my choice of your Patronage of this Treatise It would have bin an incongruity to have had the name of a person of an evill Conscience prefixed before a booke of good Conscience I desired a Patron sutable to my subject I presume the very subject shall make the Treatise welcome to you Be you pleased to afford your acceptance as I will afford you my poore prayers that the Lord who hath already set upon your head the crowne of the Elders Prov. 17. 6. Childrens Children and one Crowne of glory here one earth Age found in the Prov. 16. 1. wayes of righteousnes would also in his due time give you that incorruptible crowne of righteousnes and eternall glory in the heavens which that righteous Judge shall give to you and to all those that in the wayes 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 thee Maine Heads The first maine head Pauls Protestation of a good Conscience where five things are considered 1. What Conscience is 2. What a good Conscience is It is good with a twofold goodnesse 1. With the goodnesse of Integritie and this integrity is threefold 1. When being rightly principled by the VVord it sincerely judges and determines of good evill 2. VVhen it doth excuse for good and accuse for evill 3. VVhen it urges to good restraines from evil 2. VVith the goodnesse of Tranquillitie and Peace Here are three sorts of Conscience discovered not to be good viz. 1. The Ignorant Conscience 2. The Secure 3. The Seared 3. The means of getting 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 blood 2. Repentance from dead workes 3. The conscionable exercise of Prayer 2. To get and keepe the Conscience good with the goodnesse of integrity and to have it uprightly good five things required viz. 1. VValking before God 2. Framing ones Course by the Rule of the VVord 3. Frequent examination of the Conscience 4. Hearkning to the voice of Conscience 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 seven 1. To make Conscience of all sinnes and duties 2. To make Conscience of small sinnes duties 3. To effect a Ministery that speakes to the Conscience 4. To doe duties and avoid sin for Conscience sake 5. Holy boldnesse 6. To suffer for Conscience 7. Constancie and Perseverance in Good 5. The Motives to a good Conscience and they are five 1. The incomparable comfort and benefit of it in all such times and cases as all other comforts faile a man and wherein a man stands most in need of comfort The Cases or times are five 1. The Time and case of Disgrace and Reproach 2. The Time of common feare cōmon calamity 3. The Time of sicknesse or other Crosses 4. The Time of Death 5. The Time and day of Iudgement 2. That a good Conseience is 1. A feast for 1. Contentment and satisfaction 2. Ioy and Mirth 3. Societie 2. Better than a feast for 1. The Cotinuance 2. Independency 3. Vniversalitie 3. Without a good Conscience all our best duties are nought 4. It is the Ship and Arke of Faith 5. The misery of an evil one 1. In this world in respect of 1. Feare 2. Perplexitie 3. Torment 2. in the world to come The second Maine Head Ananias his insolent injunction Whereout is observed 1 What is the respect a good Consciēce finds in the world 2. The impetuous injustice of the enemies of good consciēce 3. Who cōmonly be the bitteest enemies of good conscience 4. That Vsurpers are Smiters 5. What is a sad fore-runner of a Nations Ruine The third maine head Pauls Answere and Contestation Whereout is observed 1. That Christian patience muzzels not a good Conscience from pleading its owne Innocencie 2. The severitie of Gods Iudgements upon the Enemies and Smiters of good Conscience 3. The equity of Gods administration in his execution of Iustice GOOD CONSCIENCE ACTS 23. 1. And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell said Men and brethren I have lived in all good Conscience untill this day 2. And the high Priest Ananias commanded them that stood by to smite him on the mouth 3. Then said Paul unto him God shall smite thee thou whited wall CHAP. I. The Introduction of the Discourse following THere is no complaint so generall as this that the world is naught His experience is short and slender which will not justifie the truth of this complaint And what think we may the Cause be of the generall wickednes of our Times Surely nothing makes Ill Times but Ill men and nothing makes Ill men but Ill consciences Ill Conscience is the source and fountaine Hominum sunt istae non Temporum Sonec ep 98. from whence comes all iniquities which makes times here so ill How well should hee deserve that could amend ill times There is a course if it would be taken that would do the deed and so cease the common complaint Elisha's course in healing the waters of Iericho must be taken They said 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 healing of the waters He went out unto the spring of the waters and cast the Salt in there ver 21. So the waters were healed ver 22. The spring and fountaine of all actions good or evill is the Conscience and all actions courses of men are as their Consciences Out of the heart are the issues of life Prov. 4. 23. the heart and Conscience is the fountaine every action of a mans life is an Issue a little rivelet and a water passage thence Are these waters then that issue thence Naught The way to heale them Nō erit fructus bonus nisi arboris bonae Mutacor mutabitur opus Aug. de ver Dom. Serm. 12. is to cast the Salt into the spring Mend the Conscience and all is mended Good Consciences would make Good men and Good men would make Good Times Lo here a project for the reformation of evil times Were this Project set on foot and a good Conscience set up how should we see prophanation of Gods holy Name and Day Injustice Bribery Oppression Deceit Adulteries and Whoredomes and all other Iniquities how should wee see all these as our Savior saw Satan falling downe like lightning from heaven How should we see them come tumbling downe like so many Dagons before Gods Arke yea tumbled downe and broken to the stumps The onely Arke that must dash and ding downe these Dagons is a good Conscience And if we would well weigh the matter what is there equally desirable with a Ecce quid prodest plena bonisarca cum sit inanis
Propter incertitudinem propriae Iustitiae periculum inanis gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola Dei misericordia benignitate reponere Bellar. de Iustific lib. 5. cap. 7. merit comes to this at last That by reason of the uncertainty of our owne righteousnesse and the danger of vaine-glory it is the most safe way to repose our whole confidence in the mercie and goodnesse of God alone Which way soever Bellarmine is gone himselfe or any of his religion I thinke common reason will teach a man so much wisdome to go the safest way to heaven and that the safest way is the best way The Lord that would have us make our calling and election sure 2 Peter 1. 10. would not have us put so great a matter as the salvation of our soules upon Bellarmines hazard and confessed uncertaintie of our owne righteousnesse Now as in case of doctrine so in case of practise it is great wisedome and a great meanes of keeping a good conscience to doe that wherein we may Tutioris vivere and to take to that which Tutissimum est to follow that which is safest and to take to that side which is the surest and the freest from danger CHAP. VII Two markes if a good Conscience THus wee see how a good conscience may be had it followes we consider how it may be knowne and be discerned to be had The markes and notes by which a good conscience may bee knowne are seven 1. This in the Text. In all good conscience 1. Note of good conscience Conscience in all things It is a good note of a good conscience when a man makes conscience of all things all duties and all Sins There be that have naturall consciences principled by some generall grounds of nature and it may bee so farre as these rules carry them may make some conscience but their principles comming short they must needs also come as short of a good conscience I have lived saies Paul here in all good conscience and Heb. 13. 18. Wee trust wee have a good Conscience in all things It is a good conscience when a mans life all his life is a life of conscience when in all his life and the whole tenour thereof he makes conscience of all that God commands and forbids Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed what breeds shame but evill conscience when I have respect unto all thy Commandements When all are respected there is no shame because where all are respected there is good conscience and where good conscience is there is no shame That argued Davids good conscience Psal 119. 101. I have refrained my feet from every evill way Try mens consciences by this and it will discover a great deale of evill conscience in the world Many a morall man makes conscience of doing his neighbour the least wrong hee will not wrong or pinch any man payes every man his owne deales fairly and squarely in his commerce there is no man can say blacke is his eye you shall have him thank God that he hath as good a conscience as the best These are good things and such things as men ought to make conscience of but yet here is not enough to make a good conscience A good conscience must be all good conscience or it is no good conscience Now indeed these men may have good consciences before men but my Text tels us that we must live in all good conscience before God And Paul joines them two together Act. 24. 13. And herein I doe exercise my selfe to have a good conscience voyd of offence towards God and towards men Now be it that these have good conscience before men yet what have they before God Alas they are miserably ignorant in the things of God no consciences to acquaint themselves with his truth no conscience of prayer in their families of reading the Scriptures no conscience of an oath and as little of the Sabbath and the private duties thereof How far are these from good conscience Others againe seeme to make conscience of their duties before God but in the meane time no conscience of duties of Justice in the second Table make no conscience of oppression racking rents covetousnesse over-reaching c. these are no better consciences then the former neither are good because they live not in all good conscience Thus may ◠man discover the naughty consciences of most Iehu seemes wondrous zealous for the Lord and seemes to be a man of a singular good conscience in the demolishing the Tēple of Baal putting to death his Priests I but if Iehu make conscience of letting Baals Tēple stand why doth he not as well make conscience of letting Ieroboams Calves stand If Iehu had had a good conscience hee would as ill have brookt Ieroboams as Iezebels Idolatry he would have purged the land of all Idols Herod seemes to make some conscience of an Oath Marke 6. 26. For his Oaths sake hee would not reject her It is joy of him that hee is a man of so good conscience I but in the meane time why makes hee no conscience of incest and murther Hee feares and makes conscience to breake an unlawfull Oath but makes no conscience to cut an holy Prophets throate Who would not have thought Saul to have beene a man of a very good conscience see how like a man of good conscience hee speakes 1 Sam. 14. 34. Sinne not against the Lord in eating with the blood Hee would have the people make conscience of eating with the blood and indeed it was a thing to be made conscience of I but he that makes conscience of eating the flesh of Sheepe and Oxen with the blood like a bloody hearted tyrāt as he was he makes no conscience of sucking and shedding the blood of fourescore and five of Gods Priests Iust the conscience of his blood-hound Doeg 1 Sam 21. 7. Doeg was there that day deteined before the Lord. How deteined either out of a religious conscience of the Sabbath 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 services bee finisht a duety that even the Prince must make conscience of Ezek. 46. 10. Who therefore would not judge this Edomite a conscionable Proselyte I but why then makes hee no conscience of Lying Psalm 25. Why no conscience of being instrumentall to Sauls injustice in that barbarous villany of slaying not onely innocent men but innocent Priests of the Lord such were the Consciences of the Chiefe Priests Matth. 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 bee made of bringing the price of blood into the Temple treasurie Are they not then men of good conscience It is not lawfull
