to bee handled A point wel worth our enquiring after A good Conscience is the most precious thing that a ChristiaÌ„ can haue a thing of that esteeme that where it is wanting we account a man without a conscience So of a man that hath an ill CoÌ„science we vse to say he is a man of no CoÌ„science Not that he hath no Conscience the Diuels themselues haue a Conscience and happy it were for them they had none but when a man hath not a good one we esteeme of him as hauing none at all There is no greater good we can seeke after then a good conscience Let vs enquire then how we may get and keepe this so great a good A good Conscience then consisting in Peace and Integrity these two being gotten and kept we shall get and keepe a good Conscience First then to make the Conscience peaceably good these things are required 1. Faith in Christ and his blood The Conscience cannot be at peace til it be purged from its guilt An impure Conscience cannot but be an vnquiet Conscience and every guilty Conscience is impure Guilt is the same to the conscience that the winds are to the seas Isa 27. 20. 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast vp mire and dirt There is no peace to the wicked Now that which makes the Sea so troublesome and ragingly restlesse is the violence of the blustering winds that trouble and tosse it to and fro The winds are not so troublesome to the sea as guilt is to the Conscience Therfore as the way to calme the Sea is to calme the windes so the way to quiet and calme the Conscience is to purge and take away the guilt Guilt is in the Conscience as Ionas in the Ship out with him and Sea and ship are both quiet But how then shall the guilt be purged out of the Conscience That we find Heb. 9. 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ purge our coÌ„sciences froÌ„ dead works We cannot haue a good conscience till we be freed from an euill one The way to be freed from an euill conscience is to haue our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience Heb. 10. 22. But what is that wherwith the CoÌ„science must be sprinckled to be made good with peace quietnes The same which we finde 1 Pet. 1. 2. The sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ and Heb. 12. 24. The blood of sprinkling which speakes better things then that of Abel So then the Conscience sprinckled with Christs blood ceases to be evill becomes good and peaceable The same Christ that calmed the rage of the Sea by stilling the winds Mark 4. 39. He arose rebuked the wind said vnto the Sea Peace be stil and the wind ceased and there was a great calme The same Christ it is that stils the rage of the conscience by taking and purging away the guilt therof with the sprinkling on of his blood His blood speakes Heb. 12. 24. And speakes not onely to God but speaks to the conscience The voyce which it speakes is Peace and be still the same voyce which to his Disciples after his resurrection Peace be with you then follows a great calme and peace makes the conscience good But here the conscience will inquire how it may come to get this blood sprinkled vpoÌ„ it to make it thus peaceably good and what is it that applies this calming blood of Christ I answer therefore That it is the grace of faith therefore it was sayd before that faith in Christs blood makes peace in the coÌ„science Faith is the hand of the soule and as the hyssop sprinckle by which Christs blood is sprinkled vpon our coÌ„sciences Heb. 10. 22. Let vs draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience And being iustified by faith we haue peace towards God Rom. 5. 1. Hence that coniunction of faith and a good conscience 1. Tim. 1. 5. of a good conscience of faith vnfained v. 19. Holding faith and a good conscience For faith it is that makes a good coÌ„science by making a quiet conscience Faith is not only a purifying grace Act. 15. 9. but it is also a pacifying grace Rom. 5. 1 It not onely purges our corruption by applying the efficacy of Christs blood but specially purges out guilt by applying the merit of his blood So that no faith no peace no peace no good conscience A defiled conscience can be no good conscience and what defiles the conscience See Tit. 1. 15. Vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing nothing is pure but even their minde and conscience is defiled They that be defiled haue their consciences defiled but how come they and their consciences so To them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing Therefore an vnbeleeuing conscience is a defiled conscience a defiled conscience is no good coÌ„science because it can haue no peace so long as it is clogged with defiling guilt But contrarily faith purifying not onely from corruption but from guilt by the application of Christs blood makes the conscience pure and peaceable both There can be no peace of conscience but where there is the righteousnâ—sse of the person There is no peace to the wicked Isa 57. 21. as if he should say an evil vnrighteous person caÌ„not haue a good conscience where the person is evill there the conscience cannot bee good Now faith in Christs blood makes a mans person good and so the coÌ„science becomes good It makes the person righteous and the person being righteous the conscience is at peace for the worke of righteousnes is peace and the effect of righteousnes quietnes and assurance for ever Isa 32. 17. with which that of the Apostle sweetly sutes Reu. 7. 2. First King of righteousnes and after that King of peace Our persoÌ„s must first find Christ a King of righteousnes by iustifying them from their guilt before our consciences can finde him King of Salem pacifying them from their vnquietnes Our persons once iustified by Christs blood froÌ„ their guilt and vnrighteousnes our consciences are pacified and freed from their vnquietnesse Wouldst thou then haue a good conscience Get the peace of Conscience Wouldst thou haue peace in thy conscience Get faith in thy soule Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and get thy soule sprinkled with his blood and then Heb. 10. 2. Thou shalt haue no more conscience of sin thy conscience shall be at quiet no more accusing thee nor threatning thee condemnation for thy sinne 2. Repentance from dead workes Though Christs blood be that which purges the conscience froÌ„ dead works and so workes peace yet that peace is not wrought in our apprehension neither do we get the feeling of this faith without some further thing Therefore to our faith must be ioyned our repentance though not in the making of our peace yet for the feeling of it Many are ready to catch at Christs
blood if that will make a good conscience they are then fafe enough But as thou must haue Christs blood so Christ wil haue thine heart also bleed by repentance ere he will vouchsafe the sense of peace A conscience therefore that would be a coÌ„science in hauing peace must not onely be a beleeuing but a repenting conscience Mat. 3. 2. Repent ye for the kingdome of heauen is at hand the kingdome of heauen shall be yours if you will repent ye shall haue it immediately vpon your repentance But wherein stands this kingdome offered to repentant consciences The kingdom of God stands in peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. Repent and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy Ghost Act. 3. 38. And what may that gift be The fruits of the spirit are loue ioy peace Gal. 5. 22. Which though it be to be vnderstood of peace between man man yet also that peace which is between God and man is the fruit of the Spirit the loue of God shed abroad into our hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5. 5. is the gift of the holy Ghost which he giues to all that by repentance seeke to get a good conscience Blessed are they that mourn that is which repent for they shal be comforted Mat. 5. they shall haue the peace of a good Conscience which is the greatest and sweetest comfort in the world Many doe trust all to their supposed faith as a short cut and a compendious way to a good coÌ„science but he whose faith doth not as well purifie the heart as pacifie it hath neither faith nor a good conscience It is idle to hope for peace by faith whilst thou livest impenitently in a sinfull course Thou canst haue no peace of conscience so long as thou hast peace with thy sinnes Peace with conscience will be had by warre with sin in the daily practise of repentance It is but a dreame to thinke of a good Conscience in peace whilest a man makes no conscience of sin They that haue a good coÌ„science by Christs blood may be indeed sayd to haue no Conscience of sinne as Hâ—b 10. 2. But yet there is a great difference between having no Conscience and making no Conscience of sinne To haue no Conscience of sinne is to haue a peaceable good conscience not accusing for sin being sprinkled with Christs blood To make no Conscience of sin is for a man impenitently to liue lye in any sin Now let any iudge whether these two can stand together that a man may liue as he list and make no Conscience of any sinne and yet haue such peace by faith as that he hath no Conscience of sin It is an vnconscionable thing in this sense to lay all vpon Christ an vnconscionable request to haue him take away our guiltines and yet wee would wallow in our filthines still How shall faith remooue the sting when repentance remooues not the sinne MeÌ„ seeking peace by faith in Christs blood and yet liuing and lying in their sinnes without repentance God will giue them Iehues answere to Iehoram 2 King 9. 22. What peace so long as the whoredomes of thy mother lezebel her witchcrafts are so many So what peace of Conscience so long as thine oaths Sabbath-breaches whordomes drunkennes c. do remaine remaine vnrepented of and vnreformed It is true of all sinne which is spoken of Romish Idolatry Apoc. 14. 11. They haue no rest day nor night that is no peace of Conscience to any of that religion so of all that liue in any sinne they haue no true rest day or night that is as Isaiah interprets it There is no peace to the wicked Peace and wickednes liue not together vnder one roofe Wouldst thou then haue a peaceable heart Get an humbled a mourning and a repentant heart for sin The lesse peace with sin the more peace with God and our own Consciences 3. The constant and conscionable exercise of prayer An excellent means to helpe vs to the sense of that peace which makes the Conscience good He that hath a good Conscience wil make Conscience of prayer And prayer will helpe to make a good Conscience better Philip. 4. 7. In euery thing by prayer supplication with thanksgiuing let your requests be made knowne vnto God and marke what shall be the fruite thereof And the peace of God that passes al vnderstanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Iesus Christ See Iob 33. 26. Hee shall pray vnto God and he will be fauourable vnto him he shall see his face with ioy It is many times with mens Consciences as it was with Saul he was vexed and disquieted with an euill spirit but Davids Harpe gaue him ease Praier is a Davids Harpe the musicke whereof sweetly calmes composes a distempered and disquieted Conscience and puts it into frame againe As in other disquiets of the heart after prayer David bids his soule returne vnto her rest Psal 116. 4. 7. So may we in these disqâ—iets of Conscience doe no lesse The way to get a good peaceable conscience is to haue acquaintance with God and when we haue acquaintance with him then shall wee haue peace Iob 22. 