience flees from the presence of God as did Adam's Conscience after the Fall and this the Conscience discouers when it dares not stand before the discouery of the Law of God nor dares abide a powerfull Minister that speaks to the Conscience of the hearers and ransacks them Thirdly when the Conscience languisheth about questions that tend not to edification and raiseth the strength of zeal and all the power of it about things that are lesse necessary either vnto faith or practice And this was the case of the Pharises Conscience that spent all their zeale about lesse matters and neglected the waightier things of the Law And this is the case of all such Christians that are zealous with a fiery zeal about circumstances or the estates and businesses of others and neglect the main things of substance that concern their owne sanctification assurance or saluation Fourthly when the Conscience is for men and not for God when the motiue that raiseth and incourageth it is the praise of men and not the praise of God This also was the case of the Consciences of the Pharises for the Conscience in them was busie and did require good duties but the respect was still the praise of men whereas a good Conscience is for God aboue all Fiftly when it will accuse onely for grosse euils and those knowne to others and not for lesse and secret sins to be repented of Sixtly when it will accuse onely in the time of aduersity as in the case of Ioseph's brethren Thus of the signes of an euill Conscience The misery that the men haue that haue an euill Conscience follows and they are miserable whether they haue a waking or a sleeping Conscience The misery that comes from a waking Conscience is euill and may bee two waies discerned First
companion a man hath all the dayes of his life It is euer with him and speakes good vnto him and comforts him A man that hath no company needes not be alone for hee may conuerse with much delight with his owne Conscience and it is the surest friend a man can haue For it will neither hurt him by flattery nor forsake him for any carnall respects and being an internall agent is out of the watch of all outward hindrances and is alwaies a messenger of good things to a man and fits him and fills him with peace that passeth all the vnderstanding of all men that want a good Conscience Secondly it giues a man assurance of the best treasures it makes a man certaine of his saluation For a good Conscience will not bee quiet till it know the loue of God and the promises of grace in Christ and the assurance that conscience giues is a better assurance than any man can haue for his lands or any estate on Earth because it is so highly honoured that God's owne Spirit doth not disdaine at any time to witnesse with it and to it Rom. 8.15 16. Thirdly by reason of that new acquaintance and affinity it hath with the holy Ghost it brings vs into a familiar friendship with God as being an immediat Agent with the holy Ghost in all things that concerne vs for God's Spirit treates with the Conscience and the Conscience treates with the Soule Fourthly it is a continuall bulwarke against the Diuel and all his fiery darts whether he tempt vs to sinne or to feare and doubting For so soone as the temptation is cast in a good Conscience by her reasoning presently throwes it out reseruing principles both of precept and promise alwaies in a readinesse to that end so as by contrarious reasoning within vs it both hinders vs from yeelding to sin and supports vs against all doubts and feares Prou. 28.1 Fiftly against all afflictions and disgraces and reproches of the World a good Conscience still comforts a man and makes him reioyce by the force of the testimony thereof 2. Cor. 1.12 So as it is most true that A good Conscience is a continuall Feast he neuer fares ill that hath a good Conscience Psalm 7.8 Pro. Acts 24.16 Rom. 9.10 Sixtly and the greater is the comfort of a good Conscience because it will comfort vs and stand by vs and for vs when all other comforts faile It will neuer leaue vs in sicknes or in death and so is better than a thousand friends or wiues or children yea it will go with vs to the Iudgement-Seat of Christ with this assurance that as a good Conscience speaks to vs now so will Christ speak to vs at that Day Rom. 2.16 Thus of the sorts or kindes of Consciences The last point is about the bond of Conscience what it is that can binde a mans Conscience and the doubt ariseth from this and other Texts because heer a seruant is bound in Conscience to submit himself to a froward master both to his command and to his punishments and other Scriptures speak of his obedience to Superiours for Conscience sake For answer heerunto wee must knowe that God and his Law haue power simply and absolutely to binde Conscience that is to vrge it to require obedience of a man or to accuse if he obey not or to excuse if he obey As for the authority of Masters or other Superiours it cannot reach to the Conscience properly for they haue no power to command or punish Conscience but that which ties Conscience to submit vnto them is the commandement of God in his Word in this and such like places And therefore hence wee may learn the difference between the power of mens lawes and the power of GOD's Word which difference will further appeare distinctly in many things First men may make many lawes either ecclesiasticall or ciuill which binde not at all yea which wee are bound not to keep as if they command a thing contrary to the Word of God and in that case it is better to obey God than men and Conscience is first bound to God Acts 5. Dan. 3. Now all