but for cutting Sauls coat 1 Sam. 24. 5. See the nature of a good conscience it will smile not onely for cutting Sauls throat but for cutting Sauls coat but for an appearance vpon a suspicion and but a iealousie of evill Paul speakes of a pure Conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. Now it is with the pure conscience as it is with pure Religion Iam. 1. 17. Pure religion and undefiled is to keepe á mans selfe unspotted of the world It hates not onely wallowing with the Sow in the mire but is shie of very spots and hates not only the flesh but the garment not onely that is grosely besmeared but which is but spotted with the flesh Iude 23. according to that Ceremonial Levit. 15. 17. And this is that which differences civility and a good Conscience Civility shunnes mire but is not so trim as to wash off spots this is the pure Religion of a pure Conscience Pure Religion and nndefiled is to keep a mans selfe unspotted therefore they who are not unspoted are not undefiled but if their consciences be but spotted yet are they defiled Mens consciences are as their Religion is and pure Religion is spotlesse Yea to close this point the greatest evidence of a good conscience is in making Conscience of small things Whilst Probat enim etiam in majoribus si res exigat executorem se idoneum fore à quo minora compleantur Salvian de provid l. 3. men feare great sinnes or are carefull of maine duties it may bee their reputation and credits may sway them which otherwise would be impeached So that in them it may be a question whether it be Conscience or Credit that is the first mover but in smaller things where there is no credit to be had nay for scrupling whereof a man may rather receive some discredit from the world here it is more evident that good Conscience sets a man on This then is a note of a good Conscience to make Conscience as of small duties so of small sinnes as hee that feares poison feares to take a drop as well as a draught and men feare not onely when a firebrand is thrust into but when a sparke lights upon their thatch CHAP. VIII Three other notes of a good Conscience A Third note of good conscience may be this It loves and likes a Ministry and such Ministers as preach and speake 3. Note of good conscience To love a Ministry that speaks home to the conscience to the Conscience It likes such a dispensation of the Word as comes home to it whether for direction or reproofe The Word is the rule of conscience and a good conscience is desirous to know the rule it must live by The Word must judge the conscience this every good conscience knowes and therefore grudges not to be reproved by it as knowing that if it will not abide the Words reproofe it must abide the Words iudgement Therefore a man with a good conscience speakes as Samuel Speake Lord thy servant heares He can suffer the words of exhortation and not count himselfe to suffer whilst it is done He is of Davids minde Let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindnesse let him reproue me and it shall bee an excellent oyle which shall not breake mine head Psal 141. 5. It is with good conscience as with good eyes that can abide the light and can delight in it whereas sicke and sore eyes are troubled and offended therewith A sound heart is like sound flesh that can abide not onely touching but also rubbing and chafing and yet a man will not bee put into a chafe thereby whereas contrarily if the least thorne or vnsoundnesse bee therein Tu scis Deus noster quod tunc de Alipio ab illa peste sanando non cogetaverim At ille in se rapuit meque illud non nisi propter se dixisle credidit quod alias acciperet ad succensendum mihi accepit honestus adolescens ad succensendum sibi ad meardentius diligendum Aug. conf lib. 6. ca. 7. a touch at vnawares provokes a man if not to smite yet to angry words and language of displeasure Vnsound flesh loves to be stroakt and to be handled gently the least roughnesse puts into a rage That is the ingenuity of a good conscienence which was the good disposition of Alipius when hee was vnwittingly taxed by Augustine for his Theatricall vanities hee was so sarre from being angry with him though he conceived him purposely to ayme at him that hee was rather angry with himselfe and loved Augustine so much the better Put mens consciences vpon this triall and we shall see what the consciences of most men are Let a man preach in an vnprofitable maner let him spend himselfe in idle curiosities and speculations let him be in combate with obsolete or forraine heresies so long their Minister is a faire and a good Churchman But let him doe as God commands Ezekiel to doe Ezek. 14. 4. Answer them according to their Idols preach to their necessities let him call them and presse them to holy duties and reprove them for their vnholy practises and make knowne vnto them what evill consciences they have what then is Scio me offensurum quam plurimos qui generalem de vitiis disputationem in suam referunt contumeliam dum mihi irascuntur suam judicant conscientiam multoque prius de se quam de me judicant Hieron ad Rustic Monach. their carriage and behaviour Even that Amos. 5. 10. They hate him that rebukes in the gate and they abhorre him that speaks vprighly This Ministry that comes to the conscience will not downe with them It lets in too much light vpon them and Ahab hates Micaiah for drawing the curtains so wide open he cannot endure such punctuall and particular preaching that clappes so close to his conscience A plaine signe that Ahab hath a rotten and an vnsound Conscience Micaiah could not be more punctuall with Ahab then Isaiah was with Hezekiah Isa 39. 6 7. And yet what sayes Hezekiah Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken as if he had said a good Sermon a good Preacher all good Whence comes this good entertainment of so harsh a message Hezekiah had a good Conscience and therefore though the message went against the haire yet he could give good words Let the righteous smite mee and it shall be a kindnesse Psal 141. I but that is whē the righteous smites the righteous what if the Prophet smite Amaziah he will threaten to smite him againe 2 Chron. 25. 16. Forbeare why shouldest thou be smitten Why if Paul preach of a good Conscience and so make Ananias his Conscience to smite him Ananias will commaund the standers by to smite him on the mouth Now let all the standers by judge whether Ananias have any good Conscience in him who cannot brook the preaching of good Cōscience Let men professe they know God as long as they
will yet if they slight the word or swel at it or be disobedient to it when it is laid to their Conscience Paul makes it a manifest signe of a defiled conscience Tit. 1. 15 16. Their mind and their conscience is defiled How appeares that They professe they know God but they are disobedient When therfore the Ministry of the Word shall charge thee with dutie or reproove thee for sinne and then thou shalt charge the Minister with railing and girding and that this Sermon was made for the nonce for thee thou likest not that Ministers should be so particular c. In Gods feare bee advised to looke to thy Conscience and know it that thou hast a naughtie conscience when the Ministry of the Word smites thy conscience then for thee to smite the Minister with reproachfull and disgracefull tearmes to smite him with thy mouth How is thy conscience better then Ananias his that commands to smite Paul on the mouth he that cannot brooke that Gods Ministers should not discharge a good conscience in preaching to the conscience be bold to challenge that man for a man of an evill conscience 4. That is a fourth note of a good conscience 4 Note of a good conscience To doe duty for conscience sake Rom. 13. 5. ye must be subject for conscience sake To doe good or abstaine from evill meerly for conscience sake is a note of a right good conscience indeed Conscience as we saw before doth excite and stirre up and bind to the doing of good and bind from the doing of evill Now when the conscience upon just information from the Word shall presse and forbid and then a man shall because conscience forbids forbeare or because it presses performe obedience thus to doe good or not to doe evill for conscience sake is a note of a good conscience It evidences a good conscience when the maine weight that sets the wheeles on worke is conscience of Gods coÌ„mandement When it is that Ps 119. 4. that sets a man on work Thou hast coÌ„manded us to keep thy precepts diligently The end of the commandement is love 1 Tim. 1. 5. and love is the fulfilling of the commandement Rom. 12. But what love From a pure heart and a good conscience 1 Tim. 1. 5. When conscience of the commandement carries a man to the fulfilling of the end of it then doth such love come froÌ„ a good conscience Salomons description of a good man Eccl. 9. 2. is that he fears an oath He saies not that swears not but that feares an oath For a man not to sweare may be the fruit of good education and of the awe a man hath stood in of his Governours but to feare an oath argues that a man feares the commandement Prov. 13. 13. and to feare the commandement is the note of a good conscience Here let mens consciences be tried Thou prayest in thy family hearest the Word keepest the Sabbath c. Now search thine heart and make inquirie what it is that carrieth thee to these duties Doest thou do them for conscience sake Doest thou find conscience to urge and presse thee and to give satisfaction of the conscience and obedience to the injunctions thereof Are these things done If so it is a signe of a good conscience But this discovers the naughtinesse of mens consciences who though they be sound in some good duties or in the avoyding of some evils yet is it not conscience that workes them thereto Yee must be subject not onely for wrath that is for feare of the Magistrates wrath and revenge but for conscience sake Rom. 13. 5. It is no good conscience when a man will be subject for his skins sake and lest hee smart by the Magistrates sword but then a mans conscience is good when in obedience to Gods Word and in conscience of his commandement he subjects The like may be said of all by-ends Ye must doe good duties not for profit not for credit not for vaine-glory not for â—aw but for conscience sake or else evill consciences ye have in that ye doe The Shechemites receive circumcision Gen. â—4 And is not circumcision Gods Ordinance And is it not joy of them that they will joyne to the Church and professe the true Religion Yes surely if it were done for conscience I but it is not done for conscience sake Alas no such matter but for Hamors sake the Lord of the Towne and for Shechems sake their young Master and for the hope of gaines sake Shall not their cattell and their substance and every beasts of theirs be ours Gen. 34. 23. For the oxen sake and not for conscience sake are the Shechemites circumcised Shechem for Dinahs sake receives the Sacrament Oh the zeale and forwardnesse that some will professe on a sudden What frequenters of holy exercises But what is it for conscience sake No such matter but Shechem is in hope of a match with Dinah and all these showes of Religion are neither for Gods sake nor conscience sake but all for Dinahs sake all under hope of preferment by a rich marriage They were goodly shewes of zeale Ioh. 6. 22. 24. in seeking and following after Christ but it was neither for Christ nor conscience sake but ver 26. for the loaves and the bread and their bellies sake Many of the heathens Esth 8. 17. turned Iewes Was there not joy of such Proselytes not a whit for not the fear of God but the feare of the Iewes fell upon them as many frequent the publicke assemblies more for feare of the statute then for fear of the commandement The officers of the King helped the Iewes Esther 9. 3. Was it for conscience sake Nothing lesse but for wrath sake and for feare because the feare of Mordecai fell upon them If the Pharises had done all that Mat. 6. for conscience sake which they did for vaine-glory sake they had had the glory of good consciences Many preached the Gospel in Pauls daies Phil. 1. Does not so good a worke argue a good conscience Yes if it had beene done for conscience sake but that was done for contention sake not to adde soules to the Church but to adde sorrowes to Pauls afflictions It is a note of a good conscience when that which we doe is done with a respect unto the commandement of God Psal 119. 6. and not with a squint respect unto our owne private for praise or profit It Vtrine majores heretici illine qui pictas ligneas an qui aureas argenteas imagines è templis exigerent ad conflandam monetam igne adurerent Dubro hist Bohe. l. 24. was a good argument of those Bohemians good consciences in plucking downe Images that they beate downe onely painted and wooden Images whilst Sigismund the Emperour pulled downe silver and golden ones to melt into money for pay of his Souldiers as they plead for themselves when they were held Heretikes for their fact If they had pulled downe such Images as
