abused to make the sute immortall and more costly then the cause is worth but this is no deede of Conscience Ambros serm 50. And Saint Ambrose giueth the reason Sine excusatione est qui Conscientiae suae iudicio condemnatur Hee is without all excuse who is condemned of his owne Conscience he who is iudged by another may sometimes hope for pardon but hee who is iudged by himselfe of whom should hee require it of none but God who is aboue the Conscience And therefore by true faith and true repentance he must fly from himselfe to Christ before he can haue peace And lastly Iudgement being pronounced Execution is not delayed which is her last Office and this shee performes in her owne person for sentence is no sooner giuen but presently she affects the innocent with peace and ioy vnspeakeable and the guilty with feare and torture that cannot be expressed This iust reward is not deferred till aftertimes but beginneth in present both to the one and to the other The godly haue their Heauen begunne on earth Philip. 4.7 enioying that same Peace of Conscience which passeth all vnderstanding And the wicked enter into Hell before they dye Marke 9.44 Esay 66.24 hauing that worme of Conscience their companion which shall liue for euer to torment them Chrysostom Hom. 16. ad popu Antioch so Saint Chrysostome As he that liueth in wickednesse is punished before he goe to Hell being stinged in Conscience so he that liueth in righteousnesse before he goe to Heauen enioyeth a ioy vnspeakeable Preuention of obiection And thus you see what Conscience is and what her actions are by which shee is discerned from other faculties of the soule and acts or actions of the minde and will of man Perkins as intelligence opinion science faith prudence or the like Intelligence simply conceiues a thing to bee or not to bee Opinion iudgeth it to bee probable or contingent Science knoweth it to bee certaine or euident Faith is a perswasion whereby wee beleeue things that are not or assent to the truth of things that are Prudence discerneth what is fit to bee done and what to bee left vndone But Conscience goeth further then all these for it not onely giues euidence and examines but determines or giues sentence of things done by saying vnto vs this was done this was not done this may bee done this may not bee done this was well done this was ill done and in execution either rewarding or punishing vs for what wee haue done or left vndone either good or euill Thus is Conscience of a diuine nature being placed in the middest as an Ambassador betweene God and man and giuen by God vnto him for a perpetuall companion It is like thy shadow Nec fugere nec fugare potâ—ris thou canst neither flie from it not make it flie from thee Ague fits are shaken off this neuer Ruth 1.16 but like Ruth to Naomie it will follow thee whither soeuer thou goest the body shall leaue the soule and the soule shall leaue the body for a time but the Conscience shall neuer leaue the soule but whither soeuer the soule goeth thither shall the Conscience repaire and in what state thy Conscience is when thou departest out of this life in the selfe same it shall meete thee in that day of iudgment and shall remaine with thee either a comfort or a torment to thy soule for euer It is true that in this life Conscience sometimes is not felt but as it were benummed or senslesse and then vnto the godly man who mourns because he cannot feele that ioy of conscience which his soule desires 't is like our Sauiour fast asleepe in the bottome of the shippe while his Disciples were tossed with the waues Mat. 8.24 And to the wicked who could wish it were dead indeed 't is like the muzzled Mastife tied in chaines which can neither barke nor bite and therfore lets the theefe commit his wickednesse with pleasure But when this Conscience is awakened or the chaines thereof vntied then to the godly 't is like Christ â—â—mselfe the soueraigne comfort of the soule But to the wicked like the Mastiffe set at libertie or like a Fiend of Hell to rend and teare his soule in peeceâ— Conscience in this world is often as a booke shut vp or fountaine sealed but at the day of iudgment it shall bee opened and then both good and bad shall feele the power of it The Bookes were opened saith the Text And it is S. Chrysostomes obseruation Chrysost in Psal 50. Conscientia est codex in quo quotidiana peccata conscribuntur The Conscience is a booke in which our daily sinnes are written and so is our righteousnesse also our good actions as well as our euill both these shall be brought to light when the bookes shall bee opened Aug. lib. 20. de Ciuit. dei cap. 15. So S. Augustine virtute diuina fiet c. By the diuine power it shall be brought to passe that to euery one their workes either good or euill shall bee called in memory and with a wonderfull celerity by the eie of the minde they shall bee seene that the Conscience may either excuse or accuse and as that beareth witnesse so shall the owner of it be either saued or condemned Vse Oh then