God's Lawes binde Secondly if such as are next aboue vs in authority command vs any thing contrary to the lawes of the supreme Magistrate to whom they and wee are bound we are not tied to obey Thirdly mens lawes can onely binde vs to outward working or suffering they cannot make laws or inflict punishment vpon the hearts or mindes of men whereas God's Lawes enioyne obedience vpon the inward man as well as the outward and eternall punishment as well as temporary Fourthly the best laws of men where they bind most binde not by any immediate power of their owne but by fear of God's Word that enioyns vs to obey their lawfull authority Fiftly mens lawes euer binde with limitation that is with respect of the end of the law and the person of the law-maker and the offense of others and heerupon Diuines say If mens lawes be omitted so as the end of the lawes be not hindred that is that the Common-wealth be not damnified or other particular ends crossed or offense be not giuen as much as in vs lieth or the Law-giuer bee not despised or contemned the Conscience may not accuse a man of sinne Sixtly some Lawes of men are meerely penall note that I say meerely penall that is they are made about matters of lesse importance and not vttered precisely in commanding tearmes or so vttered that the Common-wealth is accounted by the Lawgiuer to bee sufficiently prouided for if the penalty bee inflicted Now hee that is ready to pay the fine or the penalty and doth not transgresse but in some case of necessary respect hee is not to bee charged with sinne before God And thus of Conscience and of the laying downe of the first reason The auouching of it followes in verse 20. Verse 20. For what glory is it if when you bee buffeted for your faults you shall take it patiently But if when you doe well and suffer for it you take it patiently this is acceptable with God WHere the Apostle makes it good that the best praise is to suffer wrongfully First by affirming that it is no true glory for a man to suffer for his faults and endure it Secondly by shewing that to suffer patiently for well doing is a thing verie acceptable to God That it is no true glory for a man to suffer for his faults that he endure it patiently hee expresseth in these words What glory is it if when yee bee buffeted for your faults you take it patiently Out of which words diuers doctrines may bee briefly noted Doct. 1. First that men of all sorts doe naturally affect glory or praise or reputation and are guided by it in their actions or sufferings euen the meanest sort of men set before themselues something which they glory in and according to which they order themselues as heere seruants euen of the worst
things in it I answer two things First that the sense can receiue onely the images of a few things that is only of such things as haue colour sound tast smell or touchable qualities but the minde can beget the images of all things Secondly that those images in the senses are dull and dark and confused in comparison of the likenes of things in the minde 12. In that he hath a will in choosing or refusing things good or euill that cannot bee compelled The liberty of the will is inseparable to it in what it chooseth or refuseth for it implies a contradiction that the will should be cōstraind 13. In that it hath in it that diuine thing which we call conscience which is giuen to the soule as a guardian as it were to attend it from God the effects whereof are admirable in vs for it testifies to our actions it accuseth or excuseth it comforts when wee haue well done aboue all outward comforts and it terrifieth and scourgeth the soule with vnexpressible afflictions many times for sin it is a Iudge witnes and executioner many times in vs. Now if the soule bee thus admirable in any estate for all these things are true of the reasonable soule euen in the estate of corruption then how excellent was the estate of man in respect of his soule before the Fall and how doth it excell in the godly who haue their soules enlightned with the light of faith and garnished with sauing graces but especially how shall it exceed in glory when it shall bee presented before God in the Kingdome of heauen So that as the whole man made in God's Image is as it were the visible God in this great world so the soule is as it were a little God in the lesser world which is the body of man And thus much of the faculties of the soule Now the end of al this follows The Lord made the soul endowed it with so excellēt a being so admirable faculties that so the Lord might in this visible world haue a creature that would know him and serue him rightly The creatures without sense are Gods workman-ship but discerne nothing of God or themselues or other things The creatures with sense discern other things by sense but know nothing of God Now God made man as the abridgement of all hee had made and gaue him this soule of purpose that hee might discerne God aright and serue and worship and praise him Vse 1. The consideration of the excellency of the soule and of the end why it was created should stirre vs vp to make conscience of the seruice and knowledge of God It is as if wee had neuer beene if wee answer not this end Wee should bee fired to the obseruation and praise of God and of his loue to man And withall it should make vs wonderfull carefull of our soules since wee see they are such excellent creatures Our soule is more worth then all this visible world besides Especially it should fire vs to a care of things that concerne the blessed Immortality of our soules wee should bee forced to all possible care of all such