lesuites leaue of his saluation and vprightnesse but what are his grounds First his Conscience was and had beene good in all secondly his bent and resolution for the future was right hence he did hence we must assure our estates Secondly as we must examine Conscience about our estate so also about actions past was this well did I well said I well otherwise there may be deceit For first many matters lye hid from men with their circumstance secondly the motiues that set the wheele a going vsually doe here then happy is he who condemnes not himselfe in what he hath done Thirdly when slandred censured or accused whether by men or diuels Thus Iob when Satan accuseth when friends doe foes doe when good men doe and bad men doe he repaires homeward casts vp his bookes and finding all right hee triumphs in his Conscience and weares their libels as a Crowne Like vse must we make of our Consciences when accused first see whether the charge be iust if so reforme amend secondly if not so cleare thy selfe to men if worth while and if they will be satisfied if not enioy thy selfe and thine owne innocency Here the rules be two first if thine owne heart condemne thee reioyce not against the truth though all the world applaud thee secondly if vpon a true search thy heart acquit thee neuer for sake thine owne innocency Let not men nor diuels nor frownes nor censures robbe thee of thy comfort but set this wall of brasse against all as Paul Say what you will my conscience is good and I make this good by these and these proofes Fourthly when wee become suiters to God and man for assistance being affronted by men and diuels and seemingly deserted of God and man then we must flye to Conscience as Paul doth and Dauid and all the Saints now calling vpon God as Hezekiah O Lord thou knowest I haue walked c. Now vpon Christians as Paul Pray for me for I haue kept a c. Now vpon our selues with Dauid Why art thou cast downe O my soule c. There is truth in thee beare vp And this not onely for the present but for future times when we are threatned as the Apostles were with many stormes with much hardship first make good thy Conscience secondly rest in the comfort thereof for come what will come if we bring a good conscience to a good cause these two bladders will hold our heads aboue water My brethren till wee haue tryed we cannot conceiue what the comfort courage strength and resolution of a good conscience is make vse of it enioy it and enioy your selues your estate all persons all things all times onely be sure first that Conscience be regular that is that it speake Law and sentences all according to the Word written Secondly that it speake the whole truth written and nothing but the truth Conscience hath nothing to doe with secret counsels that must speake to the action or present estate but for reprobation or finall destruction that conscience can say nothing to as not reuealed it hath nothing to doe either with absolute condemnation or absolution Let it keepe it selfe within its Spheare and let me keepe my selfe to my time FJNJS Doct. Doct. 1. Precepts 2. Reason 1. Abâ—oaesto 3. A necessitate 3 Ab vtili 〈◊〉 Tim. 1.19 Esay 32. Hic murus abeneus est c. Vses 1. Luk. 1.6 1 Cor 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Vers â—6 Satis est principem externa specie pium Videri c. de princ c. 18. Differences betwixt conscience and conscience from the Text. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 51.8 Esa 57 19. Iob 2 4. 1. How a good Conscience is gotten Videatur Aug. is Ps 30. c. 2. How 〈◊〉 â—ept Doct. 1. Cap. 1. 2. Psal 4.4 1 Cor. 11. 2 Cor. 13. c. Reasons 1. Vse I. The causes of this disuse The consequences Vses 1. Vse 2. Conscience how tearmed good VVhen and in what cases conscience must most be consulted
and neede of a good Conscience now as 1000. yeeres agoe a Preacher may stand somewhat higher then our selues but wee are in the same stormes there 's none other difference Thirdly It will quit cost for vs also to get good consciences for these are the preseruers of all graces the Conscience is that bottome that containes all our treasure that casket that holds all our Iewels if this miscarry farewell faith hope patience courage truth all Secondly Conscience is the root of all our comfort the fruit of righteousnesse saith Esay is peace out of a cleere conscience issue those sweet streames of ioy comfort c. Thirdly Conscience is the antidote against all poy soned crosses it is the sting that is in our consciences that steeles all our crosses and makes them stinging there 's little mudde raised in the soule where the conscience is cleere and pure Fourthly Conscience is the bulwarke and wall of brasse that keepes off all inuasions and assaults Ephis 6. By this a man raignes ouer all tribulations Row 8. and is enabled to looke flames in the face Lyons in the face raylers in the face slanderers in the face Diuels in the face God in the face with an vndaunted countenance â— Iohn 3.21 4 17. On the other side take away conscience and you plucke vp the sluces and pull downe the bankes you let out the soule into all licentiousnesse for what bounds hath the ingenuous spirit when feare and shame the immediate issues of conscience are gone where will a man stay