21. Acquaint thy selfe now with him and be at peace Now acquaintance is gotten with God by prayer Zech. 13. 9. They shall call on my Name and I will heare them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God Loe how in prayer acquaintance is bred betweene God and his people and acquaintance breedes lone and peace and peace a good conscience Iudge then what pitious Consciences they must needs haue that make so little Conscience of seeking God in this duty of wicked ones the Psalm speaks They call not vpon God Psal 14. as much as Isaiah sayes There is no peace to the wicked they are vtterly voyd of good Conscience CHAP. V. Integritie of Conscience how procured ANd thus wee haue seene how the Conscience may bee good for peace It followes to consider how it may become vprightly good with the goodnes of Integritie The goodnesse of Integrity is gotten and kept by doing fiue things 1. Walke and liue as Paul in this text Before God Set thy selfe euer in all thy wayes as in the sight and presence of God who is the Iudge Lord of conscience Of Moses it is sayd that he saw him that was inuisible Heb. 11. 27. Therfore it is that men walk with such loose and evill Consciences because they thinke they walke invisibly And they thinke that God sees not them because they see not God An vpright Conscience is a good conscience and this is the way to get an vpright one Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be vpright To haue God alwaies in our eye wil make vs walke with vpright hearts So Psal 119. 168 I haue kept thy precepts and thy testimonies that is in effect I haue kept a good conscience but how came hee to
you scorned the feast of a good Conscience and therefore now the feast and guests of heauen scorne you here is no roome for such to feast here who haue made their consciences fast heretofore CHAP. XIIII A third and a fourth motiue to a good Conscience COme wee now to a third motiue The third motiue to a good Conscience that may yet helpe to stirre vp our mindes to this necessary dutie of getting and keeping of a good conscience Besides what hath been sayd it is worthy of our consideration that without a good Conscience all our actions yea our very best services to God are â—o farre from goodnes and acceptance that they are abominable and distatefull vnto the Lord. The formall goodnesse of every mans actions is to bee iudged and esteemed by the goodnes of his Conscience which being evill and defiled makes all a mans actions to be such 1 Tim. 1. 5. The ende of the commandement is loue But what kinde of love doth the commandement require will any shewes or shadowes of obedience serue the turne will the bare dutie doing passe for currant No but such loue to God and man and such performance of obedience as proceedes from a pure heart and a good Conscience So that let a man doe all outward actions of obedience yet iâ— a good Conscience bee wanting all is nothing For the ende of the Commandement is loue out of a good Conscience As is a mans consciencâ— so are all his workes and therefore nothing acceptable that a wicked man doth be cause he doth it with an ill conscience To the pure all things are pure but to the defiled their Conscience is defiled and that being defiled it defiles all it meddles with as vnder the Law the Leper defiled all he touched The best meate disht and dressed with defiled dirty hands is loâ—n some to vs. The honest workes of a mans calling are good workes in themselues but no good workes to him that doth them without a good conscience Pro â—1 4. An high looke and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is sinne The calling of husbandry is counted the most honest calling of all others yet where a good conscience is wanting a mans very plowing is sinne Come to holy duties of Religian and Gods seruice and how is it with a man wanting a good Conscience in them That curse of Davidss Psal 109. 8. Let his prayer be turned into sinne lies vpon the seruices of all evil consciences See Pro. 15. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked that is of him that hath an evill Conscience is an abomination but the prayer of the vp right that is of a man that hath a good and vpright Conscience is his delight Obserue the opposition Hee sayes not the prayer of the wicked and the praier of the vpright nor the sacrifice of the wicked and the sacrifice of the vpright but the sacrifice of the wicked and the prayer of the vpright A sacrifice had prayer with it but yet it was more sumptuous and more solemne then fingle prayer Now who would not thinke but such cost should make a man welcome yet the single prayer of the vpright is accepted whilest this sacrifice is an abomination yea and that a vile abomination Isa 66. 3. A man of evill Conscience delighting in his abominations makes his holiest seruices such Let such an one come to the Sacraments and how will it be with him there even as in the former To the impure even the pure Sacraments are impure Simon Magus rather defiles the waters of baptisme then they clense him and it is not carnall baptisme that avayles any thing without the answere and stipulation of a good Conscience 1 Pet. 3. 21. And for the Sacrament of the Supper whether doth it profit an vncleance Conscience or such a Conscience pollute it It may be iudged by a like case resolued Hag. 2. 11. 14. The vncleane pâ—â—son by a dead body touching the Bread or Wine or Oyle makes these to be vncleane The ceremoniall vncleannesse by the touch of a dead body typified the morall vncleannesse of an euill conscience vnpurged from dead workes God lookes specially at the Conscience in all our seruices and if hee findes that foule and filthy hee throwes the dung of mens sacrifices in their faces that come with the dung of their filthy Consciences before his face See therefore how Paul serues God 2 Tim. 1. 3. Whom I serue from my forefathers with pure Conscience It is an impure seruice that is not performed with a pure Conscience as slight as the world makes of purity How much more shall the blood of Christ purge your Consciences from dead workes Heb. 9. 14. But to what end are they purged To serue the liuing God Therefore mark that till the Conscience bee purged and made good there is no seruing of God So Heb. 10. 22. Let ve draw neere that is in prayer and the like duties But how Hauing our hearts sprinckled fâ—om an euill Conscience Otherwise it is but a folly for vs to draw neere for God will not be neer when a good conscience is far off And therefore we are bid to purifie our hearts when we are bid draw nigh to God Iam. 4. 8. Behold here then a speciall motiue to make a good Conscience beautifull in our eye As we would be loath our services of God our prayers holy performances should bee abominable in Gods eye so labor for good consciences As we would haue comfort in all our duties of obedience so labour to make our conscience good It is a great deale of confidence that silly ignorant ones haue in their good prayers their good seruing of God as they call it yea it is all the ground of their hope of saluation when they are demanded an account of their hope Now alas your good prayers your good seruing of God! Why what doe you talking of these things Hath Christ purged your Consciences from dead workes Haue you by faith got your Consciences sprinkled and wrinced in Christs bloud and so haue ye made them good If not neuer talke of good prayers and good seruing of God your prayers cannot bee good whilest your Consciences are naught An euill Conscience before God and a good seruice to God cannot stand together But would you haue your prayers good indeed and your seruice acceptable indeed Then let your first care be to make your Consciences good Fourthly let this worke with vs as a The fourth motiue to a good Conscience maine motiue to a good Conscience That is the Ship and the Arke wherein the faith is preserued The faith is a rich commodity a precious fraight and a good Conscience is the bottome and the vessel wherein it is carried So long as the Ship is safe and good so long the goods therein are safe but if the Ship split vpon the Rockes or haue but a leake therein then are all the goods therein in danger of being lost
name of a person of an euill Conscience prefixed before a booke of good Conscience I desired a Patron sutable to my subiect I presume the very subiect shall make the Treatise welcome to you Be you pleased to affoord your acceptaÌ„ce as I will affoord you my poore prayers that the Lord who hath already set vpon your head the crowne of the elders Childrens Children Prou. 17. 6. and one crowne of glory here Pro. 16. 31. on earth Age found in the wayes of righteousnes would also in his due time giue you that incorruptible crowne of righteousnesse and eternall glory in the heavens which that righteous Iudge shall giue to you and to all those that in the waies of a good Conscience waite for the blessed appearance of the Lord Iesus Your Worships in all Christian observance IER DYKE The Contents of this TREATISE The Text containes three Maine heads 1. Maine head Pauls Protestation of a good Conscience where fiue things considered 1. What Conscience is 2. What a good Conscience is It is good with a two-fold goodnesse 1. With the goodnesse of Integritie this Integritie is threefold 1. When being rightly principled by the Word it sincerely iudges and determines of good evill 2. When it doth excuse for good and accuse for evill 3. When it vrges to good and restraines from evill 2. With the goodnes of Tranquilitie Peace Here three sorts of Conscience discouered not to be good viz. 1. The Ignorant Conscience 2. The Secure Conscience 3. The Seared Conscience 3. The meanes of getting and keeping a good Conscience 1. To get and keepe the Conscience good peaceably or with the goodnesse of peace three things required 1. Faith in Christs bloud 2. Repentance from dead works 3. The Conscionable exercise of Prayer 2. To get and keepe the Conscience Good with the goodnesse of Integritie and to haue it vprightly good fiue things required viz. 1. Walking before God 2. Framing ones Course by the Rule of the Word 3. Frequent examination of the Conscience 4. Hearkning to the voice of ConscieÌ„ce 5. In cases of questionable nature to take the surest and the safest side 4. The markes and notes of a good Conscience and they be seauen 1. To make Conscience of all sinnes and duties 2. To make Conscience of small sinnes and duties 3. To affect a Ministry that speakes to the Conscience 4. To doe dutie and avoide sinne for Conscience sake 5. Holy Boldnesse 6. To suffer for Conscience 7. Constancie and Perseuerance in Good 5. The Motiues to a good Conscience and they are fiue 1. The incomparable Comfort and Benefit of it in all such Times and Cases as all other Comforts fayle a man and wherein a man stands most in neede of Comfort These Cases or Times are fiâ—e 1. The Time and Case of Disgrace and Reproach 2. The Time of Common feare and Common Calamitie 3. The Time of Sickenesse or other crosses 4. The Time of Death 5. The Time and day of Iudgement 2. That a good Conscience is 1. A Feast for 1. Contentment and satisfaction 2. Ioy and Mirth 3. Societie 2. Better then a feast for 1. The Continuance 2. Independencie 3. Vniuersalitie 3. Without a good Conscience all our best duties are