in and prosecute a just case till a bribe come and puts out the very eies of their conscience Their consciences are of so soft a temper that the least touch of silver turnes their edge presently They hold out well till there come a tentation on their left hand that is in their right hand Psal 144. 8. Whose mouth speakes vanity and their right hand is a right hand of falshood If once the right hand be a right hand of falsehood the mouth will soone speake vanity though before it speake conscience Who would not have thought Balaam to have beene a man of an excellent conscience If Balak would give mee his house full of silver and gold I cannot goe beyond the word of the Lord my God to doe lesse or more Num. 22. 18. But yet besides that faltering in those words I cannot goe whereas the language of a good conscience would have beene I will not goe besides that I say before hee ends his speech see how the hope of promotions works and works his conscience like wax before the fire ver 19. Now therfore I pray you tarry heere also this night that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more A faltering inference If his conscience had beene good it would have inferred strongly thus Now therefore I pray get you gone and trouble me no longer Hee knew in his conscience the people ought not to be cursed and that he ought not to goe and yet comes in with I pray tarry all night c. Truly Balak needed not to have beene so lavish and so prodigall as to offer an house full one handfull of his silver and gold will frame Balaams conscience to any thing The like triall may be made of mens consciences by their inconstancie in good courses and this will condemne three sorts as guilty of evill consciences 1. Such as sometimes being convinced of the necessity of good courses doe set upon the practice of them and begin to looke towards Religion and religious duties till meeting with some of their supposed wiser neighbours they be advised to take heed they may bring themselves into greater note then they are aware of they will incur sharper censures then they thinke of c. and suddenly all is dasht all is quasht and quencht There is a disease among beasts they call the Staggers and it is a disease too frequent in mens Consciences who sometimes are on sometimes off one day begin and next day cease good courses That may be said of many mens conscices which Iacob speakes of Reuben Gen 49. 4. Vnstable as water The water moues as the winds blow If the wind blow out of the East then it moves one way if out of the west then it moves another the cleane contrary and upon every new winde a new way So many let them heare a convincing and a good perswading Sermon moving to good duties then they will set upon them let them againe heare either some mocks or reproches for those wayes or some sage advise from one they count wise against the way of conscience they are as far off againe as ever These staggering irresolute and watry Consciences are farre from good ones 2. Such as in their youth or when the world was low with them were very zealous and forward But what are they now at this day True downeright Demasses zealous when they were young but now old and cold zealous when they were meane but now the world is come vpon them Demas-like they have forsaken goodnes and embraced the world have gotten now worme-eaten and world-eaten consciences The zeale of Gods house was wont to eat them up but now the world hath eaten up them and all their good conscience 3. Those that have made good the prophane Proverb Young Saints and old Devills whose hatred of Religion and good conscience is greater then ever was their love thereto as Ammon was towards Thamar 2 Sam. 13. 15. They were zealous and forward frequenters of Gods house and Ordinances zealous enemies against Swearing and Sabbath-breaking c. But what are they at this day yesterday indeed zealous professors of holines but what are they to day to day malicious scoffers of godlinesse haters and opposers of goodnes the only swearers and drunkards in a country What kind of cōsciences are these none of Pauls conscience I have lived in all good conscience untill this day What then just the consciences of Hymenaeus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1. 18 19. They once made great profession of conscience but now enemies to Paul and blasphemers men as Paul speaks that had put away good conscience they did not through want of watchfulnesse let it slip or steale away but as if it would never have been gone soone enough they put and drave it away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza translates it Qua expulsa They used their consciences as Ammon did Thamar after his lust satisfied 2 Sam. 13. 15 17. Arise be gone sayes hee to her and when shee pleads for her selfe hee cals his servant and sayes unto him Put out this woman and bolt the doore after her put her out so as shee may be sure not to come againe They dealt with their Consciences as Colleges deale with Rake-hels expelled them without all hope of re-entry Thus many prophane Apostating backsliders cannot be content to lose good conscience unlesse Ammon-like they may put it away with violence and expell it And how can they have good conscience that have put it away Hee hath not his wife that hath put her away and given her a bill of divorce In the dayes of Popery and darknesse the Devill it seemed walked very familiarly amongst them and hence we have so many stories of Fayries and of children taken out of cradles and others laid in their roomes whom they called Changelings Since the light of the Gospell these Devils and Fayries have not beene seene amongst us but yet we are still troubled with Changelings Some Priests and Iesuites have changed some the world hath changed some Good-fellowship and the Ale-house hath changed These have played the Fayries have taken and stolne away goodly forward and fervent Christians and have layd in their roomes Earthlings Worldlings Popelings Swearers Drunkards Malicious scorners of all goodnesse Thus have these Fayries in stead of faire and comely children brought in these lame blind deformed and wrizzled faced Changelings that any one may easily see them to be rather the births of some Hobgoblins then the Children of God If therefore we would evidence our consciences good labour to hold to the last and rest not in youth but labor to have age found in the way of righteousnesse This is a Crowne of glory and this is right good conscience to live therein untill our dying day All the former sixe are nothing without this last CHAP. X. The comfort and benefit of a good conscience in the case of Disgrace and Reproach VVEe are now come to the fift and last point which was propounded
TVVO TREATISES THE ONE Of Good CONSCICNCE Shewing the Nature Meanes Markes Benefits and Necessitie thereof THE OTHER The mischiefe and misery of Scandalls both taken and given Both Published BY IER DYKE Minister of Gods Word at Epping in Essex The Sixth Edition corrected LONDON Printed by A. M. for Robert Milbourne 1635. GOOD CONSCIENCE OR A TREATISE SHEVVING THE Nature Meanes Markes Benefit and Necessitie thereof BY IER DYKE Minister of Gods Word at Epping in Essex The Sixth Edition corrected LVKE 10. 42. One thing is necessarie LONDON Printed by A. M. for Robert Milbourne 1635. TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull Sir FRANCIS BARRINGTON Knight and Baronet a Patron and pattern of Pietie and good Conscience RIGHT WORSHIPFVL THat which the Apostle Paul speakes of a mans desire of the office of a Bishop may be truly spoken of every one who desires to gaine men to the love of a good Conscience that hee desires a worthy Worke Yea it is the worke which is and ought to bee made the scope and drift of the worthy worke of the Ministery And therefore it is that he that desires the calling of the Ministerie desires a worthy worke because of this worthy worke of bringing mento Vnicuique liber est propria conscientia ad hunc librum discutiendū emendandum omnes alij inventi sunt Bern. de Cons good Conscience A worke at which all workes and books should specially ayme Conscience is a book one of those books that shall be opened at the last day and to which men shall be put and by which they shall be judged Therefore to the directing informing and amending of this booke should all other bookes specially tend Yea Salomon seemes to call men off from all other bookes and studies to the study of this so necessary a point the keeping of a good Conscience Of making many bookes saith he there is Eccles 12. 12 13. no end and much study is a wearinesse of the flesh Let us heare the conclusion of the whole matter Feare God and keep his Commandements for this is the whole dutie of man As if his advice tended to this to neglect all studies in comparison of that study which aimes at the getting keeping of a good Conscience It would be exceeding happy with us if this study were more in request amongst us Wee seeme to live in those dayes fore-told by the Prophet wherein the earth should bee filled with the knowledge of the Lord. We Isa 11. 9. are blessed that live in so cleare a Sunne-shine of Gods truth but yet the griefe is that through our owne default our Sun-shine is but like the winter light all light little or no heate and we make no other use of our light but onely to see by not to walke and work by In the first re-entrance of the Gospell amongst us how devout holy zealous and men renowned Antiqua sapientia nihil aliud quam facienda vitāda praecepit tūc longe meliores erant viri Postquā docti prodierunt boni desunt Simplex enim illa aperta virtus in obscuram solertem scientiam versa est docerumque disputare non vivero Seneo epist 56. Rom. 15. 14 for Conscience were our Martyrs and our first Planters Preachers professors of Religion They had not generally the knowledge and learning the world now hath nor the world now the Conscience they then had There bee now better Scholers there were then better Men they were as excellent for Devotion as our Times are for Disputation It is an excellent sight to see such Christians as were the Romanes Full of goodnesse filled with all Knowledge It is pitty that ever so lovely a paire should be sundred Yet if they be parted it is best being without that which with most safetie may be spared A good Conscience is sure to doe well though it want the accomplishment of Learning and greater measures of Knowledge and Vnderstanding But take Learning from a good Conscience and it is but a Ring of gold in a Swines snout or that which is worse A thorne in a Drunkards hand Learning Prov. 26. 9. is to bee highly apprized Riches Honours and all other earthly blessings are vile to it But yet though it take place of all other things yet must it give good Conscience the wall and upper-hand as that which is farre before it in worth vse and necessitie As Salomon of wisdome so may it be said of good Conscience Shee Prov. 3. 