Man without conscience is a wilde horse without bridle the life and heart is filled with sinne after sinne comes guilt from that light that 's left thence tormentfull shame feare anguish hence the least noyse affrights him the least crosle stings him the least danger appales him in short rest there 's none peace none courage none comfort none but conscience rages like an aking tooth a man eates in paine drinks in feare dares not goe abroad dares not goe to bed dares not sleepe lest his dreames should proue terrible dares not wake lest his wounds should bleed againe and his watchfull cares and feares recoyle By this little said you see how it imports vs all as well as S. Paul to conno this lesson and to say readily I and I and I and euery I haue a good conscience But all that can be said is but an empty discourse and a contemplation farre off from the matter for the truth is no man can tell what the benefit of a good what the misery of a bad conscience is but he who hath felt both that man is but a stranger to himselfe and to conscience that doth not apprehend a thousand times more then hee can vtter in this kinde It suffices to say that no man knowes the badnesse of a bad the goodnesse of a good conscience but onely he that hath felt the weight of that and worth of this and hee that knowes least experimentally feelingly knowes more then his tongue face eyes hands bones can vtter though they speake all at once as vsually they doe when Conscience workes strongly But I passe to application where first three sorts come to be taxed secondly all to be taught For first if all should aime at this to say and to say truely My Conscience is good three sorts of men are farre wide of the marke First they who neuer trouble their thoughts with conscience at all credit wealth friends they le secure if they can but for conscience t is onely a name a scarcrow to affright children withall but no wise man will stand vpon that and lest they should seeme madde they plead reason for their practice Obiect 1 First there 's no man liuing but hee straines and dispenceth with conscience in some things take me the best Preachers doe not they speake yeelde walke contrary to conscience in some things Name me your best Christians doe they not know censuring enuy c. to bee naught doe not they speake against some sometimes whom in their consciences they know to be better men then themselues and so of all the rest Sol. Thus they plead in the first place but this is a wilfull delusion for first What if all the world ranne wilde Noth will be Noah vpright in his generation still Secondly Is it well to straine If not wilt thou be naught for company Thirdly Thou art deceiued there is many a Paul Zacharie Elizah that walke in all the Commandements of God and would not purposely liue in the least allowance of the least sinne for all the world Object But yet they doe so Sol. First if vpright they doe not so if they doe so they be not vpright indeed the most vpright knowes but in part loues but in part he may sinne because he knowes it not to be sinne hee may sinne againe being surprized in some one particular Gal. 6. against his generall purpose Thirdly he may be yoakt as S. Paul was with those inward buffetings that may make his heart ake and his soule to cry out Oh wretched man that I am c. Rom 7. But if thou thinkest that any vpright man can thus resolue I doe or may know this course I line in to be sinnefull and yet I must not I will not taken tice of it make conscience of it thou errest a godly man cannot thus sinne and resolue Secondly whoso doth decieues himselfe same 's 1. If any man seeme religious and make not conscience of euery sinne euen to a word he deceiues himselfe be not thou so deceiued Object But Conscience is like the eye if one begin to salue it or to meddle with it there is no end a man shall nener inioy himselfe but there will be scruple vpon scruple feare after feare sinne vpon sinne t is an endlesse taske to purge the Conscience I answer Sol. First the question is not how painefull it is but how needfull there is smart and trouble in searching wounds yet they must be searched Secondly the matter is feizable S. Paul by trauell may arriue at this happy hauen first I haue a cleere secondly I haue a good Conscience Thirdly dead flesh is not the best flesh nor conscience awakened the worst conscience Fourthly though Physicke for the time stirre humours and playsters cause smart yet both that and this tend to health and ease so thinke of the present troubles and sits of conscience Object O but he that will stand vpon Conscience in this age shall dye a begger or be begd for a foole he shall haue trickes enow put vpon him if he be so tender I answer first what if it were so a man had better fast then ear poyson begge starue pine then sell his conscience Aske them in Hell aske them that are vpon this racke they will say so as for disgrace I had rather haue all the world call me foole then mine own conscience and conscience will befoole me if I