beloued How should this opening of the Book of Conscience at that last generall Assises moue euery Christian in the meane time to labour earnestly for the auoyding of a bad and obtaining of a good Conscience 1 An euill conscience in respect of faith Conscience is either de fide or de moribus it concerneth either the faith or life the knowledge or practice of a man a good conscience in both is to be sought after and a bad in both to be auoided If wee looke vpon Conscience in the first respect wee shall finde some Consciences to bee euill led aside to errour and oftentimes to heresie by wrong information being deceiued by Satans subtilties or drawne away by false teachers 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. and 13 14. of whom S. Paul giueth warning 2 Tim. 3.6 and S. Peter seconds him in his second Epistle second Chapter And 't is a wonder to see what misery these deceiued soules doe willingly endure rather then offend their consciences in any thing though blinded by a false intelligencâ— witnesse the Idolatrous Gentiles and superstitious Iewes of whose madnesse the Scripture giueth a testimony and many Christians also whose weak and tender soules are much afflicted for want of growth in spirituall vnderstanding and sound iudgment in knowledge of the truth and therefore both to be pittied and prayed for so strong are the bands of ignorance worse then Aegyptian darknesse so powerful is Conscience once awakened to keepe a man in obedience to that rule and law Exod. 10.22 with which it is enlightened and of the truth of which it is perswaded yea to the shadow of that truth
with which sometimes in stead of substance it is deceiued To preuent this erroneous Conscience to keepe our selues from it and â—t from vs it is heauenly counsell which is giuen by good S. Iohn that blessed Diuine Beloued beleeue not euery spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the world 1 Ioh. 4.1 and now especially they are too common in our land Search the Scriptures therefore for in them is certainly eternall life Iohn 5.39 and try these Teachers by the law and testimony the will of God reuealed in his word if they speake not according to this rule it is because there is no light in them Isaiah 8.20 And that thou maiest bee sure to speed the better in this search for truth Malach. 2.7 to satisfie thy Conscience in a time of doubting aduise with those who are truly learned and religious and pray for the assistance of Gods gracious Spirit that it will pleasâ— him to lighten thy eies that thou sleepest not in death and to direct them aright to inform thy conscience and pray for others also and I will pray with thee that this good Spirit may lighten those that s 〈…〉 darknesse Luc. 1.79 and in the shadow of death and guide their feet into the way of peace And being thus guided by him who cannot erre thou shalt bee sure of a good Conscience which is also to be found as it hath relation to faith 2 A good Consci in relation to Faith And this is a Conscience rightly informed by the good Spirit in the law and word of truth the blessed guide to life eternall the blacke cloudes of Ignorance being banished the vnderstanding enlightened with the glorious beams of sauing knowledge from whence there springeth a heauenly ioy and solace to the soule for though the Christian knoweth here but in part 1 Cor. 13.12 and seeth but darkly as in a glasse his knowledge being but ignorance and darkenesse it selfe in comparison of that blessed light with the brightnesse whereof our minds shall shine in heauen Yet hath the life of Grace an excellent difference from the state of Nature 1 Cor. 1.14 2 Cor. 4.4 the naturall man is blind and cannot see the things of God and therefore walketh in feare or desperate madnesse not knowing whither hee goeth sinning against his naturall or following the checks of an erroneous Conscience to his owne destruction Rom. 1.21.28 1 Cor. 2 15. But the spirituall man discerneth all yea seeth the secret things of God being directed by that sacred guide of truth in the light of which he walketh on boldly with ioy of heart and heauenly stedfastnesse through the darke and gloomy wildernesse of this world which is full of clouds and mists of errour to that blessed Canaan of perpetuall happinesse where is the light and glory of that truth which can neuer be extinguished Thus I haue briefly shewed the difference betweene the good and euill Conscience in respect of faith and knowledge the one rightly informed and directed to the light of Saints the other led aside by error to eternall darkenesse Of Conscience as it hath relation to life and practice But my intent is now to speake especially of Conscience as it concernes the good or euill life of man And this is either good or euill according to the good or euill actions which a man committeth For Conscience at first was good before the fall of our first Parents but after that they soone did feels and that by wofull experience the happinesse of a good and miserie of an euill