15. is more pretious than Rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her Gold and Rubies cannot so enrich a man as good Conscience doth and yet alas the blindnesse of men how willing are they in this case with a wilfull povertie Not Rubies but handfulls of Barley morsels of Bread and Crusts are preferred before the invaluable treasure of a good Conscience After the many worthy endeavours therefore of so many as have bin before me in this worke of labouring men to a good conscience I have adventured also to lend my weake strength to the same worke If one or two witnesses prevaile not yet who knows what an whole cloud may doe Though Eliah and Elisha bee the Horsemen and Chariots of Israel yet the Footmen do their service in the battell and Apollo may without offence water where Paul hath planted Now these my poore endeavours such as they are I am bold to publish under your Worshipfull name and to put them foorth under your Patronage entreating you to countenance that in a Treatise which you have so long countenanced in the practise None so fit to bee a Patron of a Treatise of good Conscience as he that hath bin a religious both professor protector of the practise therof To haue a Naile fastned in a sure place the antiquity Isa 22. 25. of a long standing Name and Family to be hewen out of the Quarry of the best Stocks of Parentage to have faire Lines and a faire lot in outward possessions to be blessed with a fruitfull Vine and Olive plants fairely growne and planted round about a man all these are to bee held high honors and great favours from the God of heaven And with all these hath the Lord honoured your selfe But yet your greatest honour that hath given lustre to all the rest hath bin your love to the Truth Religion and a good Conscience Augustine repented him that he attributed more to Mallius Theodorus to Displicetautē illic quod Mallio Theodoro adquem librumipsum scripsi quāvis docto Christiano viro plus tribui quam deberem Aug. Retr lib. 1. cap. 2. whom he wrote a booke than he should have done though otherwise hee were a learned and Christian man A man may easily overshoot himselfe in the commēdation of a good man especially if a great man It shall suffice therfore to have said so little and that to this end that hereby the World may know the reason of
Conscientia Bona vis habere bonus non vis esse tum quid est quod vis habere malū Nihil omnino non uxorem nō filium non ancillā villam tunicā postremo nō caligam tamē vis habere malam vitam Rogo te praepone vitam tuam calige tuae sic Conscientiam Aug. Ibid. good Conscience What is that men would have but they desire to have it Good And yet amongst all other things they desire to have Good what little care to have the Conscience such Wife children servants houses lands ayre food raiment who would not have these good And yet that without which none of all these are good nor will yield us any true good that alone is neglected and whilst men would have all other things good yet their cōsciences themselves are naught Now alas what good wil all other goods do us whilst this one and this maine Good thing is wanting How excellent is this Good above all other good things A good wife good children good land c. these Vbi supra Ipsae ergo divitiae bonae sunt sed ista omnia bona a bonis malis haberi possunt Et cum bona sint bonos tamen facere non possuut Aug. de verb. Do. Serm. 5. may a man have and yet he himselfe not Good these find men sometimes Good but make none so these goods may a man have and yet himselfe be naught Not so with good Conscience which no evill man can have which whosoever hath it makes him and all he hath Good So great and so good a Good why is it so much neglected Try we therefore and let us assay if by any meanes Gods good blessing giving assistance we may be able to stir up men and to worke them to regard so great and excellent a good It may be at least some few may be perswaded and may set upon this work of getting a good Conscience If but some few if but one be wrought upon the labour is not in vaine If none yet our worke is with our God to whom we are a sweet sauor in Christ in them that are saved in them that perish 2 Cor. 2. 15 This portion of Scripture then which I have chosen for the ground of the following Discourse consists of three parts 1. Pauls sober and ingenious Profession and Protestation ver 1. 2. Ananias his insolent and impetuous Injunction ver 2. 3. Pauls zealous Answer and Contestation ver 3. 1. The first is Pauls Protestation in these words Men and brethren I have lived in all good Conscience untill this day With this Protestation of a good Conscience Paul begins his Plea And however to distinguish our selves frō Papists we beare the name of Protestants yet we shal never be sound and good Protestants indeed till we can take up Pauls Protestation that our care indeavor and course is to live in All good Conscience A Protestant with a loose and a naughty Conscience hath no great cause to glory in his desertion of the Romish Religion As good a blind Papist as a halting Protestant The blind and the halt were equally abominable unto the Lord. Paul was here brought forth to answer for himselfe before the chiefe Priests and the Councell And his Preface as I said to his intended Apology if hee had not been injuriously interrupted is a Protestation of the goodnes of his conscience and this his good Conscience or the goodnes of his Conscience he sets forth 1. From his Conversation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have lived or conversed A good conversation is a good evidence of a good Conscience indeed there can be no good conscience where there is not a Conversing in good It is not some moods and fits in some good actions duties from whence conscience gaines the reputation of goodnesse but a good conversation godly and religious in the generall tenour thereof proves the cōscience worthy such an honor as to be holden good He may be said to have a good cōscience that can be said to live in a good conscience Many a man is frequent in the City yet cānot be said to live there There a man lives where he hath his Converse Residence A mans life is not to be measured by some few actions in which at sometime he may be found but by his general course and conversation God will judge every man not according to his steps but according to his wayes It were over-rigid censoriousnesse to condemn a righteous man and to question whether his Conscience were good because some steps of his have bin beside the way We know for the generall his way is good wherein he walkes and therefore according to his good way we judge his Conscience good Contrarily when we see a mans way for the generall to be evill though sometime hee may tread a right step or two and chance to chop into the faire road for a rod or two for this to judge a mans Conscience good were a bottomlesse and a boundlesse Charitie Every mans Conscience is as his life is 2. From the Generalitie of his care and obedience In all good Conscience It must be All good or it is no good Conscience at all There be that live in some good Conscience yea Herod seemes to have much good Conscience hee did many things gladly but yet Paul goes further and lives not in some not in much but in All good Conscience 3. From the Sincerity and Integrity of it before God Before men how many have their consciences exceeding good yet their consciences are farre short of goodnes because they are not good before God the judge of Conscience Whilst Conscience is made onely of the Capitals of the second Table or of the externals and ceremonials of the first which duty is not done out of obedience to God and his Commandements but a mans self either in his gaine or in his praise is sought and base ends are the first movers to good duties here the Conscience what ever applause it hath from or before men for it goodnesse yet of God shall not be so esteemed For that is not a good cōscience which is one outwardly but which is one inwardly whose praise is not of men but of God And that hath its praise of God which is before God 4. From his continuance and constancie untill this day To begin a good life and course and to live in all good conscience that before God are excellent things but yet one thing is wanting to make up this goodnesse compleat To be so for a day or some dayes will not serve but when a man can say at his last day I have lived in all good Conscience untill this day that man may be safely judged to have 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 and to keep mee within those bounds alone but to take a larger
rule for a mans particular estate or action Here Conscience witnesses concerning the fact judges of the quality of it and accordingly accuses or excuses The Conclusion is the sentence of conscience absolving or condemning and accordingly cheering or stinging comforting or tormenting a man CHAP. III. A good Conscience what it is false ones discovered VVHat Conscience is wee have seene The second thing considerable is what a good Conscience is The Conscience that is good must be good with a double goodnesse 1. With the goodnesse of Integrity 2. With the goodnes of Tranquillity Vprightnesse and Peace these two are required to the constitution of a good Conscience First it is good with the goodnesse of Integrity when it is an upright cōscience This is that which Paul cals A pure Conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. which Phrase a man would almost think in his conscience that the Holy Ghost used on set purpose to stop the mouth of the iniquity of the latter times that should seeke to disgrace all good Conscience with the sarcasme of purity Now the conscience is good with the goodnesse of Integritie and Puritie three wayes 1. When it being informed and rightly principled by the word of God the only rule and binder of Conscience it doth truly and sincerely judge and determine evill to be evill and good to be good As contrarily the conscience is sinfully evill when it doth not determine that to be evill which is evill nor that to be good which is good but call evill good and good evill Such as are the consciences of Ignorant persons who wanting the knowledge of Gods Word and having their consciences blinded through ignorance are not able to judge of good or evill nor to discerne and determine which is which So that knowledge is necessarily required to the goodnes of conscience Rom. 15. 14. Yee also are full of goodnes filled with all knowledge The conscience cannot be good where the soule is naught and that the soule be without knowledge it is not good Prov. 9. 2. 2. When it doth excuse for that which is good and accuse for that which is evill being sanctified by the spirit of grace for the accusation of conscience though it follow upon sin yet it is not sinfull and evill in it selfe but only painfull and troublesome and so opposed to the goodnes of peace not to the goodnesse of uprightnesse according to that trite distinction of Bernard of a good Conscience and not quiet a quiet conscience not good It is the property of a conscience uprightly good to accuse upon any sin committed As contrarily the conscience is sinfully evill when it doth not excuse for good nor accuse for evill The superstitious person omitting his fopperies should be excused by his Conscience wheras he rather receives blame from his Conscience therefore his Conscience is sinfully evill The secure persons conscience is naught because he having cōmitted sin his Conscience is silent and lets him alone and brings in no accusation against him therefore it is sinfully evill It is a witnesse that hath seene and knowne evill and doth not utter it therfore it shall beare its iniquity Levit. 5. 1. 3. When it doth incite and urge us to doe good and doth stay and hinder from evill It is uprightly good when it spurs to good and bridles from evill Heb. 13. 