thou canst not claime kinred of Paul vpon such a Conscience with Turkes and Heathens thou maist Ob. The third ground is this My Conscience doth not onely checke me for what 's past but curbs and reins me in before sin be committed I dare not doe as the most doe nay I dare not omit good duty Should not I reade pray euery day I could not sleepe in the night c. I answere Sol. It must be considered whence that feare arises for t is certaine that very custome and education will make a child afraid to omit his deuotions when he goes to bed if we will establish the heart with comfort wee must make good two things First that we worke vpon right motiues not onely because such hath beene our custome such our education so is the will of our Parents c. but because wee need such helpes God loues such seruices and we finde strength comming vpon such performances Secondly that we heed the manner of performing as well as the matters performed not resting in the worke done but mourning for our dulnesse distractions coldnesse and other failings in the doing for this is once there 's nothing more shames and humbles an vpright man then his ouert and slight performance of his Masters worke Obiect The third ground they settle vpon is their peace their sinnes doe not daunt them nor their Consciences dampe them all is quiet within and they haue no doubts of their saluation Sol. I answer There is the Diuels peace and Gods peace there is a negatiue peace or cessation onely of torment and a positiue peace or fruition of comfort Therefore examine first the source and raising of thy peace for some are quiet because the conscience is either blinde and sees not the sword against it like Balaam or slothfull and sleepy and a very sore man may feele little in his sleepe or else either seared or deluded a deluded sence thinkes it feeles or sees what in truth it doth not and seared flesh doth not smart like other flesh not because it hath more life but lesse sence so here Secondly The meanes how thou commest by it there is no peace but in Gods wayes if I winne it not by praver digge it not out of Gods sauing wels and ordinances finde not the Word speaking peace to my soule I cannot haue it our peace comes in at the eare as the Church speakes and out of Gods mouth God creates peace by his word and lippe as Esay speakes vnlesse it beare his stampe and haue Holinesse to the Lord written vpon it t is not right t will not passe as currant Thirdly The effects of it holy peace workes thankfulnesse to Christ humility in vs mercifulnesse towards bruised spirits Obj The fourth ground is this I cannot abide vnconscionablenesse in others I can with no patience see men goe against Conscience Sol. I answer The Diuell is a great rifler and accuser of others consciences but a conscionable man is busiest at home mildest abroad be so or be nothing Obiect But I straine at the least sinne Sol. So did the Pharisee Conscience is not right vnlesse it straine at all sinne endeauour all duty as Paul speakes in both tables consider compare and so passe sentence and here an end of this Vse now to Instruction And here would all that heare me this day were as Saint Paul his bonds excepted It shall not be needfull to say much to those who haue felt heauen and hell both in their consciences they see the difference as for others what can I say when as men cannot beleeue me without experience If they would receiue others testimonies they may well conceiue that a good conscience is beyond all created goods and a bad worse then all positiue euils for first What so desireable to all liuing things as life What will not men part withall for life though it be from skin to skin yet conscience is such a thing as wise men prize aboue life they 'le dye a thousand deaths rather then lose conscience and whilst they liue they liue no longer then Conscience speakes peace Looke vpon an experienced man and when he hath lost his peace no meate no place no wealth no company no life is pleasant he onely liues because he dares not dye Secondly for an ill conscience What more terrible and hatefull to Nature then death yet death is sweet to a wounded Conscience did hee thinke that death would end his torments he would not liue nay though he apprehends a iudgement a hell at the heeles of death yet many times hee rushes vpon it and concludes that certainly hell can be no worse and probably better then an ill conscience Loe my Brethren what Conscience both wayes is one so sweet that Heauen would be no Heaven without it the other so bitter that Hell is no Hell to it in the iudgement of experience I can say no more to perswade mee thinkes now nothing should remaine but direction And the way to set you in Pauls circumstances is to guide you first to the getting secondly to the keeping of a good Conscience For the first resolue first on the thing and thus conclude What-euer it cost me what shift soeuer I make I must haue a good conscience It is not necessary to haue wealth a poore man may be honest here happy hereafter It is not necessary to haue health a weake man may to heauen Nay it is not necessary that I must liue my happinesse is not confined to this life but t is necessary to get a good Conscience without this I can neither liue nor dye be neither rich nor poore sicke nor well in few I cannot subsist I cannot be vnlesse this be a being to wish I neuer had beene without a good conscience and therefore what-euer it colt me I le goe to the price thus first