naught 4. It is the Ship and Arke of Faith 5. The misery of an euill one 1. In this world in respect of 1. Feare 2. Perplexity 3. Torment 2. In the world to come 2. Maine Head Ananias his insolent Iniunction Whereout is observed 1. What is the respect a good Conscience findes in the world 2. The impetuous Iniustice of the enemies of good Conscience 3. Who commonly be the bitterest Enemies of good Conscience 4. That Vsurpers are Smiters 5. What is a said forerunner of a Nations Ruine 3. Maine Head Pauls Answer and Contestation Whereout is observed 1. That Christian Patience muzzles not a good Conscience from pleading it own Innocency 2. The severitie of Gods Iudgements vpon the enemies and smiters of good Conscience 3. The equitie of Gods administration in his execution of Justice A Table of the severall Chapters of this Treatise Chapter I. The Introduction to the Discourse following Folio 1 Chapter II. Conscience Described 10 Chapter III. A good Conscience what it is False ones discouered 24 Chapter IV. Peace of Conscience how gotten 43 Chapter V. Integrity of Conscience how procured 56 Chapter VI. Two further meanes to procure Integritie of Conscience 69 Chapter VII Two markes of a good Conscience 86 Chapter VIII Three other Notes of a good Conscience 106 Chapter IX The two last Notes of a good Conscience 121 Chapter X. The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience in the case of Disgrace and Reproach 150 Chapter XI The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience in the times of common feares and calamities and in the times of sickenesse and other personall evils 171 Chapter XII The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience at the dayes of Death and Iudgement 192 Chapter XIII A second Motiue to a good conscience That is a continuall Feast 210 Chapter XIV A third and fourth Motiue to a good Conscience 235 Chapter XV. The last Motiue to a good Conscience viz. The miserie of an euill one 250 Chapter XVI The portion and respect that a good Conscience findes in the world 272 Chapter XVII The impetuous Iniustice and malice of the Aduersaries of a good Conscience 286 Chapter XVIII The severitie of Gods Iustice vpon the enemies of good Conscience and the vsuall equitie of Gods Administration in his executions of Iustice 299 GOOD CONSCIENCE ACTS 23. 1. And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell said Men and brethren I haue liued in all good Conscience vntill this day 2 And the high Priest Ananias commanded them that stood by to smite him on the mouth 3. Then said Paul vnto him God shall smite thee thou whited wall CHAP. I. The Introduction to the Discourse following THere is no complaint so general as this that the world is Naught His experience is short and slender which will not iustifie the truth of this Complaint And what thinke we may the Cause be of the generall wickednes of our Times Surely nothing makes Ill Times but Ill men and nothing makes Hâ—minum sunt ista noÌ„ Temporum Senec. ep 98 Ill Men but Ill Consciences Ill Conscience is the source the fountaine froÌ„ whence come all Iniquities which make Times heere so ill How well should he deserue that could amend Ill times There is a course if it would be taken that would doe the deed and so cease the common Complaint Elishaes course must be taken in the healing of the waters of Iericho They say of their waters as wee of our Times The water is naught and the ground barren 2. King 2. 19. What course now takes Elisha for the healing of the waters He went out vnto the spring of the waters and cast the Salt in there ver 21. So the waters were healed vers 22.
good yet their consciences are far short of goodnes because they are not good before God the Iudge of conscience Whilest conscience is made only of the Capitals of the second Table or of the externals ceremonials of the first which duty is not done out of obedience to God his Commandements but a mans selfe either in his gaine or in his prayse is sought base ends are the first mouers to good duties here the conscience what euer applause it hath from or before men for it goodnesse yet of God shall not be so esteemed For that is not a good conscience which is one outwardly but which is one inwardly whose prayse is not of men but of God And that hath its prayse of God which is before God 4. From his continuance constancie vntill this day To begin a good life and course and to liue in all good conscience that before God are excellent things but yet one thing is wanting to make vp this goodnesse compleate To bee so for a day or some dayes will not serue but when a man can say at his last day I haue liued in al good conscience vntill this day that man may bee safely iudged to haue a good conscience indeed Thus in these foure particulars doth the goodnes of Pauls conscience appeare It is not my purpose to confine my selfe to keepe me within these bounds alone but to take a larger latitude within the compasse whereof I will bring both those forenamed and all other materiall points which this protestation doth afford CHAP. II. Conscience described THe maine subiect of this protestation and the ayme of this following discourse being concerning a good conscience for the more orderly handling thereof consider these specialls 1. What Conscience is 2. What a good Conscience is 3. How a good conscience may bee gotten and kept The meanes of it 4. How a good conscience may bee knowne The markes of it 5. The motiues to get and keepe a good conscience 1. What conscience is It may be thus described Conscience is a power and faculty of the soule taking knowledge and bearing witnesse of all a mans thoughts words actions accordingly excusing or accusing absoluing or condemning comforting or tormenting the same I know there be other definitions giuen by others more succinct and neat but I rather chuse this though it may bee not altogether so formall to the rules of Art The rules of â—oue and profit many times may make bold to dispence with rules of Art So I may be profitable I care the lesse to bee artificiall It may suffice that this description is answerable to that Auditory for whose sake it was first intended A plaine familiar description agrees well enough with such a people For the better conceiuing of it let it be taken in pieces and euery parcell viewed seuerally It is a faculty or power of the soule It is therefore called the Heart 1. Iohn 3. 20. If our heart condemne vs. Eccl. 7. 22. Thine owne heart knowes that thou thy selfe likewise hast cursed others that is thine own conscience knowes It is also called the spirit of man 1. Cor. 2. 11. For what man knowes the things of a man saue the spirit of man which is in him And Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit it selfe beares witnesse with our spirit that is with our coÌ„science Not that conscience is a spirit distinct from the substance of the soule as Origen mistooke but because it is a faculty of the soule therefore the name that is oft giuen to the soule is giuen to it If it bee asked in what part of the soule this faculty is placed wee must know that Conscience is not confined to any one part of the soule It is not in the vnderstanding alone not in the memory will or affections alone but it hath place in all the parts of the soule according to the seuerall parts thereof hath seuerall Offices or Acts. Taking knowledge Eccle. 7. 22. Thine owne heart knowes Conscience is placed in the soule as Gods spy mans superiour and ouerseer an inseperable companion that is with a man at all times and in all places so that there is not a thought word or worke that it knowes not and takes not notice of So that that which Dauid speakes of God himselfe Psal 139. 3. 4. Thou compassest my heart my lying downe and art acquainted with all my wayes for there is not a word in my tongue but loe thou knowest it altogether Whither shall I goe from thy spirit If I ascend vp to heauen c. The same may bee also said of conscience Gods deputy it is acquainted with all our waies not a motion in the minde not a syllable in the mouth to which it is not priuy yea it is thus inseperably present with vs not only to see but also to set downe to register to put downe vpon Record all our thoughts words and workes Conscience Nam quocunque me verto vitia mea me sâ— quuntur vbicuÌ„que vado conscientia mea menon deserit se praesens adsistit quicquid facio scribit Idcirco quanquam humana subterfugiaÌ„ iudicia iudicium propriae consc fugere non valeâ— Et si hominiê° celo qucd egi mihi tameÌ„ qui noui maluÌ„ quod gessi celare nequeo Ber. de Inter. Dom. c. 31. is Gods Notary and there is nothing passes vs in our whole life good or ill which coÌ„science notes not down with an indeleble character which nothing can raze out but Christs blood Conscience doth in this kinde as Iob wishes in another Iob 19. 23. 24. Oh that my words were now written Oh that they were printed in a booke That they were grauen with an iron pen and laid in the rocke for euer Conscience prints and writes so surely so indelebly yea it writes mens sins as Iudah his sin was with a pen of Iron with the poynt of a diamond and they are grauen vpon the Table of their hearts Ierem. 17. 1. Conscience doth in our pilgrimage as trauellers in their iourney it keepes a Diary or a iournall of euery thing that passes in our whole course it keepes a booke in which it hath a mans whole life pend In regard of this office conscience is placed in the memory is the Register and Recorder of the soule And bearing witnesse This wee finde Rom. 2. 15. their conscience also bearing witnesse Rom. 9. 1. My conscience also bearing me witnesse 2. Cor. 1. 12. The testimony of our conscience And this the end of the former office of the conscience For therefore is it exact punctuall in setting downe the particulars of a mans whole life that it may bee a faithfull witnesse either for him or against him For a faithfull witnes cannot lye Pro. 14. 5. This office it is ready to doe at all times of tryall affliction and Peccatâ— mea celare non possum quoniaÌ„ quocuÌ„que vado consc mea mecum est secum