things as might bee prouision for the eternall well-being of our soules And in particular the excellency of the soule should disswade vs from fleshly lusts and all inward impurity by which the soule is defiled or wounded Hitherto of the description of the soule The war against the soule is now to be considered of Concerning which I propound these things to bee handled First who are the combatants Secondly by what waies and means the soule is assaulted and opposed Thirdly why God would suffer the soule to bee thus assaulted Fourthly what reason Christians haue to bee carefull of themselues and prouide against this warre Fiftly by what meanes wee must resist and defend the soule Sixtly what hope there is of victory Seuenthly how many waies wee may obtaine victory Eightthly by what signes we may knowe that wee are not ouercome And then the vse of the whole For the first there are foure kinds of warre waged against the soule as it is encountered by foure sorts of aduersaries For both God and the world and he diuell and the flesh warre against the soule of man briefely of the three first God warres against the soule either in earnest and in deed or in show and appearance and not as an aduersary in deed In earnest God fights against the soule by the threatnings and rebukes of his Word when hee smites and beates men downe by the word of his mouth Esay 11. and also by torments of conscience powred out vpon the wicked men and so hee fought against Cain and Iudas Sometimes God is but a putatiue aduersarie and doth but seeme to fight against them and so hee warreth against his owne seruants either by outward crosses or by disertion or by feare and terrour and thus hee fought against Iob And in this case God is like a Captaine trayning his souldiers or like a Fencer teaching his scholler to fight The world wars against the soule two waies by the inticements of profits pleasures honours euill counsell or example and by persecution either of the tongue or hand The diuell warres against the soule by euill doctrine or temptations or illusions But none of these three are principally intended heere it is the flesh that maketh warre against the soule that is heere meant By the flesh is meant the corruption that is in the nature of man called the old man and the Lawe of the members By the soule is heere meant the spirit or regenerate man the new man the grace of Christ in the soule Thus of the first point who are the combatants the flesh is the assaylant the Spirit the defendant For the second point the flesh incounters and warres against the soule diuerse waies and by strange kindes of fights as 1. By mists of ignorance it casts mists before the eies of the soule that it might bee blinded for there is a manifest combate between the naturall vnderstanding and the regenerate minde carnall reason and sauing knowledge often fight it out within a man 2. By doubtings and distractions and so the flesh casts out such questions as these as so many darts into the soule Whether there bee a God or the Scripture be the Word of GOD Whether Christ be the Sonne of God and our Mediator Whether it be the true Church wee are in or whether our sinnes be forgiuen or wee bee in the state of grace whether there shall bee any resurrection or heauen or hell or immortall Being of the soule Against all these the soule is driuen to make often defenses and driues them out with hard conflicts 3. By rebellious deniall of obedience to the law of the minde exalting it self against the obedience enjoyned by Christ to the soule Rom. 7. 2. Cor. 10. and casting out resolutions of deniall thoughts that say they ought not or wil not obey 4. By hindring the work
doo many notorious iniuries and abuses to their conscience by resisting the motions of conscience not knowing what to make of them and by smothering the scruples of conscience and by deading the conscience or else by vexing them and many other waies Thirdly God hath giuen men a great charge about the keeping of their consciences which he placed in their soules as a great treasure and God would haue it respected and looked to with as much care as any thing hee hath giuen vs 1. Tim. 1.19 Fourthly God doth require that men should get grace and goodnes into their consciences as well as into their hearts or words or liues which they can neuer doo if they be not taught Fiftly God's Word in all the directions and precepts of it doth binde oblige mens consciences to see to the obedience of them now what can conscience doo if men knowe not what belongs to their consciences and the natures and works of conscience But aboue all things it should awaken men to study the knowledge of conscience yea of their owne consciences if they consider that the conscience of euery man is one of the principall books shall bee opened at the last Day for euidence before the Tribunall Seat of Christ and therefore men were best to look about them in this world to see to it what is written in this book for it is indeleble and will stand vpon record either for them or against them at that Day Now concerning conscience diuers things are to bee considered First what conscence is Secondly what the work of conscience is Thirdly what the prerogatiues of conscience are Fourthly the kindes or sorts of consciences Last of all what it is that bindes the conscience which is to bee inquired into because men are inioyned to suffer wrongs patiently for conscience sake euen seruants from their Masters For the first To know what conscience is we must looke both to the Etymology of the word and to the definition of the thing The word conscience imports a