resolue and this done then hearkē to the means which are these First goe to the right meanes there 's but one Physician for soules and consciences and that is God he onely made and hee onely re-makes good Consciences none else can come at Conscience can take out the poyson that 's there take off the guilt that is there and therefore wee must carry our wounded soules to him alleadge his owne covenant and hand and say Lord thou hast said that thou wilt take away our euill heart and giue vs a better now for thy truths sake make good this Word this Scripture This done thou must attend his method and run his course and dict he prescribes thou must follow this method First make thy Conscience bright and lightsome hee hath written a phisicke for conscience no physicke booke for conscience but his from this Booke thou must gather knowledge for darkenesse defiles the vnderstanding as Paul faies and darkenesse is timorous and staggering a man can haue no true no positiue peace whilst hee liues in darkenesle either all things or nothing shall be lawfull and where t is
so the heart cannot be comfortable therefore to those principles that yet sticke in the soule adde some other adde light to light the light of the Word to the light of Nature for the Word is written to helpe that darkenesse and that light is so dimme and small that wee must needes set vp another by it else wee shall see nothing and hee that sees nothing enioyes nothing therefore thou must get knowledge by reading by deducing couclusions from Gods actions to thy seife by hearing and setting thy selfe if thou be free vnder that Ministry that deales with Consciences that sets out God as he is the Word as it is sinne as it is for then we truely know when we know things in their owne notions and colours Seconly thou must make the Conscience cleane it must be pure and cleare before it will be good there stickes to the conscience of euery man naturally a great deale of guile and filth It is much disabled and maimed lost much of its sight and life it hath learned to be idle false dumbe c. It hath contracted so much guilt foulnesse brawninesse by trading in sinne that there 's do roome for peace till it hath a new constitution and be wholly resined now the way to haue it cleansed is to flye to bloud as in the Law all things were purified with bloud so here the bloud of Christ is that that cleanseth from all sinne that washeth the Conscience from dead workes this bloud is both healing and will cloze all our scarefull gashes and purging and will take off all stains an will make vs as white as snow O goe to this Refiner this Fuller this Physitian this high Priest as the Word entitles him nothing will serue but his bloudy sacrifice and that will doe it goe to him as to an All-sufficient Sauiour rest in his bloud without further mixtures plead his bloud shed for sinners quite lost and vndone beg that of God asd Rahel did children of her husband Giue me bloud or else I dye apply that to thy bleeding soule and say I bleed but Christ bled too for me my sinnes are bloudy and his woundes are bloudy too my bloud if spilt cannot make God that satisfaction that his bloud hath and therefore I le rest in his bloud that speakes peace not vengeance as Abels did and in him who quiets Consciences as well as Seas and windes Mar. 4.39 Else as corrupt breath staines and dimmes the glasse so a corrupt heart the Conscience Next when it is cleare from guilt and filth then it must be pure and sanctified the Spirit therefore of Grace must rest in the Conscience and giue it a new constitution it is not sufficient to let out the bad bloud but now wee must breed good bloud and make new Spirits From a naturall Conscience and a Conscience that is enlightened by the Word we must proceed to a sanctified Conscience and therefore we must labour to feele the power of Christs Bloud and of Christs Life and Resurrection in our soules who is King of righteousnesse and peace both Heb 7.2 quickning vs in the Inner man and stamping on vs our first impresse of wisedome holinesse righteousnesse that we may be throughout sanctified 1 Thes 5. and haue a beauty set vpon the soule and conscience in all points as the Apostle sayes and freed from dead workes by repentance Heb. 9. and when the Conscience is filled in some due measure with light and freed from sinne and furnished with positiue grace then out of all results that goodnesse of Conscience that now we speake of whereby it s fitted for its ends and offices and enabled to giue vs a good word and countenance Now for the keeping of Conscience good because I will not ouercharge your memories with rules I le expresse my selfe in one continued Similitude or Allegory The Conscience is a Clocke or Watch in the bosome look what you would doe to keep that in frame that must be done heere First If the Watch be amisse who so fit to amend it as hee that made it So heere if any thing trouble Conscience that it goes not at all or too fast or out of order goe to Christ and goe quickly pray him to set theein ioynt againe as Dauid did Psal 51. Secondly a Watch must be charily kept the least dust hayre iogge almost distempers it so the Conscience a little dust in this eye marres both sight and peace a little