18. For we are assured that we have a good Conscience viz. A conscience that is neither silent to perswade to that which is good or disswade from that which is evil If a man go about or be ready to yield to any thing that is sinful how wil it muster up legions of Arguments how will it wrastle and struggle with a man It will say as Abner to Ioab 2 Sam. 2. 26. knowst thou not that it wil be bitternes in the later end or as Abigail to David 1 Sam. 25. 31. It shall be no griefe nor offence of heart unto thee another time not to have done this evill If a man be negligent or carelesse and drowsie in good duties it comes to him with that voice 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 uprightly good Contrarily it is sinfully evill when it doth not incite us to that which is good nor hinder us from doing evill This is a dead and a seared conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. Having 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 us because it hath not wherewith to accuse us 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 bloud of Christ by which we come to have no more Conscience of Sins Heb. 10. 2. That is no more Conscience to accuse or condemne for Sin it being done away in the blood 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 rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience Then is the Conscience good when it is peaceable As contrarily then it is evill painfully evill when it is turbulent and troublesome in the accusations thereof and binds over to judgement and so leaves us in shame feare perplexity and griefe 1 Ioh. 3. 20. If our heart condemne us This is a wounded a troubled conscience This is oft the evill conscience of evill men Isa 57. 21. There is no peace to the wicked saith my God Yet may a man have his Conscience uprightly good which is painfully evill for a good mans Conscience may be unquiet and troubled Thus then wee see what a good conscience is that which is uprightly honest and quietly peaceable This being so it serves to discover the dangerous errour of divers sorts of people that are in a dreame of having good consciences and yet having nothing lesse There be three sorts of consciences which because they are in some sort quiet and sting not their owners would have to goe for good ones and yet are starke naught and they are the Ignorant the Secure and the Seared Conscience 1. The Ignorant Conscience Men judge of their ignorant consciences as they do of their blind dumbe and ignorant Ministers Such neither doe nor can Preach can neither tell men of their sins nor of their duties Aske such a blinde guides people what their cōceit is of him what a kind of man their Minister is ye shall have him magnified for a passing honest harmlesse man and a man wondrous quiet amongst his neighbors They may doe what they will for him hee is none of those troublesome fellowes that will be reproving their faults or complaining of their disorders in the Pulpit oh such a one is a quiet good man indeed Thus judge many of their Consciences If their
Consciences be quiet and lie not grating upon them and telling them that their courses are sinfull damnable and that their persons are in a dangerous condition but rather by their silence ignorance and vaine pretences doe justifie them and tell them all will be well enough Oh then what excellent good Consciences have these men They make no Conscience of Family duties once in the yeare to come to the Sacrament serves the turne they are common swearers in their ordinary communication make no conscience of sanctifying Sabbaths c. and their consciences let them alone in all these doe not give them one syllable of ill language oh what gentle good natured Consciences think these men they have But alas what evill consciences have they A good Conscience must be upright as well as peaceable And an upright Conscience is enlightned with the knowledge of the Word and by that light judges what is good what evil when it finds mens actions not to be good and warrantable deales plainly and lets them heare of it A good Conscience hath good eyes and is able to discerne betweene good and evill Now these mens Consciences are quiet and have their mouths shut but whence is it Because their eyes are shut and they are dumbe because they are blind Right Idoll Consciences they want mouths to speake because they want eyes to see So that it may be said of such Consciences as the Prophet speaks of those Watchmen Isa 56. 10. His watchmen are blind they are all ignorant they are all dumbe dogs they cannot barke Their blindnesse bred dumbnesse and their ignorance silence Thus it is with ignorant Conscience What is the reason they barke not but are dumbe and are thus quiet Meerly because they are blind and ignorant But yet as good as men account these consciences now the time will come that it shall fare with them as it did with Adam and Eve after they had eaten the forbidden fruit Then their eyes were opened So the time will come when these Consciences shall have their eyes opened and then also shall their mouths be opened yea wide and loud opened and these now quiet consciences shall both bark and bite too Doe not therefore flatter thy selfe in thine ignorance as if thy condition and Conscience were good because quiet Never account that true Peace which is not joyned with uprightnesse Integrity and ignorance can no more stand together than light and darknesse Integrity of Conscience may be without Peace Peace can never be without Integrity Dumbe Ministers go in the world for good Ministers because quiet ones but the day will come that men shall curse them for having been so quiet So ignorant and tongue-tyed consciences go for good ones but the time will come that men will curse this peace of their Conscience for bringing them so quietly to hell The Masse goes for an excellent good Service because Missa non mordet honest toothlesse devotion it never fastens fang in the hearers flesh So many have Masse-like Consciences toothlesse and tonguelesse Consciences but yet the time will come that as Masse-mongers shall curse their toothlesse Masse so ignorant persons that now glory in their peace shall curse their toothlesse Conscience yea they shall gnash their teeth because Conscience had no teeth and shall gnaw their tongues for anguish of heart because their consciences wanted tongues to tel them of the danger of their wicked wayes that have brought them to so miserable a condition 2. The Secure Conscience As the blind Conscience was like the dumbe Minister so the secure Conscience is like the flattering Minister that Ier. 6. 13. heales the hurt of his people with sweet words and cries peace peace where there is no peace This Conscience wants not an eye but only a good tongue in the head It sees its master to doe evill and knowes it to be evil but either cares not to speak or else is easily put off from speaking sometime it cares not to speake being sleepy heavie and drowsie like those Prophets Isa 56. 10. They are all dumbe dogs they cannot barke What is the Reason Sleeping lying downe loving to slumber A sleepy and heavy-eyed Curre though he see one come into his masters yard or house that should not yet barkes not as loath by his barking to disquiet himselfe A sleepy secure conscience sees many a Sin to enter the soule that should not and yet lies still and sayes nothing is loath to breake his sleepe And yet such Consciences men count good Sometimes it may be it offers to speak as a sleepy dog may open once or twice at a strangers entrance yet is soone snibd the least word of the master of the house makes him whist and quiet So secure Consciences upon the greene wound begin to smart and upon the fresh commission of Sin begin to mutter and to have some grudgings but their master answers them as the friend in his bed did his neighbor desiring to borrow three loavs Luk. 11. 17. Trouble me not for I am in bed I pray thee be quiet let us have no wrangling and brawling it shal be so no more I will cry God mercy I will hereafter find a time for repentance c. and so Conscience being secure is easily put off with a few good words and so closing her eyes and mouth againe gives her master liberty to take his rest And thus the secure Conscience because it is so easily husht and stilled is counted a good Conscience as Nurses counted them good children which though they are ready to cry at every turne yet are easily quieted with some toy But this Conscience is as far from a good Conscience as Securitie is from Integrity Sin indeed sleeps but yet it sleeps but dogs sleepe yea though it sleepe soundly yet it cannot sleepe long Gen. 4. 7. Sin lies at the doore Sin lies asleepe in the Conscience as a Mastife lies at the doore A place where a dog cannot sleep long The doore is the common passage into and out of the house every one is passing to and fro that way and keep such a clattering with the opening and shutting of the doore that there can be no sound or at least no long sleepe No better is the sleepe of secure Consciences which at length like mad band-dogs and fell mastifes will fly in the face of the sinner ready to pluck out the very throat and heart of him The secure conscience can be no good Conscience because it hath neither uprightnesse nor peace both which were before required to the temper of a good one Vprightnesse hath it none for it is not faithfull in its office it doth not witnesse it doth not accuse as it becomes an honest upright conscience to doe Peace it hath none There is a great difference between a peace and a truce in peace there is a totall deposition both of Armes and Enmitie all hostile affections are put off In a truce there is but a suspention
way to a good conscience 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 have no peace of conscience so long as thou hast peace with thy sins Peace with conscience will be had by war with sin in the daily practise of repentance It it is but a dreame to think of a good cōscience in peace whilst a man makes no conscience of sin They that have a good conscience by Christs bloud may be indeed said to have no conscience of sin as Heb. 10. 2. But yet there is a great difference betweene having no conscience and making no conscience of sin To have no conscience of sin is to have a peaceable good conscience not accusing of sin being sprinkled with Christs blood To make no conscience of sin is for a man impenitently to live and ly in any sin Now let any judge whether these two can stand together that a man may live as he list and make no conscience of any sin and yet have such peace by faith as that he hath no Conscience of sin It is an unconscionable thing in this sense to lay all upon Christ an unconscionable request to have him take away our guiltinesse and yet wee would wallow in our filthinesse still How shall faith remove the sting when repentance removes not the Sin Men seeking peace by faith in Christs blood yet living and lying in their sins without repentance God will give them Iehues answer to Iehoram 2 King 9. 22. What peace so long as the whoredomes of thy mother Iezebel and her witchcrafts are so many So what peace of conscience so long as thine oathes Sabbath-breaches whoredomes drunkennes c. do remain and remaine unrepented of and unreformed It is true of all Sin which is spoken of Romish Idolatry Apoc. 14. 11. They have norest day nor night that is no peace of conscience to any of that religion so of all that live in any Sin they have no true rest day nor night that is as Isaiah interprets it There is no peace to the wicked Peace and wickednesse live not together under one roofe Wouldst thou then have 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 owne Consciences 3. The constant and conscionable exercise of prayer An excellent meanes to helpe us to the sense of that peace which makes the conscience good Hee that hath a good conscience will make conscience of prayer And prayer will helpe to make a good conscience better Phil. 4. 7. In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made knowne unto God and marke what shall be the fruit thereof And the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keepe your hearts and minds through Iesus Christ See Iob 33. 