knowledge with another Conscientia quasicum alia scientia Conscience that is science conioyned and the reason is because conscience is a thing in vs that knowes what wee haue done and therein ioynes with some other thing that knows it too Some of our actions conscience sees within and the Angels and men see them without but for our secret thoughts conscience is onely ioyned with God or with our owne mindes as they are ioyned with God Cōscience is a thing within vs which God hath plac't there of purpose to be his witnes or spy to discouer all wee think or do as it is ioyned with the mind of man it is the knowledge of what we know or the thinking of what we think To think of other things is the vnderstanding or mind but to think what wee think is the conscience of a man Or else conscience may bee called so because it is a concluding science Conscientia quasi concludens scientia and the reason of the tearme in that sense may bee thus because looke what discourse conscience hath with God or the minde of man it vttreth it by way of a Syllogisme which they call a practicall Syllogisme As for instance If the conscience speak within to a murtherer it speaketh by Syllogisme thus Euery murtherer is in a fearfull case but thou art a murtherer therefore thou art in a fearefull case Now that that reason which concludes thus in him is his conscience is most apparant For the mind giues onely the first part of the Syllogisme which is that a murtherer is in a fearefull case or that the mind sees either by the naturall principles planted in it or by the Scriptures The other branch the conscience takes out of the memory that is that thou hast committed murther now the concluding of both and applying them to the murtherer is the proper work of conscience and conscience is that within vs that so concludes vpon our actions Now for the definition of conscience omitting the diuersity of frames giuen by diuers men I expresse that which I take to bee the cleerer and fullest to shew vs what it is Conscience is a diuine facultie in the soule of all reasonable creatures applying the principles or propositions of their mind in their particular actions either with them or against them I say it is a faculty to note that it is more then the act or the habit of the minde iudging or determining For acts and habits may be lost but conscience cannot Besides the Scriptures shew that conscience doth act as it excuseth or accuseth and therfore must be a faculty it selfe and not the act of a faculty I say a faculty in the soule because I dare not assigne it or confine it to any part of the soule as they doe that make it a part of the vnderstanding for the vnderstanding hath no parts properly and to make it a part Analogically is not to bee borne in a definition as Logicians know I say moreouer it is in all reasonable creatures to note that beasts that haue onely a sensitiue soule haue no conscience And whereas God also is no creature therefore hee hath not conscience For God beeing holines it selfe needes no faculties to gouern himselfe by nor any conscience to witnes or prompt him And I say it is in all that none might imagine that some men haue a conscience and some haue none For euery man hath a conscience either good or bad Secondly the proper work of conscience is imported in the other words of the definition viz. applying the principles of the mind For the vnderstanding whereof wee must know that there are certaine notions or frames of truth planted in the mindes of all men being infused by God as a naturall Law in their minds shewing what is good or euill and those principles are increased in the mindes of such as haue the benefit of the Scripture more or lesse according to the degree of their knowledge Now that which conscience doth is this It repaires to these formes of truth or light in the minde and takes such of them as concerne the busines in hand and with the force of them either comforts or affrights men according as the occasion is Note that I say it is a diuine faculty I wanted a fit term to express my meaning for that I would vtter I say that it is a wonderful special faculty in vs It is a most celestiall gift conscience is so of God in man that it is a kind of middle thing between God and man lesse then God and yet aboue man So then Conscience concludes about a mans owne actions For if Conscience trouble it selfe about other mens actions it is either the weaknes or the error of cōscience I adde particular actions because Conscience neuer imployes it selfe properly about generals and lastly I adde for the successe or end It is either with a man or against him to note that
Conscience is such an Arbiter betweene God and vs that sometimes it speakes for God against vs and sometimes for vs to God But that wee may bee more distinctly informed about Conscience I therefore come to the second point which is to consider what Conscience can doe or how it is imployed in vs and Conscience is imployed both for GOD and for man which work I will consider first apart and then ioyntly For God then Conscience works diuersely and hath many offices vnder God and for God for it is Gods speciall spy set in the hart of man to watch him and his Intelligencer Notary to set down what man hath done It is God's hand-writing the Law of God written in our hearts or rather worketh by the help of that body of the Law written by the finger of God vpon the Tables of mens hearts It is a co-witnes with God Rom 9.1 It is also Gods Lieutenant and a great Commander placed within vs that seuerely requires homage and seruice to be done to God and especially diuerts man