sinne crept in betweene the wheeles sets all at a stand if euer thy Conscience shall hold its comfort and doe thee acceptable seruice keepe it cleane giue no allowance to any the least sinne a man may liue and dye in some sinne and yet haue peace when Conscience is not priuy to it and not conuinced of it But there can bee no true comfort where sinne vnderhand is maintained and allowed be it neuer so small a one let thy Conscience haue this to say for thee I can beare him witnesse that he bore his sinnes as a burden and bid none of them welcome Thirdly a Watch must be daily lookt to and thorowly too if one pin be amisse all is out of order so the Conscience hee that makes not conscience of all according to his light makes conscience of none and wil come to naught and he that doth not looke vpon his conscience euery day and winde it vp and set it in frame will haue no conscience in time euery day thou must talke with thy selfe and know what the Watchsaith I meane what report Conscience makes of thy dayes worke what it hath to say for or against thee 'T is with conscience as with Bay liffs and Stewards if you call them to a daily reckoning they will be carefull and vsefull but if you let things runne on and reckon once at the hundreds end they will not watch or they will not be able to remember so t is with conscience therefore often looke vpon it and euery day consult with it The Watch must be vsed else it rusts furres and first begins to slacke its pace and after some time will not goe at all so conscience t is preserued by vse as the stomacke is and all things else for euery thing is perfected and preserued by its proper operations as water is kept sweet by running the Conscience by motion strengthens it sense and sooner feeles its weight by motion it is facilitated and that 's as good as oyle to the wheele of a Clocke therefore exercise Conscience and that in all good duties whether personall or locall Corscience must haue its full walke and that 's very large for a Conscience is to bee obserued in all religious and righteous acts and whoso will preserue his conscience must first keepe himselfe pure and vpright First in Gods worships Secondly in workes of righteousnesse towards man Thirdly in his owne place he must make conscience of his particulat calling and relation and dwell vpon that and secondly for others hee
have legges so vse Conscience and haue Conscience for by vse the heart is kept soft and will soone smite vs as Danids did by vse our inward light is exercifed and strengthened and wee made able to discerne Heb. 5.14 Nay vse and exercise doth both facilitate and delight for what 's done ordinarily and habitually is done with no small content sure with no great contention and reluctancy custome and exercise make the hardest of works at least sufferable On the other side difuse Conscience and though it continue in the roote yet the fruit will downe First the light of it will more and more decay like the fire that is not blowne Secondly the life of it will also weare as the dull sluggard liues not halfe so much as the diligent doth and this appeares if we consider those acts and euidences of life Sense and Motion For Sense a Conscience vnconsulted vnexercised vnexamined becomes like a sleepy legge when a man hath sate long hee feeles not his limbes the bloud and spirits being sometimes frozen and arrested with cold sometimes intercepted in their passage by too much suppression of that part so t is with the Conscience first load it and then let it lye still without motion and in fine it will not feele it selfe but be as dead and sencelesse as brawned yea seared flesh And this experience iustifies in many whose consciences lye bed-ridden and looke how some in that case of sicknesse voyd much filth and feele it not so these spue forth abhorred blasphemies and outrages and discerne them not As for Motion euen as the limbs by long sitting grow stiffe and starke that we cannot goe so the conscience vnfrequented t will rust like a Clocke which sleepes a winter or two and so loses its tongue not once telling you where you bee either in the day or night iust so a rusty Conscience t will neither counsell nor comfort checke nor excuse t will speake neither to matters past nor to come but lie as dead within a man as the dead childe doth within a woman Oh t is a most comfortlesse thing for a liuing woman to beare death in her bowels such a burden fils her with many feares for the present at least makes her too too heauy and vnweldy and puts her to great extremity in the cloze there being more adce with one dead birth then with two liuing children t is no better with a dead conscience the lesse that trauels the more we must with feares and anguish and therefore as wee call vpon women to stirre that their fruit may be stirring too so must we ftirre vp our selues that Conscience may be doing for a dead conseience makes but a dead estate a dead heart a dead man a dull life and dead it will be vnlesse we put it to vse Now before we can proceed to exhortation we cannot but bewayle and controll two sorts of men first such as vtterly disuse secondly such as searefully misuse their Consciences How many bee there of the first fort who liue and dye strangers