conscience therefore They hid themselues from God and were afraid because their Conscience tould them they were naked Gen. 3.10 11. And this euill of Conscience they left to their posterity as heires of their corruption And as Conscience is euill by corrupted nature Rom. 2.15 naturally accusing man of inbred wickednesse so groweth it worse and worse by actuall transgression And hence it commeth to passe that as there are diuers kinds of sinnes committed in the world so are there diuers kinds of euill consciences amongst the sonnes of men but all of them to be detested and their society estranged from vs. Conscience euill 1 The first is Conscientia mortua a dead and cauterized Conscience A Conscience seared with a hot iron as S. Paul speaketh 1 Tim. 4.2 These Consciences are full of sin yet feele it not they are asleepe and cannot see it Their minds are blind Iob 12.25 Exod. 9.35 1. Sam. 8.6 Luc. 18.2 Ierem. 3.3 like Iobs wanderers their will peruerse like Pharaohs they are left of God as Saul they are carelesse like the vniust Iudge Not fearing God nor reuerencing man They haue harlots foreheads as the Lord complaines against the Iewes and their state is miserable because 't is hard and difficult to returne for Can the Blacke-moore change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may yee doe good which are accustomed to doe euill Ieremiah 13.23 This Conscience is as bad as may be and yet it is common amongst prophane ones in the world which makes them sin with greediness running post-hast to drunkennesse to whordome and prophanesse breaking of Gods Sabbaths without Conscience for why This Booke of Conscience now is closed but they shall one day feele the terror of it when as the Booke of Conscience shall bee opened Conscience 2 There is a second Conscience and that 's as contrary vnto this as is the Pole Ant-articke to the Articke the South vnto the North and this is Conscientia desperata a desperate Conscience too sensible both of the sting of sinne and wrath of God against it this was in Saul Achitophel and Iudas 1. Sam. 31.4 2. Sam. 17.23 Mat. 27.5 it is the execution of Conscience vpon the wicked in this life for here in part to some the booke is opened therefore their Hell beginneth but at the day of Iudgment they shall feele the sting and worme of Conscience in more fearefull manner because the booke of Conscience then shall bee at large vnfolded Conscience 3 Thirdly another Conscience followeth and this is as it were a middle betweene both the former not so dead as that it can be sensible of no iniquity nor so quicke as that it should be touched with euery sinne it is rightly named Conscientia spatiosa a large and spatious Conscience for it can hold a volume of impiety especially a Delilah or Agag shall bee welcome Iudges 16.4 1. Sam. 15.9 a beloued vice or princely sin it makes no Conscience of This is like Cheuerill or Kids leather because 't will stretch and is so farre from straining at a Gnat that it with ease will swallow downe a Cammell And this Conscience is no Farraigner but a free Denizon it dwelleth amongst vs more is the pitty you shall meet it as you trauell in many countryes Sometimes amongst the Clergie it is entertained of such who make no
conscience with what corruption they obtain the Cure of soules so they may get it and then they care as little for to feed them except it bee with meat that is worse then poyson their own bad example by which they bring themselues and others to destruction Luc. 11.35 Mat. 5.13 14. A wofull thing when that the light is darkned and the salt hath lost his sauour when as the Preachers life should lead to heauen it leads men to perdition Sometimes amongst the Lawyers it is entertained of such who make no conscience to excite and stirre vp men to needlesse suites Luc. 11.46 encouraging to warre when peace is better entertaining Causes with their armes wide open and receiuing fees with both hands with one to speake with the other to hold their peace And when they haue got a man to bee their prisoner they feed him then with bread and water of affliction vntill his purse bee emptie or his state consumed what time they send him home amongst his neighbours to end the controuersie with two honest men in stead of twelue Sometimes this large and spacious Conscience is amongst the Gentry where it is entertained of such who make no conscience of most vile oppressions grinding the faces of the poore racking their Tenants at so high a rate that though themselues their wiues children are their Land-lords slaues yet can they not be kept from beggery And as little Conscience doe they make of Sacriledge a sin as common and worse then the former whiles they are not content to robbe the Church of all her ancient rights but in prophane and wicked manner by symoniacall compacts sell both themselues their Priests and people to the Deuill and this they thinke is no sin it is so ordinary because their Conscience is now asleepe but they shall one day finde it so when as the booke of