qui iudicarent qui puniret consc quippe est accusatrix memoria testis ratio Iudex timor carnifex Ber. hom de villi iniq 22. Or else it lookes at the good or euill of things past present to come If thngs past or present seeme good it excuses if euill it accuses and bites Rom. 2. 15. If things to bee done seeme good it excites vrges and bindes to the doing thereof If euill it vrges and bindes there from Now according to these seuerall acts there follow in vs diuers affections ioy hope feare grief and the like The whole processe of the worke of Conscience falls within the frame of a practicall Syllogisme as for example Euery one that sinnes in betraying innocent ConscieÌ„tia Synteresis est qua victi voluptatib vel furore ipsaque interdum rationis decepti similitudine nos peccare sentimus Hieronym in Eccl. cap. 1. blood is worthy of Gods wrath But I saith Iudas haue sinned in betraying innocent blood therefore I am worthy of Gods wrath Here the Maior is knowledge practicall the rule and law by which Conscience keepes her Court This is Synteresis The Minor that is Syneidefis the proper Synteresis est promptuarium principâ—oruÌ„ seu regularum practicarum eius officiuÌ„ est regulas legis diuinae proferre coÌ„scien subministrare vt illarum ope possit censorem agere de propriis actionib Alsted Theol. Cas cap. 2. worke of conscience applying that knowledge and generall rule for a mans particular estate or action Here Conscience witnesses concerning the fact iudges of the quallity of it and accordingly accuses or excuses The Conclusion is the sentence of Conscience absoluing or condemning and accordingly cheering or stinging comforting or tormenting a man CHAP III. A good Conscience what it is false ones discouered VVHat Conscience is wee haue seene The second thing considerable is what a good Conscience is The Conscience that is good must bee good with a double goodnesse 1. With the goodnesse of Integrity 2. With the goodnes of Tranquility Vprightnesse and Peace these two are required to the constitution of a good Conscience First it is good with the goodnes of Integrity when it is an vpright conscience This is that which Paul cals A pure Conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. which phrase a man would almost thinke in his conscience that the holy Ghost vsed on set purpose to stop the mouth of the iniquity of the later times that should seeke to disgrace all good Conscience with the sarcasme of puritie Now the Conscience is good with this goodnesse of Integritie and puritie three wayes 1. When it being informed rightly principled by the word of God the only rule and binder of Conscience it doth truly sincerely Iudge and determine euill to be euill and good to be good As contrarily the conscience is sinfully euill when it doth not determine that to be euill which is euill nor that to be good which is good but cals euill good and good euill Such as are the Consciences of Ignorant persons who wanting the knowledge of Gods word and hauing their consciences blinded through ignorance are not able to iudge of good and euill nor to discerne determine which is which So that knowledge is necessarily required to the goodnesse of Conscience Rom. 15. 14. Ye also are full of goodnesse filled with all knowledge The conscience cannot be good where the soule is naught and that the soule bee without knowledge it is not good Prov. 19. 2. 2. When it doth excuse for that which is good and accuse for that which is euill being sanctified by the spirit of grace for the accusation of conscience though it follow vpon sin yet it is not sinfull and euill in it selfe but onely painefull and troublesome and so opposed to the goodnesse of peace not to the goodnes of vprightnes according to that trite distinction of Bernard of a good conscience and not quiet and a quiet conscience and not good It is the propertie of a Conscience vprightly good to accuse vpon any sinne committed As contrarily the conscience is sinfully euill when it doth not excuse for good nor accuse for euill The superstitious person omitting his fopperies should be excused by his conscience whereas he rather receiues blame from his conscience therefore his conscience is sinfully euill The secure persons conscience is naught because he hauing committed sinne his Conscience is silent lets him alone and brings in no accusation against him therefore it is sinfully euill It is a witnesse that hath seene and knowne euill and doth not vtter it therefore it shall beare its iniquitie Levit. 5 1. 3. When it doth incite and vrge vs to doe good and doth stay and hinder from euill It is vprightly good when it spurs to good bridles from euill Heb. 13. 18. For wee are assured that wee haue a good Conscience viz. A Conscience that is neither silent to perswade to that which is good or diswade from that which is euill If a man goe about or bee ready to yeeld to any thing that is sinfull how will it muster vp legions of Arguments how will it wrestle and struggle with a man It will say as Abner to Ioab 2 Sam 2 26. Knowest thou not that it will be bitternes in the latter end or as Abigail to Dauid 1 Sam. 25. 31. It shall be no griefe nor offence of heart vnto thee another time not to haue done this euill If a man be negligeÌ„t or carelesse and drowsie in good duties it comes to him with that voyce Ephes 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest or with that Isa 30. 21. This is the way walke in it When it doth thus it is vprightly good Contrarily it is sinfully euill when it doth not incite vs to that which is good nor hinder vs from doing euill This is a dead and a seared conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. Hauing their consciences seared with an hot yron 2. It is good with the goodnesse of Tranquility And that is when the conscience is at Peace and doth not accuse vs because it hath not wherewith to accuse vs either because not guilty of such or such a particular fact 1 Cor. 4. 4 I know nothing by my selfe or else because it is assured of pardon in the blood of Christ by which we come to haue no more Conscience of sins Heb. 10. 2 That is no more Conscience to accuse or condemne for sinne it being done away in the bloud of Christ And this is the purged Conscience Heb. 9. 14. which brings Hope Ioy Comfort and Confidence with it 2 Cor. 1. 12. This is our reioycing the testimony of our Conscience Then is the Conscience good when it is peaceable As contrarily then is it euill painefully euill when it is turbulent and troublesome in the accusations thereof and binds ouer to Iudgement and so leaues vs in shame feare perplexity and griefe 1 Ioh. 3. 20. If our heart coÌ„demne vs. This is a wounded a troubled
in this case are guilty of a double wickednesse Either they deale as the Iewes with the Apostles Act. 4. 18. and 1 Thes 2. 16. They either stop Consciences mouth and labour to silence this Preacher or else they deale with Conscience as the Iewes did with Stephen Acts 7. 57. They stopped their eares If they cannot stop Consciences mouth they will at least stoppe their owne eares 1. They labour to stoppe Consciences mouth If conscience beginne to take them aside and to say to them as Ehud to Eglon Iudg. 3. 19. I haue a secret errand vnto thee they answer but in another sense as hee did Keepe silence If conscience offer to be talking to them they shuffle it off as Felix did Paul they are not at leasure they will finde some other time when their leasure will better serue Yea many when their conscience reproaches them they againe reproach and reproove it and answere it as the Dauites did Micah Iudges 11. 23. What ayleth thee and are ready to giue reproachfull language to their owne Conscience that it cannot be quiet and let them alone 2 But yet conscience will not oftentimes bee thus posted and shuffled off she wil not be gagged or suffer her lips to be sown vp but wil deale with a man as the woman of Canaan did with our Saviour Math. 15. She would not be put off with neglect or crosse answers but she still presies vpon our Sauiour growes so much the more importunate So ofteÌ„times conscience wheÌ„ she sees men shuffle growes the more importunate and will dog and haunt men so much the more Yea it deales like the blind men Math. 20. 31. who when the multitude rebuked them they cryed the more Now then when Conscience growes thus clamorous and will not be silenced then they will stoppe their owne eares that if it will needs be prating it shall but tell a tale to a deafe man To this end men put a double tricke vpon their Consciences 1. Sauls tricke Saul is vexed with an evill spirit What must be the cure seeke him out a minstrell Thus many when the cry of Conscience is vp betake them to their merriments iollities They try whether the noyse of the Harps and Viols and the roarings of good fellowes will not drowne the voyce and noyse of Conscience They will try whether the dinne of an Ale-house or the ratling and clattering of the Dice and Tables cannot deaf their cares against the clamours of Conscience Thus do many in the accusations of Conscience giue themselues wholly vp to all manner of pleasures delights that so their minds beeing taken vp with them there might be no leisure to giue conscience any the least audience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in 1. ed Cor. hom 7. 2. Cains tricke Cain had a marke of God vpon him Gen 4 15. And what might that mark be Chrysostom thinks it was a continuall shaking and trembling of his body If that were his marke why might not that trembling come from the horrour of his guilty conscience following him with a continuall hue and cry for murther reproaching him for a bloudy murtherer How-euer no question but his Conscience continually haunted him and the cry of blood was euer in his ears Now then what course takes he ye shall see Gen. 4. 17. that hee falles a building of Cities betakes himselfe to a multitude of imployments that the noyse of the sawes axes and mallets might be lowder then the noyse of his conscience If Conscience bee out of quiet with them and will not cease to vrge and pinch them then haue among their sheep oxen that their bleaâ—ing and bellowing may keepe vnder the voyce of conscience they do so possesse their heads and their thoughts and so overload them with much dealings in the world that there is no spare time wherein their care can be free to heare the voyce of Conscience The clutter of their many businesses make too great a noyse for Conscience to haue audience They deal with their consciences as the Ephesians dealt with Alexander Act. 19. 33. 34. And Alexander beckned with the hand and would haue made his defence vnto the people But when they knew that he was a Iew all with one voyce about the space of two houres cryed out Great is Diana of the Ephesians If Alexander had had neuer so good lungs strong sides hee might haue strayned his voyce till he had crazed the organs of language and might haue spoken till he had been hoarse againe before hee could haue been heard to haue spoken one syllable though he had spoken all the reason in the world Such a noyse of an outragious bellowing multitude had bin almost enough to haue drowned the voice of a Canon Thus deale men with their conscience if shee but prepare to speake and giue but a becke with the hand presently thrust themselues into a crowd of businesse that may out-cry and ouer-cry the bawling noyse thereof It was an hideous noyse that the shriking infants of Israel made when they were offered vp aliue in fire vnto Moloch Now lest their parents bowels should earne with compassion and be affected with the shrikes of their poore babes therefore they had their Drummes and Trumpets strucke vp and sounded in the time of sacrifice to make such a noyse that in no case the lamentable cries of the infants should be heard The same tricke doe too many put vpon their consciences if they wil be clamouring they will haue some Drum or other whose greater noyse may deafe their eares from hearing the cryes of conscience But alas what poore Proiects are these The time will come when men shal haue neither pleasures nor profits neither delights nor businesse to stop their eares Though now men beat vpon these Drumme-heads and with the noise of their pleasures profits keepe conscience voyce vnder from beeing heard Yet the day will come when God will beat out these Drum-heads and then the cries horrid hideous shrikes of Conscience shall be heard God will one day strip thee of all thy pleasures and employments and will turne thee single and loose to thy Conscience and it shall haue full liberty to bait thee and byte thee at pleasure Oh how much better to bee willing to hearken to the voyce of Conscience here then to be forced to heare it in hell when the time of hearkening will be past and gone Hearken to it now thou shalt not heare it hereafter Hearken to the admonitions and reproofes of it now and thus shalt thou get Integrity here and shalt bee free from hearing the dolefull clamours of it in hell hereafter 5. To get and keepe a good Conscience euer in cases of a doubtfull and questionable nature be sure to take the surest side Many things are of a questionable nature and much may be sayd on either side in such cases if thou wouldst haue a good Conscience take the surest side that side on which