to themselues They dare not for their eares aske their own hearts What is our case In what tearmes stand we with God Children are we or enemies In the wayes of life or death Where are we What are wee Which way goe we What will be the issue of our courses But looke how bankrupts put off reckonings so these allreasonings with themselues And as they keepe their spirituall estate close from their owne consciences so doe they in particular actions for first in shings to be done they rather consult others then themfelues which is but to sel ones eies and buy spectacles which see no more then the eye enables them Secondly in things already done they rather smother then consult conscience when Conscience takes the aduantage of solitarinesse and beginnes to question them they runne from it into company and hide themselues in the croude when Conscience beginnes a little to open its eyes and mouth after the reading of some booke the hearing of some Sermon the seeling of some inward or outward pinches they stoppe their eares diuert their thoughts sing whistle drinke game and doe any thing to out-talke and drowne Conscience This the practice of hundreds but how ill this practice is first the Causes secondly the Consequences will shew The Causes hereof First Pride Man would be somebody with himselfe and therefore is loth to looke vpon his owne staines and to see his owne face in the face of his conscience Secondly Hypocrisie Man hath such a desire to coozen that hee would if he could coozen himselfe and would faine make himselfe beleeue that t is not so bad with him as indeed it is Thirdly Vnbeliefe He lookes for no mercy in case he peach himselfe and therefore places all his safety in secrecy and so secret would he be that by his will his left hand shall not know what his right hath done These are the causes and what fruit can you in reason expect from such a roote Surely the issue cannot but bee bitter For First by disusing Conscience men come to lose conscience and consequently their armour against sinne take away Conscience and you can hardly set downe Atheisme Secondly by this meanes sinne is exceedingly aggrauated for no man can neglect so neere a Monitor as Conscience is without great presumption and wilfulnesse and secondly a mans reckoning no way furthered for doe what we can wee must come to an account and Conscience will know vs at last whether we acknowledge it or not nay by how much the lesse we regard it now by so much the more it will shake vs hereafter and rise vpon vs like a flame with so much the greater fury by how much the more it was for the present kept downe and stifled The second sort reproued are such as abuse conscience and this is done as sometimes otherwise so mostly thus First when Conscience is set lowest and bound apprentice to the outward man I meane thus when men doe not receiue all blowes that let driue at conscience vpon their name estate skinne c. but contrarily rather suffer Conscience to be wounded then the outmost skinne raysed Secondly when Conscience is thrust from its seate deposed degraded gag'd so violenced that it must not speake though friends God man call vpon vs. Thirdly when conscience is made a cloke for all vnwarranted both opinions and practices that is when men will put the name of conscience vpon the basest things Opinion shall bee Conscience Errour Conscience the swallowing of widowes houses Conscience as t was with the Pharisees Fourthly when Conscience is made a knight of the poast and must beare witnesse to any vntruth to any villany thus when men cannot tell what to say they appeale to God and Conscience God knowes their hearts their Conscience beares them witnesse they 'le take it on their Conscience t is so not so O the fearefulnesse of these practices how terrible haue
Gods strokes bin vpon such in all ages and what can we looke for lesse then misery in this course First a man must be an old and bold offender before he can dare thus to affront Conscience Secondly it cannot be safe thus to abuse so great an Officer as conscience is Thirdly who can expresse the terrours of some Saints now vpon record who notwithstanding neuer were so daring and if they did sweare vnder smaller abuses of Conscience how shall these bleed I now come to perswade euery man to make good vse of a good thing a good Conscience for the abuse of best things is euer worst and a good Conscience is in the ranke of best things It is a wonderfull mercy in God to match vs with so neere a friend so true a Counsellor let vs thankefully consider to what vses a good conscience may be put and accordingly emproue it We will not runne into the road of conscience in generall but confine our selues to a good Conscience which is so tearmed in a double sence First It s good formally in its constitution Secondly effectiuely in its execution as a Clocke is good when it is made well and goes well first the Conscience is good in its selfe when it is fitted for its proper acts and vses the proper and immediate act and vse of Conscience is to know that it knowes as Salomon speakes to Shimei and as wee vulgarly say I know what I know well enough This the generall The particulars of this knowledge are first conscience knowes what we be secondly what