26. He shall pray unto God and he will be favourable unto him and he shall see his face with joy It is many times with mens consciences as it was with Saul hee was vexed and disquieted with an evill spirit but Davids Harpe gave him ease Prayer is a Davids Harpe the musicke whereof sweetly calmes and 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 unto her rest Ps 116. 4. 7. So we may in these disquiets of conscience do no lesse The way to get a good peaceable conscience is to have acquaintance with God and when wee have acquaintance with him then shall we have 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 love and peace and peace a good Conscience Iudge then what pitious conscience they must needs have that make so little conscience of seeking God in this duty of wicked ones the Psalme speakes They call not upon God Psal 14. as much as Isaiah sayes There is no peace to the wicked they are utterly voyd of good Conscience CHAP. V. Integrity of Conscience how procured ANd thus we have seen how the conscience may be good for peace It followes to consider how it may become uprightly good with the goodnesse of Integrity The goodnesse of Integrity is gotten and kept by doing five things 1. Walke and live as Paul in this Text Before God Set thy selfe ever in all thy wayes as in the sight and presence of God who is the Iudge and Lord of conscience Of Moses it is said that he saw him that was invisible Heb. 11. 27. Therfore it is that men walke with such loose and evill consciences because they think they walke invisibly And they think that God sees not them because they see not God An upright conscience is a good conscience and this is the way to get an upright one Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be upright To have God alwayes in our eye will make us walke with upright hearts So Psal 119. 168. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies that is in effect I have kept a good Conscience but how came he to doe it for all my wayes are before thee Conscience as we saw before is a knowledge together that is together with God Now then this is an excellent meanes to get and keepe a good conscience to be carefull to doe nothing but that which we would be content God should know as well as our selves Think with thy selfe before every evill action Am I content that God should know of this But how then may a man bring himself to this Set thy self alwayes in Gods presence and see the invisible God and see thy selfe visible in his eye and know that thou doest nothing which he takes not notice of This well thought upon and laid to heart would make men make much conscience of their wayes The contrary to this is rash walking Lev. 26. when a man walkes so loosely and heedlesly as if there were no eye upon him to view him in his actions 2. Frame thy whole Course by the Dirige gressus secundū verbum tuum Quid est Dirige secundum verbum tuum Virecti sint gressus mei quia rectum est verbum tuum Ego inquit distortus sum sub pondere iniquitatis sed verbum tuum est regula veritatis me ergo distortum à me corrige tanquam ad regulam hoc est ad verbum tuum Au. de ver Apo. ser 12. rule and shape it by the directions of the word of God Gods Word is the Rule of conscience Gal. 6. 16. As many as walk according to
this Rule Men must then walke by rule and the Word must be this rule Ps 30. 23. To him that orders his conversation all Christians must be regulars and must live orderly But what is that Rule by which their conversation must be ordered That same Ps 119. 133. Order my steps in thy Word Hee that orders his course by that rule which is the rule of conscience shall be sure to keepe and get a good conscience Hee that will make good worke will work by his rule wheras hee that workes by guesse must needs make but ill worke Whatsoever is not of faith is Sin Rom. 14. 23. That is whatsoever a man doth and hath not warrant for it out of and from the rule of the Word makes a mans conscience in that particular to be evill And therefore v. 5. Let a man be fully perswaded in his owne mind How happy should men be in getting and keeping good consciences if they would lay their lives actions to the Rule The want of this is it that makes men men of so ill consciences Some live by no Rule some by false Rules hence come mens consciences to be so Anomalous Some live by no Rule but doe whatsoever seemes good in their owne eyes goe as their lusts lead them and follow his beck that rules in the Ayre This is also to walk rashly Lev. 26. He that doth things without rule goes rashly to worke Hee that walkes irregularly walkes rashly and no marvell if men have crooked wayes and crooked consciences when they will not live by Rule Some againe live by false Rules and that not onely Popish fictitious Regulars that live by superstitious Rules of their Dominick Francis c. But amongst our selves many have a Rule they doe live by but that Rule is not the Word but some false Rules of their owne devising Such as are these Great mens practice or some learned Inter causas maloruÌ„ nostrorum est quod vivimus ad exeÌ„pla nec ratione coÌ„ponimur sed coÌ„suetudine Quod si pauci facerent nollemus imitari cum plures facere coeperunt quasi honestius sit quia frequentius sequimur recti apud nos locum tenet error ubi publicus factus est Sen. Ep. 124. mans opinion the custome of times and places wherein they live the example of the multitude or some secret blind and self-conceived principles which they keepe to themselves and by which they live All which being crooked Rules must needs make crooked Consciences wheras if men would live by Davids Rule Ps 119. 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and in every action would have an eye and a respect unto the Commandements as he had Psal 119. 6. then should they make straight paths for their feet Heb. 12. 13. and keepe upright Consciences in every spirituall action therefore have an eye to the Word question it whether it be justifiable and warrantable by the Word or no and meddle no further than that will authorize and beare thee out If this course were taken such a good course would make and keep a good Conscience And why should not men be willing to take this course why will we not make that Word our Rule which must be made our Iudge The word which I speak shall judge you in the last day Ioh. 12. 48. The Word shall judge our consciences therfore let it rule and order them And if it have the ruling of our consciences it will make them good consciences and when they are good they need not feare what Iudge they come before nor what judgement they undergoe In summe if we would have good consciences we must make more conscience than is commonly made of reading and searching the Scriptures The ignorance and neglect of this duty is it which banes so many consciences in the world Integritatis tuae curiosus explorator vitam tuam in quotidiana discussione examina Attende diligenter quaÌ„tum proâ—icias vel quantum deficias qualis sis in moribus qualis sis in affectibus quam similiâ— sis Deo vel quam disimilis qua prope vel quam longe c. Redde ergo te tibi si non semper vel saepe aâ— saltem interdum Bern. med de vot cap. 5. 3. Keep a daily and a frequent Audit with thy conscience often examination of the conscience conduces much to the goodnes of it The Prophet complains of his people Every one turned to his course as the horse rusheth into the battel Ier. 8. 6. Here were men far from a good conscience but what was the reason of it He gives it in the former words No man repenteth him of his wickednesse saying what have I done There was no examination of their consciences and courses what they were nor how they were and from hence comes this mischiefe This was Davids course Psa 119. 51. I considered my waies and turned my feet unto thy testimonies When a mans feet are in the wayes of Gods testimonies then hee walkes with an upright conscience and marke how David came to doe so I considered my wayes he used to examine his Conscience The first step to get a good conscience is for a man to know that his conscience before reformation is evill How shall that be knowne without a search When a search hath discovered what it is that makes the conscience and course evill then will Conscience be ready to labour a man to the reformation of that which is amisse and will not cease to urge and ply a man till it be done Frequent examination as it helps to the making of Scholars so to the making of Consciences good Hence mens lying in so grosse neglects of good duties in so many great evils because men and their consciences never reckon Men take not themselves aside into their closets and chambers and there set not up a privie Sessions to make inquiry into their own hearts and wayes and therefore are their wayes and consciences so much out of order Many a man thinks his estate in the world to be very good and thinkes hee growes rich and wealthy when his estate indeed is weak and growes every day worse than other Now what is it that causes so great a mistake Nothing but this that hee never lookes over his bookes nor casts over his reckonings If he had done this he should have seene that his estate was not answerable to his conceit and the knowledge of his misconceit would have made him have lived at a more wary and thrifty rate and have kept himselfe within such a compasse as might have kept up his estate whereas now the not examining his books puts him into a conceit of wealth and this conceit beggers and undoes him It fares no better with too many in their Consciences Laodicea thought well of her selfe Thou sayest I am rich If she had examined her conscience she should have seene that which Christ saw that she was poore blind
righteous smite mee but yet whilst others it may be are fearfull and timorous to doe him that good office conscience is at no demurre upon the point that feares not but smites David for sin Gods Ministers are oft slighted and light set by preachers caÌ„not be regarded but God hath given men a Preacher in their own bosom and this Preacher will make many a curtain sermon wil take men to task upon their pillow will be preaching over our Sermons againe to them And though many will not be brought to repetition of Sermons in their Families yet they have a Repeater in their bosom that will be at private repetitions with them in spite of them and will tell them This is not according to that you have been taught you have been taught otherwise you have been reproved for and convinced of this sinne in the publicke Ministerie c. Why doe not you hearken and reforme Thus then conscience having a voyce and doing the office of a Preacher unto us if wee would have conscience good then in all things that conscience enlightened shall say unto us hearken unto it More distinctly conscience hath a two-fold voyce 1. A voyce of direction telling us what is good or evill what is lawfull and unlawfull Isa 30. 21. And thine eares shall heare a word behind thee saying This is the way walke ye in it That is understood of Ita enim desuper in silento sonat quidam non auribus sed mentibus August in Psal 42. the voyce of Gods spirit in the secret suggestions thereof and such is the voyce also of conscience within us dictating to us and directing us what duties are to be done what courses to be avoyded How many times doth conscience presse us to repentance and to reforme our wayes how often doth it call upon us to settle to such and such good courses and so with David Psal 16. 7. Our reines doe teach it in the night season 2 A voyce of correction and accusation checking and chiding taking up and shipping us when we do amisse So Psal 42. 5. 11. and Ps 43. 5. Why art thou cast downe O my Soule and why art thou disquieted within me And Ps 77. 10. whilst in the foregoing verses he was complaining and using some speeches that might savor of some diffidence see how Conscience doth her office by a correcting voyce And I said this is my infirmitie as if hee had said whilst I was using such different expostulations mine own conscience told me I did not do well CoÌ„science so speaks to us as the Lord to Ionah Ion. 4. 4. 