Lord in eating with the blood Hee would haue the people make Conscience of eating with the blood and indeed it was a thing to bee made Conscience of I but he that makes Conscience of eating the flesh of Sheepe and Oxen with the blood like a bloody hearted tyrant as he was he makes no Conscience of sucking and shedding the blood of fourescore and fiue of Gods Priests Iust the conscience of his blood-hound Doeg 1. Sam. 21. 7. Doeg was there that day deteyned before the Lord. How deteyned eyther out of a religious Conscience of the Sabbaths or by occasion of a vow the man made conscience of going before the Sabbath were ended or the dayes of his vow finisht A thing indeed to be made conscience of men ought not to depart from Gods house till holy seruices be finisht a dutie that even the Prince must make conscience of Ezek. 46. 10. Who therefore would not iudge this Edomite a conscionable Proselyte I but why then makes hee no conscience of lying Psa 25. Why no conscience of being instrumentall to Sauls Iniustice in that barbarous villany of slaying not onely innocent men but innocent Priests of the Lord Such were the consciences of the chiefe Priests Mat. 27. 6. How like honest conscionable men they speake It is not lawfull for to put them into the treasury because it is the price of blood Sure it is great conscience ought to be made of bringing the price of blood into the Temple treasure Are they not then men of good Conscience It is not lawfull ye see they will not doe that which is not lawfull It is well but tell me is it not lawful to take the price of blood and is it lawfull to giue a price for blood Ought there not a conscience Qualis haec innocentiae simulatio pecuniam sanguinis non mittere in Arcam ipsum sanguinem mittere in Conscientiam August to be made of blood as well as of the price of blood They make a Conscience of receiuing the price of blood into the treasury they make no Conscience of receiuing the guilt of blood into their Consciences Iust such consciences as they had Ioh. 18. 28. They would not goe into the Iudgement hall lest they should be defiled but that they might eate the Passeouer Indeed a man should make great conscience of preparation to the Sacrament and take great heed that he come not thither defiled But see their naughtie conscience They make conscience of being defiled by going into the Iudgement hall but make no conscience of being defiled with the blood of an Innocent Such was the conscience of the Iewes Ioh. 19. 31. they make Conscience of the body of Christ hanging vpon the Crosse on the Sabbath but with what Conscience haue they hanged it on the Crosse at all This was iust like to those that Socrates speakes of who made great conscience of keeping holy-dayes yet made no conscience of vncleanenesse that was but an indifferent thing with them As if Conscience were not rather to bee made of keeping our vessells in holines our bodies then dayes holy Remarkeable in this kinde is that dealing of the Iewes with Paul 2 Cor. 11. 24. Of the Iewes fiue times receiued I fortie stripes saue one If we looke into the Law Deut. 25. 1. 2. 3. it runs thus If there be a Controversie c. and it shall be if the wicked man be worthy to bee beaten the Iudge shall cause him to lie downe and to bee beaten before his face according to his fault by a certaine number fortie stripes hee may giue him and not exceed Now see the good conscience of these Iewes they might giue forty stripes but not beyond that number might they goe Now they make so much conscience of exceeding the number of fortie that they giue Paul but nine and thirtie Thus they make Conscience of the number but no conscience of the fact They make conscience of giuing about fortie but with what conscience doe they giue him any at all The text not onely prescribes the number of stripes but the condition of the person namely that he be worthy to be beaten and he must be punished according to his fault Now see these men make Conscience of the law for the number but make no conscience of the law that will haue only wicked men and such as are worthy to be beaten to bee so vsed These be the good consciences of wicked men they make seeme of making conscience in some one thing but make no conscience of ten others it may be of farre greater weight and necessitie and herein discover they the naughtines of their consciences The conscience therfore is not to be iudged good for one or some good actions Ioab turned not after Absolom but he turned after Adoniah 1 King 2. 28. Whereas a good conscience that turnes neither to the right hand nor to the left would haue turned neither after Adoniah noâ— Absolom A good conscience and a good conversation must goe together 1 Pet. 3. 16. Having a good conscience that they may be ashamed that falscly accuse your good conversation One good action makes not a good conversation nor a good Conscience but then a mans conversation may be said to bee good when in his whole course hee is carefull to doe all good duties and to avoyd all sins and such a good conversation is a signe of a good Conscience To doe some good things not all Nune autem in hoc maior offensa est quod partem sententiae sacrae pro commodorum nostrorum vtilitate deligimus partem pro dei iniuria praeterimuâ— â—t maxime cuÌ„ terrestres domini nequa quam aequo animo tolerandum putent si iussiones suas servi ex parte audiant ex parte contemnant Si enim pro arbitrio suo servi dominis obtemperant ne in iis quidem in quibus obtemperaverint obsequuntur c. Salvian de provid 2. Note of a good conscience Conscience of small Duties is no more a signe of a good conscience then to doe some things onely which his master requires and to neglect other some is no sign of a good servant A good servants commendation is to doe all his masters busines he enioynes him Wee would hold him but an holy-day servant and an idle companion that when his master hath set him his severall workes to doe he will doe which him pleases and leaue the other vndone This were not to doe his masters but to doe his owne will and to serue his own turne rather then his masters So for a man to make choyce of duties and to picke out some particulars wherein hee will yeeld obedience to God and to passe by others as not standing with his profits pleasures and lusts this will neuer gaine a man the commendation of a good Conscience whose goodnesse must be knowne by making conscience of all things Then haue Gods servants good Consciences when it can be
my customers as Iacob of his children Gen. 43. 14. If I am bereaued of them I am bereaued I will trust God with my estate before I will hazard my conscience Giue mee such a man such a Tradesman and I will bee bold to say he is a man of a good conscience But contrarily when men are so set vpon Gaine that so they may haue it they care not how they come by it they will dispense an hundred times with their obedience to God if any thing be to be had if these haue good consciences let any iudge How would such loose their blood liues that will not loose such trifling gaines for the safety of their conscience We haue not yet resisted vnto blood the more we owe to God that know not what that resistance meanes Alas how would those resist vnto blood that set Conscience to sale vpon so base prises as they doe Peter speakes of a fiery triall 1. Pet. 4. 12. If God should euer bring that tryal amongst vs what a company of drossie consciences would it find out We haue no fiery tryall we haue but an ayrie tryall onely and yet how many euill consciences it discouers Many a man could find in his heart to pray in his family to frequent good exercises and company hee is convinced in his conscience that thus he should doe and conscience presses him to it But why then are not these things done A Lyon is in the way He shall loose the good word and opinion of the world hee shall haue so many frowns frumpes and censures and scoffers that hee cannot buckle to this course Many are in Zedekiah his case he was conuinced in his conscience that he ought it was his safest course to go out to the Chaldeans questionles his conscience prest â—im to it and bids him goe out Why then goes he not He is afrayd Ier. 38. 19. that he shall be mockt Such consciences as will not preferre their owne good word coÌ„fort before the good or ill words of the world Such consciences as more feare the mockes and flouts of men on earth then they doe the grinning mockes of the Diuells in hell Such as will not prefer the peace of Conscience before all other things are meere strangers to good Conscience The seventh and last note remaines 7 7. Note of a good Conscience And that is in the Text Vntill this day Constancy and perseverance in good is a Constancy in good sure note of a good conscience Paul had beene young and now was old yet was old Paul still still the same holy man he was Time changes al things but a good conscience and that is neyther changed by Time nor with Time Age changes a mans favour but not a good mans faith his complexion not his religion and though the head turn gray yet the heart holdes vigorous still Vntill this day And this day was not farre froÌ„ his dying day And how held he out to his last day Heare as it were his last and dying breath 2. Tim. 4. 7. I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith He sayes not I haue finished my faith I haue kept my life as many may but I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith He kept his faith till hee had finisht his course not onely here vntill this day but there vntill his finishing day So long he kept the faith and therefore so long a good conscience for as the loosing of them goe together 1. Tim. 1. 19 so the keeping of them goe together therfore keeping the faith he also kept a good conscience till hee finisht his dayes Vntill this day And yet one would wonder that he should keepe it to this day considering how hardly hee had bin vsed before vntill and now at this day The most of those things 2. Cor. 11. 23. were before this day Often vnder stripes in prisons oft and yet stands constant in the maintenance of the liberty of his Conscience vers 24. 25. Thrice I suffered shipwracke c. and yet made no shipwracke of a good conscience vers 26. 