we doe what we be spiritually not naturally and in what tearmes we stand with God whether we beare his Image be in his fauour yea or no what we doe either for substance or quality good or bad either in times past present or to come these things Conscience was made for and these the conscience when it is good doth know to wit both tree and fruit in the inward and outward acts thereof and hence it is that we are so often inuited to talke with our selues and hereof growes that inward confidence and enioyment that the soule hath of it selfe wherein it resembles its Maker who takes full contentment in himselfe from his full vnderstanding of himselfe The second act of a good Conscience is speaking or manifesting good to vs being good in it selfe it giues vs due information touching our selues as a cleere glasse represents a true face and heere are two acts also First and more immediately it reports things as they be which is called witnessing or giuing in euidence thus the person being vnder mercy it tels him so much hauing already done well or hauing good things in agitation it saith so Contrarily when things be not right Conscience speakes as it finds them and heerein it doth well for we speake of a Morall not Naturall good and morally that Conscience is good that speakes the truth how-euer it be as that 's a good glasse that reports blemishes if such as well as beauties a good Witnesse that speakes the truth though not what pleases Secondly Conscience strikes vpon the affections and doth some execution vpon the offender for from information of estate arises either certainty of hope or despaire as the euidence comes in guilty or not guilty and from information of workes different affections and motions answerable to their different natures from things well done comes comfort ioy boldnesse c. ill done shame feare sorrow remorce from things well intended courage resolution confidence c. ill meant for the future iealousie repining recoyling as an horse that would and would not leape a ditch In the former respect Conscience is compared to a Witnesse in this to a Iudge and executioner Now this being the vse of Conscience wee must employ it to these vses namely repaire to Conscience aske its aduice receiue its report touching our persons and actions heare what it can say for or against vs now for once it must passe a verdict vpon vs and when we haue its testimony wee must either appeale to an higher Court if we can shew an errour or sit downe by its sentence stop where it sayes stop worke where it sayes worke feare where it saies feare hope where he giues hope restore where it sayes restore Howbeit that our speech may be more fruitfull know we that in foure cases especially we are to consult and vse Conscience First when wee are in consultation about things to be done or beleeued in this case it is not amisse to aduise with others but in no case must Conscience be omitted I may easily deceiue others by ill stating of the question adding or altering or suppressing as affection leads me againe a man may finde so many men so many mindes oftentimes so different are their apprehensions and affections But a good conscience is one and the same and that vprightly consulted can say more to my affections and intentions more to the practicall part then all the world Therefore vse others if you please but make vse of your owne hearts else your practice may be corrupt when others counsell is good Here forget not these rules First pretend not Conscience where Conscience is not the matter Secondly be resolued of what thou doest in thy selfe or else forbeare till taught if thou mayest Thirdly walke by thine owne light not other mens ground thy practice vpon Conscience Conscience vpon Word not vpon Man As for cases here incident we passe them now Secondly when we are vpon a selfe-triall and the question is either of our state or our doings or opinions consult conscience for that is the best created examiner And here let the maine worke be to sinde out the maine point Am I Gods childe in state of grace yea or no This much imports vs for as Satan founds all particular temptations vpon this If thou be the tonne of God so all our particular comforts and assurances hang on this pinne Therefore here houer not but hold Conscience to it Either I am or am not Gods What am I What am I Leaue not this vnresolued by Conscience as many doe who hearing of a certainty attaineable and of some generall notes of saluation from the Word presently build considence to themselues sometimes vpon weake principles sometimes vpon false applications neuer consulting Conscience and then when Conscience is awakened they are miserably plunged Beloued it is not so easie a matter to assure saluation as most men thinke we are not all out of their mindes who deny it possible without extraordinary reuelations and who hold it sawcinesse to auouch it yet wee must tell you that the difficulties are more then a few and it concernes vs much to deale much with Conscience about this point For faith whereby wee beleeue saluation is one thing and euidence whereby wee feele it another there we must cleaue to the promise but here we must conferre with Conscience as Saint Paul doth he was strongly perswaded by the