Conscience shall bee opened Sometimes amongst the Iurors and that at time of Assise and Sessions you may easily finde this Conscience to bee in those who make no conscience of an oath but contrary to their oath will giue their verdict not as truth and conscience would direct them but as malice or affection leads them But woe to such for their conscience one day shall bee both a witnesse and a Iudge against them when once the Booke of Conscience shall bee opened And commonly this Conscience is amidst the Common sort especially inferior Officers who should be euen the life of Law in bringing wickednesse before the Iudge and after sentence giuen in seeing Iustice executed But they haue Consciences as wide as hell either for feare of greatnesse or for loue of baseness smothering vile enormities which not being kild in time haue filled the land with sinnes that cry for vengeance And this though men be sworne yet doe they suffer because their booke of Conscience is not opened And thus you see the large and spacious Conscience and the seuerall sorts of men by whom it is entertained Conscience 4 There is yet Conscientia superstitiosa a superstitious Conscience most commonly amongst our ignorant Papists blinded with shadowes circumstances ceremonies deceiued with shewes and selfe-conceited opinions of Antiquity vniuersality infallibility of iudgment succession of gouernment and the like being wedded to will-worship Isay Coloss 2.18 and sporting themselues in the prison of ignorance vntill it pleaseth God to bring them as he doth many of them before they die out of darknesse inâ—o light and from the power of condemning error vnto the sauing Truth of God Conscience 5 And there is Conscientia scrupulosa a scrupulous or dubious Conscience 1 A dubious Conscience in matters of substance which if it be in Substance in the tender-hearted Christian assaulted with the violence of Satans sleights or ouer-burdened with the sight and sense of selfe-corruption or terrified with too much contemplation of Gods fearfull iudgments due to sinne for the guilt of which the Conscience is accused and affected with too little of Application of Christs precious merits and those gratious promises of pardon and freedom from Gods direfull vengeance vpon The causes of doubting in a tender Conscience true repentance and faith in Christ If this bee the cause of feare and scruple in this kinde of Conscience which sometimes brings the weake and feeble Christian to the mouth of Hell and pits-brinke of despaire Then though in the end it turneth vnto the good of Gods Elect to moue them to a tryall of their states to search and proue their hearts and consciences to finde out what 's amisse and what 's the cause of this their doubting whether their sinnes which perhaps haue long lien hidden kept secret in the closet of their hearts not truly seene nor felt nor yet repented of or their security in which before they were lulled asleepe being idle and neglecting to vnfold their Booke of Conscience Or their want of faith in Christ and firme affiance on Gods true and neuer-failing promises Or their trust too much vnto themselues seeking for peace and comfort more in the measure of their owne righteousnesse then in the free imputed righteousnesse of Christ Or lastly in their ignorance and erroneous iudgment of a Christians state here in the Church that 's militant and those many combats we must vndergoe before we passe from all our enemies or get within the gates of Paradise for any one of these may bring a Christian from the rock of stedfastnes to a world of doubts and feares Though in the end I say these feares and scruples may procure this good vnto the soul to see it selfe and find the cause of this distresse yet is this sicknesse dangerous and the cure is difficult And therfore here the weak and tender conscience had neede to pray and seeke a wise a holy and a good Physitian who like Christ may poure in wine and oyle the Law and Gospell tempered together with piety and discretion Luc. 10.34 and applyed with a soft and gentle hand vntill the Conscience being rightly informed may see the cause and labour to remoue it that so a setled stedfastnesse may bee obtained A dubious conscience in respect of circumstance And how this may bee I shall shew the meanes God willing when I come to speak of Conscience as 't is good to which I rather refer this Conscience though it be sicke weak and doubtful because it may be in the best dearest saints of God But if this Doubting bee in Circumstance as t is often in the selfe-conceited Separatists who are ouer nice and curious in tything Minte Annis and Cummin in standing vpon shadowes ceremonies and things indifferent But too carelesse otherwise letting the greater matters of the Law alone as our Sauiour sometimes told the Pharises in this respect their predecessors Mat. 23.23 Then though their desire bee good to doe nothing contrary or against their conscience yet were it farre better to seeke and labour that their Conscience may bee rightly