27. in a number of perils in perill of false brethren and yet his coÌ„science plaies not false with God neither is it weary of going on in a religious course Here then is the nature of a good conscience and the triall of it A good conscience holds out constantly in a good Cause without deflection and in a good Cause without defection 1. In a good Cause Let a good conscience vndertake the defeÌ„ce of a good Cause and it will stand rightly to it neither grow weary nor corrupt It will not make shews of countenancing Pauls cause till he come before Nero then giue him the slippe and giue him leaue to stand vpon his own bottome and shift for himselfe as well as he can A conscionable Magistrate a Iudge who out of a coÌ„science of the faithfull discharge of his place takes in hand the defence of a good or the punishment of a bad cause will not leaue it in the suddes will not be wrought by feare or favour to let Innocency bee thrust to the walles and Iniquitie hold vp the neb but will stand out stiffe and manifest the goodnesse of his Conscience in his Constancie 2. In a good Course A man that is once in a good Course hauing a good conscience will neither be driven nor bee drawne out of that good way to his dying day There be tentations on the right hand and there be tentations on the left but yet a good Conscience wil turne neither way Pro. 4. 27. but keeps on foreright and presses hard to the marke that is set before it Try it with tentations 〈…〉 t hand Try it by the moc 〈…〉 s and derisions of others whom it sees in good wayes will this stagger or stumble it make it start aside Not a whit but it will go on with so much the more courage rather Iob 17. 6. 7. 8. 9. He hath made me also a by-word of the people and aforetime I was a Tabret Was not this enough to shake others to see such a prime man as Iob thus vsed thus scorned and mocked Not a whit for all this The righteous shal hold on his way he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger Try it by mockings and derision Si reddere beneficium non aliter quam per speciem iniuria poterâ— aquissimâ— animo ad honestum consiliuÌ„ per mediam infamiam teÌ„dam-Nemo mihi videtur pluris astimare virtuteÌ„ nemo illi magis esse dâ—votus quaÌ„ qui boni viri famam â—erdidit ne conscientiam perderet Sence epi. 82. personall by personall infamy and reproach let a mans owne selfe bee derided be defamed this will goe neerer then thâ— former what will this move him out of the way No He wil lose his good name before his good Conscience See Ps 119. 51. The proud haue
loue were readie to fasten a poysond tooth in him This was Dauids case and this may be any mans case but now at such a time and in such a pinch appeares the excellency and benefit of a good Conscience Though all a mans friends should proue Iobs friends like the Winter-brookes of Teman that in Winter ouerswell the bankes but in the scorching heat of Sommer proue drie ditches yet then eâ—en then well fare a good Conscience That will heale Dauids heart broken with reproach that will cheere him vp in his heauines that will sweeten the gall and take away the sharpnes of the vineger which his enemies haue giuen him to drinke There is a generation Pro. 30. 14. whose teeth are as swords and their iaw-teeth as kniues and Prou. 12. 18. that generation speakes as the piercings of a sword There is a generation whose words are wounds that goe downe into the innermost parts of the belly Prou. 18 8. These be dangerous generations But what generations are they Generations of Vipers Ps 140. 3. Adders poyson is vnder their lips Iunius translates it Venenum ptyados The poyson of the spitting Serpent They bee then generations of spitting serpents even of fiery serpents that haue their tongues set on fire from hell so they spit fiery poyson in the faces of Innocents Now there is no man can liue in this world at whom these adders will not spit no man can be free from the sprikling of their poyson The disciple is not aboue the master If these snakes haue hissed at the Lord of the house and if these spitting serpents haue cast their poyson in his face why would they feare to doe it to the servants But is there then no balme against this poyson no buckler against these swords Yes there is the soveraign balme the impenetrable buckler of a good conscience It is a balsome that will alay the poyson of these Adders that it shall never burst a mans heart or if these swords pierce the very innermost bowels yet this will so salue these wounds that they shall not ranckle nor become mortall Oh! how mortal is this adders poyson how fatall are those swords how â—eene their edge how full of paine their wounds where inward guilt giues strength vnto them But Integritie and goodnesse of Conscience is a pretious balme of Gilead that takes away the venome of this poyson and the stinging smart of the wounds of these swords Let Paul liue with ever so good a conscience before God and man Act. 24. 16. yet Tertullus will play the spitting adder and he will spit yea spue forth his poyson in his face and in the face of an whole Court will not spare openly to slander him for an arrant varlet a lewd pestilent and a villanous fellow Such drivell will the malicious world spit in the face of Godlines But marke now the benefit and comfort of a good Conscience Either a good CoÌ„science with Stephens Angelicall face wil dazle shame the divels oratours 1 Pet. 3. 16. Hauing a good Conscience that they may be ashamed or els like Paul it can shake off those vipers without swelling or falling downe dead Yea if Satans oratours will needs be opening their mouths against Paul yet so good is his Conscience that as Iohn Hus appealed from Pope Alexander to Pope Alexander namely from him in his anger to him in his cold blood better advised so dares Paul appeale from Tertullus to Tertullus Dauid from Shimei to Shimei froÌ„ enemies to enemies from their tongues to their hearts from their mouthes to their Consciences as knowing their owne integritie to bee such as that their enemies owne hearts giues their tongues the lye and tells them that against their consciences possessed with meere malice they are hurried on in Satans service Tertullus knowes he lyes and his owne Conscience tells him hee lyes in his throate that Paul is an honester man then himselfe yea and the comfort is that Pauls Conscience comforts him and assures him that Tertullus his Conscience assures him all this So vnspeakeably sweet is the comfort of a good Conscience Dauid complaines of a great affliction Psal 35. 11. False witnesse did rise vp they laid to my charge things that I knew not What should a man doe in such a case if he had not the comfort of a good Conscience witnessing for him But now at such a pinch appeares the benefit of a good Conscience Let ever so many rise vp falsely to witnesse against him yet his conscience will witnesse as fast for him My friends scorne me sayes Iob Iob. 16. 20. They witnessed against him to bee a wicked person and an hypocrite they censured and condemned him but what was Iobs comfort That same vers 19. Behold my witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high That was one comfort but that was not all he had also a witnesse on earth and his record below Vpon whose record and witnesse see with what solemnitie and with what confidence he stands Iob. 27. 2. 6. As God liueth who hath taken away my iudgement and the Almightie who hath vexed my soule All the while my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils my lips shall not speake wickednesse nor my tongue vtter deceit God forbid that I should iustifie you till I die I will not remoue mine integritie from me my righteousnes I will hold fast will not let it goe mine heart shall not reproach mee so long as I liue As if he had said As the Lord liues whilest there is breath in my body I Nam si in â—s iniquibus me criminantur testimoniuÌ„ Conscientia mea non stat contra me in conspectu dei quo nullus oculus mortalis intenditur non solum contristari non debeo veruÌ„ etiam exultare gaudere quia merces mea multa est in coelis Neque enim intuendum est quam sit amarum sed quam falsum sit quod audio quam verax pro cuius nomine hoc audio Aug. Contra lit Petil l 3. will not yeeld vnto your accusations nor yet acknowledge my selfe guiltie of that you do charge me withall Vrge me and presse me what you will yet will I never let goe mine hold Why what is it that makes Iob thus stiffe and resolute what is it that supports him with such an excellent spirit That ver 6. Mine heart shall not reproach me so long as I liue Indeed you reproach censure condemne me you lay heavie things to my charge But I haue searched the records of my Conscience I haue called that vnpartiall witnes to testifie the truth I finde conscience witnessing strongly on my side and therefore doe what you can you shall neuer beare me downe Iobs friends may proue fickle and false but his owne Conscience will proue true to him that will plead for him animate him and comfort him against all their calumnious and iniurious reproaches
4. 5. My heart is sore pained within me and the terrors of death are fallen vpon mee fearefulnes trembling are come vpon me and horrour hath over whelmed me Sometimes again he sees death as the Israelites the fiery Serpents with mortal stings Sometimes as a merciles Landlord or the Sheriffe comming with a Writ of Firmae eiectione to throw him out of house and home and to turne him to the wide Common yea he sees death as Gods executioner and messenger of eternall death yea he sees death with as much horrour as if hee saw the Diuell In so many fearefull shapes appeares death to an evill conscience vpon the death-bed So as it is indeed the King of Terrors to such an one that hath the Terrours of Conscience within There is no one thought so terrible to such an one as the thought of death nothing that he more wishes to avoyd Oh! how loath and how vnwilling is such an one to dye But come now to a man that hath liued as Paul did in all good conscience and how is it with him vpon his death-bed His end is peace so full of ioy comfort so is he ravished with the inward and vnspeakable consolations of his Conscience that it is no wonder at all that Balaam should wish to dye the death of the righteous the death of a man with a good Conscience The day of a mans marriage is the day of the ioy of a mans heart Cant. 3. 11. and the day of marriage is not so ioyfull a day as is the day of death to a good conscience There are but fewe that can marry with that ioy wherwith a good conscience dyes It enables a man not onely to looke Ananias and the Councell in the face but even to looke death it selfe in the face without those amazing terrours yea it makes the face of death seeme louely and amiable He whose conscience is good and fees the face of God reconciled to him in Christ he can say as Iacob did when he saw the face of Ioseph Gen. 46. 30. Now let me dye since I haue seene thy face It is the priviledge of a good Conscience alone to goe to the grave as Agag did to Samuel and to say that truely which he spake besides the booke 1 Sam. 15. 