9. Dost thou well to be angry So sayes conscience oft Doest thou well to be thus earthly thus eager upon the world thus negligent and formall in holy duties thus conscience gives her privie nips and her secret checks This is that of which Iob speaks Iob 27. 6. My heart shall not reproch me so long as I live Implying that conscience after sin hath a reproching voice as when it befooles a man as foole that thou art to do this to lose thy peace with God for a base sinfull pleasure Thus Davids conscience reproched him 2 Sam. 24. 10. I have don very foolishly yea Ps 37. 22. it puts the foole and the beast both upon him So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee This is the smiting of the conscience 2 Sam. 24. 10. Conscience first points with the finger and gives direction if that be neglected it smites with the fist and gives correction Now then that which I ayme at is this If we would get and keepe a good conscience then neglect not nor despise conscience when it speaketh Doth thy conscience presse thee to any works of piety to the care of family-worship and privat devotion to the reading of the Scriptures sanctification of the Sabbath c. In any case be so wise as to hearken to the councels to the urgings and to the injunctions which come out of the Court of Conscience Hearken in any case to this Preacher whom thou canst not suspect of partiality malice ill will as thou dost others therby giving way to satans policy that hereby stops up the passages of thine heart that the Word may not enter Here can be no such suspitions conscience cannot be suspected to be set on by others though Ieremy be charged to be set on by Baruch Ier. 43. 3. Therefore hearken to the voice of this Preacher and this will helpe thee to a good conscience Ideo quantuÌ„ potes teipsum coargue inquire in te accusatoris primum partibus sungere deinde Iudicis novissime deprecatoris aliquando offâ—ndete Senec. epist 28. Againe doth thy conscience rebuke thee doth it chide and check thee doth thy heart reproach thee for thy wayes doth it say doest thou well to live in such and such Sins Doth it punctually reprove thee for thine evils Doe not answer conscience as Ionas answered God frowardly Yea I doe well but even close with conscience and doe thou accuse thy selfe as fast as it accuses acknowledge thy folly yield promise and covenant with thy conscience a present and speedy reformation This if it were done how happy should men be in getting and keeping a good conscience But alas how few regard the voyce of Conscience and once hearken to it and the very want of this duty is it which breeds so much ill conscience in the world Men 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 Iews did with Stephen Act. 7. 57. They stopped their eares If they cannot stop consciences mouth they will at least stop their owne eares 1 They labour to stop consciences mouth If conscience begin to take them aside and to say to them as Ehud to Eglon Iudg. 3. 19. I have a secret errand unto thee they answer but in another sense as hee did Keepe silence If conscience offer to be talking unto them they shufflle it off as Felix did Paul they are not at leasure they will finde some other time when their leasure will better serve Yea many when their consciences reproach them they againe reproach and reprove it and answer it as the Danites did Micah Iudges 11. 23. What ayleth thee and are ready to give reproachfull language to their owne conscience that it cannot be quiet and let them alone 2 But yet Conscience will not of entimes be thus posted and shuffled off will not bee gagged or suffer her lips to bee sown up but will 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 stil presses upon our Saviour and grows so much the more importunat So oftentimes conscience when she sees men shuffle growes the more importunate
ye see they will not doe that which is not lawfull It is well but tell me is it not lawfull to take the price of blood and is it lawful to give a price for blood Ought there Qualis haec innoceÌ„tiae simulatio pecuniaÌ„ sanguinis non mitâ—â—e in Arâ—â—â— et ipsum sanguinem mitieâ—e in ConscientiaÌ„ August not a Conscience to bee made of blood as well as of the price of blood They make a Conscience of receiving the price of blood into the Treasury but make no Conscience of receiving the guilt of blood into their Consciences Iust such Consciences as they had Ioh. 18. 28. They would not go into the Iudgement Hall lest they should bee defiled but that they might eate the Passover Indeed a man should make great Conscience of preparation to the Sacrament and take great heede that he come not thither defiled but see their naughty Conscience they make Conscience of being defiled by going into the judgement 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 on the Crosse on the Sabbath but with what conscience have they hanged it on the Crosse at all This was just like to those that Socrates speaks of who made great conscience of keeping Holy-dayes yet made no conscience of uncleannesse that was but an indifferent thing with them As if conscience were not rather to be made of keeping our vessels in holinesse our bodies then dayes holy Remarkable in this kind is that dealing of the Iewes with Paul 2 Cor. 11. 24. Of the Iewes five times received I forty stripes save 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 be beaten the Iudge shall cause him to lye downe and to be beaten before his face according to his fault by a certaine number forty stripes hee may give him and not exceed Now see the good consciences of these Iewes they might give forty stripes but not beyond that number might they goe Now they make so much conscience of exceeding the number of forty that they give Paul but nine and thirty Thus they make conscience of the number but no conscience of the fact They make conscience of giving above fortie but with what conscience doe they give 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 have onely wicked men and such as are worthy to be beaten to be so used These be the 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 necessity and herein discover they the naughtinesse of their consciences The conscience therefore is not to be judged good for one or some good actions Ioab turned not after Absolom but hee turned after Adoniah 1 King 1. 28. Whereas a good conscience that turnes neither to the right hand not the left would have turned neither after Adoniah nor 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 falsly 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 be good when in his whole course he is carefull to do all good duties and to avoyd all sinnes and such a good conversation is a signe of good Conscience Nunc autem in hoc maior offensa est quod partem sententiae sacrae pro commodorum nostrorum utilitate deligimus parrem pro dei iniuria praeterimus Et maxime cum terrestres domini nequaquam aequo animo tolerandum putent si iussiones suas serui ex parte audiant ex parte contemnant Si enim pro arbitrio suo servi dominis obtemperant ne ijs quidem in quibus obtemperaverint obsequuntur c. Savian de Provid To doe some good things and not all is no more a signe of good conscience then to doe some things onely which his master requires and to neglect other some is no signe of a good servant A good servants commendation is to do all his Masters businesse hee enjoynes 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 hee will doe which him pleases and leave the other undone This were not to doe his masters but to doe his owne will and to serve his owne 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 never gaine a man the commendation of a good conscience whose goodnes must bee knowne by making conscience of all things Then have Gods servants good consciences when it can be sayd of them as Shaphan speaks of Iosiah his servants 2 Chron. 34. 16. All that was committed to thy servants they doe it 2. To make conscience of small Duties and small sinnes This also rises out of the Text. All good Conscience If of all things then of small things It might have beene comprehended under the former but yet for Conviction sake I distinguish them The good conscience makes not conscience onely of great duties and sinnes but even of the least knowing that as Gods great power and omnipotence is the same in the making of an Angell and a worme so Gods authority wisedome and holinesse is the same in the least Commandements as in the greatest of them all It makes conscience specially of Judgement and the weighty matters of the law but yet doth not therefore thinke it selfe discharged of all care in smaller things doth not thereupon challenge a dispensation from obedience in meaner matters as if it were needlesse scrupulosity as too much precisenesse to ty the Mint Anise and Cummin A Cummin-seede indeede is but a small thing a very toy but yet as small a thing and as light as it is yet will it ly heavie upon a good conscience being injuriously and fraudulently detayned from the Levites The Pharisees tythed Mint Anise and Cummin but they neglected the weighty matters of the Law It is no good conscience that lookes to small and neglects great duties neither is it a good conscience on the other side that lookes after the great and weighty duties and makes no reckoning of Mint and Anise Our Saviour sayes both ought to bee done Pharaoh could bee content that
the people should goe Sacrifice but hee cannot abide that Moses should bee so peevishly precise that not an hoofe should be left behind Alas an hoofe is but a toy not worth the mentioning what need Moses bee so strict as to stand upon an hoofe Yet a good conscience will stand upon it having Gods Commandement and will make conscience as well of carrying away hoofes as of whole bodies of Cattell It is with a good conscience as it is with the apple of the eye of all the parts of the body it is the most tender not onely of some great shives or splints under the eye-lid but even the smallest haire and dust grieves and offends it It is so with a tender good conscience not onely beames but also moates disquiet the eye of a good conscience and not onely greater and fouler Sinnes but even such as the world counts veniall trifles doe offend it A good conscience straines not onely at a Camell but at a Gnat also Neither doth our Saviour blame the Pharisees simply for straining at a Gnat but for their hypocrisie who would pretend conscience in smaller things and meane while made none in the greater for otherwise a good conscience indeed hath a narrow passage for a Gnat as well as for a Camell The least corne of gravell galls his foot that hath a strait shooe but hee that hath a large wide shooe slopping about his foot it is no trouble to him It is just so with consciences good and evill A Gnat is but a small thing yet Pope Bol. pag. of Popes pag. 97. Hadrian the fourth was choakt with a Gnat and one Flye though but a small thing to a whole boxe of oyntment yet dead Flies as small things as they are cause the oyntment of the Apothecarie to send forth a stinking savour Ec. 10. 1. and so doth a little folly though but little doe a great deale of hurt And therefore a good conscience lives by Salomons rule Give not water passage no not a little And take not onely the Foxes but the little Foxes which spoyle not onely the Vines but the tender Grapes Cant. 2. 