from ill directing him in the carefull manner of seruing of God For God will not accept any seruice that Conscience doth not order 2. Tim. 1.3 It is a taster for GOD in point of doctrine of Religion For all doctrines must bee brought to the Conscience to bee tried whether they bee of God or no 2. Cor. 4.2 And finally it makes a man endure griefe and suffer wrong for God and his glory as this Text imports For man Conscience is many waies imployed as first it is imployed in viewing and surueying the things of man especially the hidden things of man and heer the power of Conscience is wonderfull For other creatures may see the things without them but haue no power to see the things within them onely man hee hath a knowledge reflexed The eye of a man too can see other things but without a glasse it cannot see it self But now Conscience can discern it self and the whole actions of man and so it differs from Science or the knowledge of the minde for to knowe other things is science but to knowe our selues is Conscience The soule then by Conscience knowes it self it views the thoughts memory affections of the soule and can tell what we think desire loue feare hate c. Secondly in matters of Religion Conscience is specially imployed for instance both in the Word and the Sacraments For the Word the mystery of faith euen all the grounds of Religion they are laid vp and are in the keeping of Conscience 1. Tim. 3.9 And in Baptisme whereas God makes a couenant with vs and likewise requires a restipulation or promise on our part Conscience is heerin imployed and without Conscience God will do nothing in the businesse It was the forme in the Primitiue Times that the party which was to bee baptized was to bee examined before God whether hee did beleeue the question was Credis Doost thou beleeue And he was to answer Credo I doo beleeue Now this answer God would not take vnlesse the conscience would say that hee did beleeue as he said this is the answer A good conscience is mentioned 1. Pet. 3.21 Again a good conscience serues in all the offices of our life or affairs euen in all things to be a witnes if we do that which conscience thinks well to comfort vs and if we doo that which conscience thinks ill to discourage vs Rom. 2.15 and 9.1 Yea conscience is the guide of our liues We are heer pilgrims and strangers farre from our home and in iourney continually now GOD hath set consciences in vs to bee our guides that in all things we are to doo we may be directed and encouraged by conscience taking the direction and warrant of conscience as a speciall ground of our actions so as to do contrary to what conscience bids vs is a sinne for it doth not onely witnes about what is past but it directs vs about what is to come as now to be done But the principall work of Conscience whether we respect God or man is To keep Court in the heart of man There is in man Forum Conscientiae a Court of Conscience a secret Tribunall is set vp in the heart of man and therein sits Conscience and arraigneth accuseth bringeth witnesse sentenceth and doth execution Now concerning the iudgement of Conscience keeping an Assise in the heart of man two things are to be considered First the law by which Conscience iudgeth secondly the manner of the proceeding in iudgement For the first Conscience iudgeth of the actions of men by vertue of certain principles as I said before which it findeth in the vnderstanding gathered either from the Law of Nature or from experience of God's prouidence or from the Scriptures Now the manner how it proceeds in iudgement is in form of reasoning as I said before for in the minde the Conscience findes as it were a Book of Law written which is in the keeping of the faculty they call it in schools Synteresis from hence the Conscience takes the ground of reasoning and from the memory it takes euidence of the fact or state of the man that is arraigned and then by it self it iudiciously concludes and passeth Sentence and so it proceeds whether it condemn or absolue In the Iudgement of condemnation it proceeds thus First it cites or calls for the soule to be tried then it accuseth in this form out of the body of the law kept in the minde it takes the conclusion it means to work vpon and then vseth the memory to testifie of the fact as for instance Euery murderer is an offender thou art a murderer therefore thou art proued to bee an offender Then comes the Sentence in the same order Hee that commits murder without repentance shall be damned thou committest murder without repentance and therefore art a damned creature So likewise it proceeds in absoluing For euidence it proceeds thus He that hath such and such marks as godly sorrow the loue or fear of God c. hee is a childe of God but thou hast these marks therfore thou art a childe of God and then it goeth to Sentence Hee that is the childe of God shall bee saued but thou art prooued to bee the childe of God therefore thou shalt be saued Nor doth it rest in the Sentence but immediately doth it selfe begin the execution for laying hould vpon the guilty person it presently buffets him and terrifies him and pricks him at the very heart and gnawes him many times with vnspeakeable torments and tortures And so contrariwise in the Sentence of absolution it proceeds with comfort settleth and quieteth the hart of the Absolued and many times makes it able with ioy to stand vndanted against all the powers of hell and the world of which more afterwards when I come to intreat of the sorts of Conscience Obserue by the way the difference between the Court of Conscience within vs and mens Courts of