32. He came pleasantly And he sayd Surely the bitternesse of death is past He was deceived and therefore had no such cause to be so pleasant but a good Conscience can yea cannot chuse but be so pleasant even when going out of the world because the gilt of sin being washed away in Chists bloud it knowes that the bitternes of death is past and the sweetnesse of life eternall is at hand A man whose debts are paid he dares goe out of dores dare meete and face the Sergeants and the conscience purged by the bloud of Christ can looke as vndaūtedly on the face of death He that hath gotten the sting that is the guilt of cōscience taken away by faith in Christ he lookes not vpon death as the Israelites vpon the fiery Serpents but lookes vpon it as Paul doth 1. Cor. 15. O death where is thy sting Who feares a Bee an Hornet a Snake or a Serpent when they haue lost their sting The guilt of sinne is the sting of Conscience is the sting of death that stings the conscience The sting of death is sinne 1 Cor. 15. Plucke then sinne out of the conscience and at once the conscience is made good and death made weake and is disarmed of his weapon And when the cōscience sees death vnstingd and disarmed it is freed of feare and even in the very act of death can ioyfully tryumyh over death oh Death where is thy sting A good Conscience lookes vpon death as vpon the Sheriffe that comes to giue him possession of his Inheritance or as Lazarus vpon the Angels that came to carry his soule into Abrahams bosome and therefore can wellcome death and entertain him ioyfully And wheras an ill conscience makes a man see death as if he saw the Devill a good conscience makes a mā see the face of death as Iacob saw Esaues face Gen. 33. I haue seene thy face as the face of God they see the face of death with vnspeakable ioy rauishment of heart and exultation of spirit Well now what a motive haue wee here to make vs labor for a good conscience Even Balaam himselfe would faine make a good end dye in peace and who wishes not his deathbed may be a Mount Nebo from whence he may see that heavenly Canaan Lo here Balaam the way to dye the death of the righteous I haue liued in all good Conscience vnto this day They that haue conscience in their life shall haue comfort at their death They that liue conscionably shal die comfortably They that live in all good Conscience til their dying day shall depart in the abundance of comfort at their dying day There will come a day wherein we must lay downe these Tabernacles the day of death will assuredly come How lamentable a thing will it then be to be so destitute desolate of all comfort as to be driven to that extremity as to curse our birth day oh what would Comfort be worth at our last houre at our last gaspe whilest our dearest friēds shall be weeping wringing their hands and lamenting then then what would inward cōfort be worth Who would not hold the whole world an easie price for it then Well then would wee then haue Comfort and Ioy oh then get a good cōscience now which wil yeeld comfort when all other comforts shall vtterly faile and shal be life in the middest of death How happy is that man that when the sentence of death is passed vpon him can say with Hezekiah Isa 38. 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and haue done that which is good in thy sight Indeed the Text sayes that Hezekiah wept sore but yet not as fearing death for hee could not feare death who had thus feared God but because the promise was not yet made good to him in a son and Heire of his kingdome hence came those teares It is otherwise an vnspeak able ioy that such a Conscience as Hezekiahs was will speake to a man vpon his death-bed Euery one professes a desire to make a good ende Here is the way to make good that desire to live in all good cōscience Alas how pittifull and miserable a condition live most men in All the dayes of their lifes healths they haue no regard of a good Conscience Notwithstanding that men are pressed continually to this one care by the instancy and importunity of Gods Ministers yet how miserably is it neglected Well at last the day of death comes then what would they not giue for a comfortable end If the gold of Ophir would purchase comfort it should fly then Then poast for this Minister
heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the coole of the day Luther layes the Emphasis of the aggravation of his feare vpon this word the winde or coole of the day The night indeed is naturally terrible and darkenes is fearefull whence that phrase Ps 91. The terrors of the night But the day and the light is a cheerefull and a comfortable creature Eccl. 11. 7. Truely the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sunne How is it then that in the faire day light which giues courage and comfort that Adam feares and runnes into the thickets Oh his Conscience was become Grauis malâ— Conscientiae lux est Senec. ep 123. evill and full of darkenes and the darknesse of his conscience turned the very light into darknesse and so turned the comforts of the day into the terrours of the night So that in this sense it may be said of an evill Conscience which of the Lord is sayd in another Psal 139. 12. Vnto it the darknes and the light are both alike As full of feare in the light as in the darke And besides the Lord came but in a gentle wind the coole breath of the day now what a small matter is a coole winde and that in the day time to to put a man in a feare Such small things breede great feares in euill consciences In what a woefull plight would Adam thinke wee haue bin if the Lord had come to him at the dead and darke mid-night with earth-quakes thunder and blustring tempest We may see the like in Gain After hee had defiled his Conscience with his brothers blood in what feares yea what idle feares liued he Hee is so haunted with feares that though hee had liued in Paradise yet had he liued in a land of Nod in a land of agitation yea of trepidation Iudge what case his euill Conscience made him in by that speech Gen. 4. 14. It shall come to passe that euery one that findes me shall slay me Surely there could not bee many yet in the world and those that were in the world were either his parents brethren sisters or neere kinred His feare seems to imagine multitudes of people that might meet him yea that euery one he meetes would murther him What will his Father or Mother bee his executioners What if any of his sisters meete him shall they slay him is not such a swash-buckler as he able to make good his party with them Loe what fearfull terrible things a guilty conscience proiects As an euill Conscience is miserable in its feares so in those perplexities which this feare breedes These perplexities doe miserably and restlesly distract a man Is 57. 20. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast vp mire and dirt What is the reason of these troublesome perplexities The want of the peace of a good Conscience vers 21. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked The windes make the sea restles and stirre it to the very bottome so as the waters cast vp mire and dirt See in the troubled Sea the embleme of a troubled Conscience But the Torment exceedes all and the main misery of an euill conscience lies in that It is a misery to be in feare a misery to haue inward turbulencies commotions but to be alwayes on the racke alwayes on the Strapado this is farre more truely the suburbs of Hell then is the Popish Purgatory Oh! the gripes and girds the stitches and twitches the throws pangs of a galling and a guilty Conscience So sore they are and so vnsufferable that Iudas seeks ease with an halter and thinkes hangging Poena auteÌ„ vehemens et multo saeuior illis Quas et Ceditiuâ— grauis invenit RhadamaÌ„ thus ease in comparison of the torture of his euill Conscience All the rackes wheeles wilde horses hot pincers scalding leade powred into the most tender and sensible parts of the body yea all the mercilesse barbarous and inhumane cruelties of the holy Nocte dieque suum gest are in pectore testem Iuvenal Satyr 3. house are but flea-bitings meere toyes and May-games compared with the torment that an euill conscience will put a man to when it is awakened It is no wonder that Iudas hangs himselfe it had beene a great wonder rather if he had not hanged himselfe The Heathens fabled terrible things Noliteenim putare quemadmodum in fabulis saepenumero videtis eos qui aliquid impie scelerateque coÌ„miserint agitari perterreri furiarum taedis ardeÌ„tibus Sua quemque fraus et suus terror maxime vexat suum quemque scelus agitat a mentiâ—que afficit Suae malae cogitationes Conscientiaeque animi terrent Hae sunt impiis assiduae domesticaeque furiae quae dies noctesque parentum poenas à consceleratissimis filiis repâ—tant Circer pro Rosc A mer. Suum quemque facinus suum scelus suae audatia de sanitate ac mente deturbat Haec sunt impiorum furiae flammae hae faces Id. m L. Pison of their hellish Furies with their snakes and fiery torches vexing tormenting haynous and great offenders These their Furies were nothing else but the hellish torments of guilty Conscience wherewith wicked persons were continually haunted as some of the wiser of themselues haue well obserued All snakes and torches are but idle toyes and meere trifles to the most exquisite torment of a guilty and accusing Conscience The sting of Conscience is worse then death it selfe Apoc. 9. 5. 6. Their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man And in those dayes shall men seeke death and shall not finde it and shall desire to dye death shall flee from them Popish ones tormented in their consciences by the terrible and vncomfortable doctrines of satisfactions Purgatory fire c. which those Locusts should so terrifie them withall should rather choose death then liue in such vncomfortable condition The sting of death not so smart as the sting of a Scorpion in the conscience The sting of an accusing Conscience is like an Harlot Prov. 7. 26. More bitter then death And as Salomon there speakes of the Harlot so may it be sayd of a tormenting Conscience Who so pleases God shall escape from it but the sinner shall be taken by it Gods deare children themselues many of them are not freed from trouble in their Consciences but they haue their hells in this life Ion. 2. 2. Out of the belly of hell I cryed vnto thee God for their tryal speaks bitter things to them and not onely denyes them peace but causes their consciences to be at warre with them Now when God puts his owne children to these trials and disquiets of Conscience they are so bitter so biting that had they not the grace of God to vphold and preserue them even they could not bee saved from dangerous miscariages Iob was put to this triall
Men talke much of hell fire and it were well they would talke more of it but yet there is another torment forgotten that would be thought on too There is an Hell worme as well as there is an hell-fire And it may be a question whether of the two is the greatest torment And yet no great question neither For as the Heaven of Heaven is the peace and ioy of a good so the very Hell of Hell is the guilt and worme of an evill Conscience A man may safely say it is better being in Hel with a good conscience thē to be in heauē if that might be with an evill one Heaven without a good cōscience what is it better thē Hel Paradise was an Heauen on earth but when Adam had lost the Paradise of a good conscience what ioy did Paradise and the pleasures of the Garden affoord him more then if he had beene in some sad solitary Desert A good conscience makes a Desert a Paradise an euill one turnes a Paradise into a Desert A good Conscience makes Hell to be no Hell and an evill one makes Heaven to be no Heaven Both the happinesse misery of Heaven and Hell are from the inward frame of the Conscience The Hell of Hell is the worme of Hell and that worme is the worme of an evill Conscience which if it bee not wormed out and so the conscience in this life made good it will bee an immortall worme in hell The hellish dispaire wherewith the damned are ouerwhelmed comes rather frō this werme then from the fire Whose worme dies not and whose fire is not quenched The fire of Hell never quenches because the worme of Hell never dies If the worme of Hell would die the fire of Hell would go out For if there were no guilt there should bee no punishment So that the very Hell of Hell is that selfe-torment which an evill conscience breeds Now then all this considered how powerfully should it move vs to labor for a good conscience Thou that goest on in thine euill courses and hatest to be reformed and reclaimed doe but bethinke thy selfe if God should awaken thy Conscience in what misery thou shouldest liue here what an Hell to haue a palsie Conscience what an Hell on earth to be alwaies vnder the accusations indictments and terrors of Conscience and to liue Caine-like in a land of Nod in a continuall restlesse agitation Vt ex cruditate febres noscuntur et vermes quando quis cibū sumit intemperāter it a si quis peccata peccatis accumulet nec decoquat eae poenitentia sed misceat pec cata peccatis cruditatem contrahit veterū recentiū delictorum igne adu retur proprio et vernibus consumetur Ignis est quem generat moestitia delictorum vermis est eo quod irrationabilia animi peccata mentem pungunt et viscera exedant vermes ex vnoquoque nascuntur tanquā ex corpore peccatoris hic vermis non morietur c. Amb. lib. 7. in Luk-c 14. But especially as thou fearest that euerliuing and evergrabbing worme so haue a care to get a good Conscience Greene and rawe fruits breed Chestwormes which if heede bee not taken will eat the very maw thorow A dead body and a putrified corrupt carkasse breedes wormes that lye gnawing at it in the graue The forbidden and rawe fruits of sinne are those which breede chest-wormes in the Conscience The corruptions of the soule and dead works are those that breed this liuing worme take hede therefore of medling with these fruits that will breede this worme get thy conscience purged from dead works get this worme killed with the soonest for if thou lettest it liue till thou die it will neuer die at all and will put thee to those exquisit torments from which to bee freed thou woldest willingly suffer ten thousand of the most cruell deaths that the wit of man were able to inuent As then I say thou fearest this worme of Hell so get a good Conscience Drinke down euery morning a hearty draught of Christs bloud which may make this worme burst And when once this worme is burst and voyded the cōscience well purged by Christs bloud take heed ever after of eating those raw fruites that will breed new wormes Lead so holy so vpright and so conscionable a life that thou mayst not by thy fresh sins clog thy Conscience with fresh guilt Get thy Conscience purged by Christs bloud thy conversation framed by Gods Word Thy words were found by mee and I did eat them Ier. 15. 16. Doe thou so eat no more the vnwholsome worm breeding fruites of sinne but drinke Christs bloud and eate Gods word and they both shall purifie and scoure thy Conscience from all such stuffe as may breed and feede the Hell-worme of an evill Conscience CHAP. XVI The portion and respect that a good Conscience findes in the world ANd thus haue we hitherto seene Pauls Protestation The second point followes namely Ananias his insolent impetuous Iniunction Verse 2. And the high Priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth Paul had begunne his defence in the former verse and that by authoritie speciall command as appeares in the former Chapter at the 30. verse But he had no sooner begun but hee is interrupted aad cut off and hath not only his mouth stopt but stopt with Ananias fists Hee commanded to smite him on the mouth Out of which carryage and violence of his wee may obserue diuerse things First learne Doctr. 1 What is the Reward and portion of a good Conscience from the world It is the portion of a good Conscience full oft to be smitten either on the mouth or with the mouth Blowes either with the fist or with the tongue To be smitten one way or other is full often the lot of a good Conscience Smite him on the mouth sares Ananias But let vs a little expostulate the matter with Ananias Smite him on the mouth But yet as Pilate speakes in Christs case But what evill hath he done or what evill hath he spoken Smite him on the mouth But as our Saviour answers Iohn 18. 23. If he haue spoken evill take witnesse of the evill and proceed legally and formally If he haue spoken well or no manner of euil Why commandest thou him to be smitten What hath he spoken any treason against Caesar or the Romane government If he haue then as the towne-Clerk of Ephesus speaks Act. 19. 38. The law is open there are Deputies let thē accuse him bring him to his answer It is a base vsage of any ingenuous person to bee smitten on the mouth in a Court of Iustice a dishonorable vsage of a Romane Surely it should seem by such base bitter vsage that Paul hath some way or other fowly forgotten over-shot himself that Ananias his spirit is thus embittered and provoked against him What hath Paul given him any
exasperating disgraceful termes hath he given him any open personal girds before the whole Councel No no No such matter at all Why what thē is the matter that Paul must be thus basely thus despitefully vsed Will ye know the cause Men and brethren I haue lived in all good Conscience Lo here is the quarrell He hath made a profession of a good Conscience and for his good Conscience sake are Ananias fists about his eares There is nothing so mads men of wicked Consciences as the profession and practice of a good conscience doth The very name and mention of a good conscience makes Ananias halfe mad like one besides himselfe hee falles not onely to foule words but to blowes also and Paul must haue on the mouth for his good conscience sake Paul might haue blaphemed the blessed name of Christ and rayled vpon the odious Sect of the Nazarens hee might haue beene a drunkard an adulterer or a murtherer and none of all these things would haue stirred Ananias his bloud for none of all these should Paul haue beene smitten but let him but once speake or treat of or any way meddle with good Conscience and Ananias his bloud is presently vp hee cannot holde his handes but Paul must haue on the mouth there is no remedy So odious a thing is good Conscience and the profession of it to wicked men Therefore this is that which a good Conscience must expect euen Ananias his dole fistes blowes smiting hard and iuiurious measure from the world This is no new thing It was our Saviours casc before it was Pauls Ioh. 18. 22. And when he had thus spoken one of the officers which stoodby stroke Iesus with the palme of his hand c. Luk. 22 63. 64. And the men that held Iesus mocked him and smote him And when they had blinfolded him they stroke him on the face Hee felt the weight of their fists for the same quarrell that Paul did So it was foreprophecyed of him Isa 50. 6. I gaue my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the haire It was the kindnes that Zidkiah could afford Micaiah 1. Kin. 22. 24. He went neere smote Micaiah on the cheeke it was the thankes the Prophet was like to haue for the discharge of a good conscience 2. Chr. 25. 16. Forbeare why shouldest thou bee smitten It is that of which Iob cōplained so long since Iob 16. 10 Mine enemy sharpens his eyes vpon me they haue gaped vpon me with the mouth they haue smitten me vpon the cheeke reproachfully The same portion did the Prophet Ieremy meet withal Ier. 20. 2. Then Pashur smote Ieremiah the Prophet What was the quarrell That in the former vers He heard that Ieremiah had prophecied these things Onely for discharging his conscience for the conscionable dispensation of Gods truth And as sometime they smote him on the mouth so sometime they smote him with the mouth Ier. 18. 18. Come let vs devise devices against Ieremiah come let vs smite him with the tongue and let vs not giue heed to any of his wordes And why would they smite him with the tongue Onely for his Conscience and fidelity in his Ministry There is mention made of two false Prophets against whom an heauy iudgement is threatned Ier. 29. 21. 23. Ahab and Zedekiah two base scandalous debauched persons who committed villany in Israel and committed adultery with their neighbours wiues The Prophet Ieremy he out of conscience fulfills his Ministry and see how light-fingred Pashur is hee hath fists for Ieremies face and stockes for his heeles but in the meane time Ahab and Zedekiah they may whore and play the villaines and they feele not the waight of his little finger If his fingers must needs be walking there is worke for them there he may strike and stocke with credit But there is no such zeale against them No such dealing with them Zedekiah and Ahab may bee in good tearmes of grace with Pashur whilst Ieremiah must haue on the face lie by the heeles So well can wicked men brooke villany and any wretched courses better then they can a good conscience Pashur can better endure an adulterous whore master then an honest conscionable Prophet Villains may walk at liberty whilst a good cōscience shal sit in the stocks Here then is the portion a good Conscience may looke for from the world The better Conscience the harder measure For which of my good works doe ye stone mee saith our Saviour Ioh. 10. 32. A strange recompence for good workes and yet ost-times the best recompence and reward that the world can affoord good workes a good Conscience stones and strokes And if so be that feare of law and happy gouernment binde their hands yet then will they bee smiting with the tongue and if the law keepe them in awe for smiting on the mouth yet then will they doe what they dare they will smite with the mouth Vse 1 A faire Item to all that meane to vndertake the profession and courses of good Conscience Doe as many do in case of marriage before they affect the person they first consider how they like the portion So here before thou meddle with good conscience thinke with thy selfe what is her portion and if thou like not that it is but a folly to thinke of a good Conscience Doe as our Saviour advises Luk. 14. 28. Sit down first and count the cost and whether thou be able to endure that cost or no. Ananias hath a fierce spirit and a fowle heauy fist Pashur is a club fisted fellow and the spitting adders of the world will smite their sting deep Suppose a good cōscience may speed better as hauing the protection of Chrian gouernment yet this it must reckon vpon and it must account of the hardest Therfore think before hand before you meddle with it how you can beare the fists and blowes of smiters if ever you should come vnder them I may say here as our Saviour did to the sons of Zebedeus Mat. 20. 20. 21. 22. Ye knov not what ye aske Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of to be baptized wich the baptisme that I am baptized with Many say they desire to enter the courses of good Conscience but doe not well know nor well weigh what they desire Consider with your selues Are ye able to drinke of the cup that a good conscience shall drinke of Can ye be baptised with the baptisme that a good cōscience must be baptised with Can ye endure the smart of Ananias blows Can ye beare the load of Pashurs club-fist Think vpō this afore hand weigh it well this is that you must make account off that will set vpon the courses of a good conscience Vse 2 Is this the portion of a good Conscience see then what a great measure of Christian resolution they shall need to haue that take the profession of it vpon them