15. It knowes a little will make way for much Pharaoh is content that the people the men should go sacrifice Ex. 10. but their little ones should not goe he knew if hee had but their little ones with him he should be sure enough of their return therefore Moses will not onely have the men goe but their little ones also And therefore a good conscience deales with Satan as Marcus Arethusius dealt with Putantes pauperem vel medietatem petebant pecuniarum novissime vel paueum aliquid exigebant Quibus ait nec obolum unum pro omnibus dabo Hist Tripart lib. 6. cap. 12. his tormentours who having pulled downe an Idolatrous Temple and being urged by them to give so much as would build it up againe refused it They urged him to give but halfe hee still refused they urged him at last to give but a little towards it but he refused to give them so much as one halfe-penny No not an halfe-penny sayes he for it is as great wickednesse to conferre one Ad impietatem inquit obulum conferre unum perinde valet ac si quis cōferat omnia Theodor. lib. 3. cap. 7. halfe penny in case of Impiety as if a man should bestow the whole What was a poore halfe-penny it was a very small matter specially considering in what torture he was from which an half-penny gift would haue released him Indeed an half-penny is but a little but yet it is more then a good Conscience dares give to the maintenance of idolatrous worship A good conscience will not give so much as a farthing token to such an use as little a thing as it is For he that is faithfull in that which is least is faithfull also in much and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much Luke 16. 10. Even the least things are as great trials of a good conscience as the greatest A good Conscience will not greatifie Satan nor neglect God no not in a little Put mens consciences now vpon this triall Who crakes not of his good conscience there be none if they may bee beleeved but they have good Consciences But why are they good They can swallow no Camells Well yeeld them that though if their entrals were well searcht a man might finde huge bunch backt camells that have gone downe their gullets They can swallow no camells but what say they to gnats can they swallow them Tush Gnats are nothing whole swarmes of them can goe downe their throats and they never once cough for the matter Foule and grosse scandalls such as are infamous amongst meere heathen such Camells they swallow not but what say they to unsavorie and naughtie thoughts which their hearts prosecute with delight what say they to them Gnats doe not swarme more abundantly in the fennes then such vile thoughts doe in their hearts The prodigious oaths of wounds blood the damned language of Ruffians and the Monsters of the earth Oh their hearts would tremble to have such words passe out of their mouths but yet what say they to the neater and civilified Complements of Faith and Troth Tush these are trifles meere Gnats alas that you shall stand upon such niceties To rob a man upon the high way or to breake up a mans house in the night this is a monstrous Camell but in buying and selling to over-reach a neighbour a shilling or two a penny or two what say they to that Oh God forbid they should be so strictly dealt withall that is a small thing their throats are not so narrow but these Gnats will goe downe easily enough To beare false witnesse in an open Court of Iustice or to be guilty of pillory-perjury these bee foule things but to lye a little for a mans advantage or to make another man merriment what thinke they of this This is a very Gnat they are ashamed to straine thereat Tell many a man of his sinne in which he lyes that his sinne and a good conscience cannot stand together what is his answer but as Lot of Zoar Is it not a little one Gen. 19. 20 But the truth is that these little ones are great evidences of evill conscience It is but a dreame to thinke our consciences good that make no conscience of small sinnes and duties The conscionable Nazarite now did not only make conscience of guzling and quaffing whole cups of wine but of eating but an huske and a kernell of a Grape What a trifle is the kernell of a Grape and yet a good conscience will care to please God as well in abstinence from the kernell as from the cup. Indeed when David had defiled and hardned his conscience with his adultery then hee could cut Vriahs throat and his heart smites him not for it but when under his affliction his conscience was tender and good his heart smites him
hee did they might have beene thought to have done it for gaine and not for conscience sake How great is often the zeale of many against fashions and such vanities How well it were if it were for conscience sake and not for envy against some particular person whom they doe distaste and so for the person the vanity For if it be for conscience sake how is it that those vanities such great offences to their consciences found in some distasted persons are yet no trouble to their consciences being the very same if not worse in their owne favourites and associates Iudge whether such zeale come from conscience or from corrupt affection whether it be not more against the person 5. Note of a good conscience Holy boldnesse Bona conscientia prodire vult conspici ipsas nequitia tenebras timet Senec. ep 98. Qui non deliquit decet audacem esse confidenter prose proterve loqui Plaut in Anth. then against the sinne 5. We have a fift note of a good conscience in the Text. And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell Here is a marke of a good conscience in his lookes as well as in his words in his face as well as in his speech Paul is here convented before the Councell with what face is hee able to behold them And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell A good conscience makes a man hold up his head even in the thickest of his enemies It can looke them in the faces and out-face a whole rabble of them assembled on purpose to cast disgrace on it That may be said of a man with a good conscience which is spoken of some of Davids men 1 Chron. 12. 8. Whose faces were like the faces of Lions for the righteous is bold as a Lion Prov. 28. 1. Now might Paul truely have said as David Ps 57. 4. My soule is among Lions I ly among them that are set on fire And now how fares hee what is he all amort lookes he pale and blanke doth he sneake or hang downe his head or droope with a dejected countenance No Paul is as bold as a Lion and can face these Lions and earnestly fixe his countenance upon the best of them A good conscience makes a mans face as God had made Ezekiels Ez. 3. 8 9. Behold I have made thy face strong against their faces and thy forehead strong against their foreheads As an Adamant harder then flint have I made thy forehead feare them not neither be dismaid at their lookes Such hartening and hardening comes also from a good conscience A good conscience makes a man goe as the Lord in another sense tells Israell he had done for them Levit. 26. 13. I have made you goe upright A good conscience erects a mans face and lookes it is no sneaking slinker but makes a man goe upright As contrarily guilt dejects both a mans spirits and his lookes and unlesse a man have a Sodomiticall impudencie Isa 3. 9. or an whores forehead Ier. 3. 3. which refuses to be ashamed makes him hang downe the head Paul fixes his eyes here and lookes earnestly upon them but what if they had looked as earnestly upon him yet would not his good conscience have beene outfaced See Act. 6. 15. All that sate in the Councel looked stedfastly on him namely on Steven If but the high Priest alone had faced him it had beene somewhat but all that sate at the Councell looked stedfastly on him Surely one would thinke such a presence were able to have damped and utterly to have dashed him out of countenance But how is it with him Is hee appalled Is hee damped They saw his face as it had beene the face of an Angell sayes the text As wisedome Eccl. 8. 1. so a good conscience makes the face to shine A good conscience hath not onely a Lions but an Angels face it hath not onely a Lion-like boldnesse but an Angelicall dazling brightnesse which the sicke and sore eyes of malice can as ill indure to behold as the Israelites could the shining brightnesse of Moses face The face of a good conscience tels enemies that they are malicious Lyars And no wonder that a good conscience hath such courage and confidence in the face standing before a whole Councell when it shall be able to hold up it head with boldnesse before the Lord himselfe at that great day of the generall Iudgement Even then shall a good conscience have a bold face CHAP. IX Two other and the last notes of a good conscience A Sixt note of a good conscience followes namely that which we have 6. Note of conscience To suffer for conscience 1 Pet. 2. 19. When a man for conscience towards God endures griefe suffering wrong A good conscience had rather that Ananias should smite then it selfe should Ananias his blowes are nothing to the blowes of conscience Ananias may make Pauls cheekes glow but conscience gives such terrible buffets as will make the stoutest heart in the world to ake That will pinch and twitch and gird the heart with such griping throwes that all the blowes and tortures that Ananias his cruell heart can invent are nothing to them Now therefore a man that sets any store by a good conscience will not part with the Peace or Integrity thereof upon any termes Hee rates the goodnesse of his conscience far above al earthly things Wealth liberty wife children life it selfe all are vile and cheape in comparison of it And therefore a man of a good conscience will endure any griefe and suffer any wrong to keepe his conscience good towards God Such a good conscience had Daniel Dan. 1. 8. Hee proposed in his heart that hee would not defile himselfe with the portion of the Kings meat That is he was fully setled and resolved in his cōscience come what would come he would not do that which would not stand with a good conscience But what if it could have gotten no other meat without all doubt he would rather have starved than have defiled his conscience with that meat Hee would have lost his life rather than have lost the Peace and Integrity of his conscience It seemes a question of great difficulty which was put to the three Children Dan. 3. Whether they will give the bowing of their bodies to the golden Idoll or the burning of their bodies to the fiery Furnace But yet they find no such difficulty therin they were not carefull to answer in that matter ver 16. Of the two fires they chose the coolest the easiest The fire of a guilty conscience is seven times hotter and more intolerable than the fire of Nebuchadnezzars Furnace though it be heated seven times more then it is wont to be heated If the question come betweene life and good conscience that one of the two must be parted withall it is an hard case Life is wondrous sweet and precious Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life Iob 2. 4. What
conscience that he ought and it was his safest course to goe out to the Chaldeans questionlesse his conscience prest him to it and bids him goe out Why then goes he not He is afraid Ier. 38. 19. that he shall be mockt Such consciences as will not preferre their owne good word a comfort before the good or ill words of the world Such consciences as more feare the mocks and flouts of men on earth then they doe the grinning mocks of the devils in hell Such as will not preferre the peace of conscience before all other things are meere strangers to good conscience The seventh and last note remaines 7. Note of a good conscience Constancie in good And that is in the Text Vntill this day Constancie and Perseverance in good is a sure note of a good conscience Paul had beene young and now was old and yet was old Paul still still the same holy man hee was Time changes all things but a good conscience and that is neither changed by Time nor with Time Age changes a mans favour but not a good mans faith his complexion not his religion and though his head turne gray yet his heart holds vigorous still Vntill this day And this day was not farre from 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 have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith He sayes not I have finished my faith I have kept my life as many may but I have finished my course I have kept the faith He kept his faith till he had finisht his course not only here untill this day but there untill his finishing day So long hee kept the faith and therefore so long a good conscience for as the losing of them goe together 1 Tim. 1. 19. so the keeping of them goe together therefore keeping the faith he also kept a good conscience till he finisht his dayes Vntill this day And yet one would wonder that hee should keepe it to this day considering how hardly he had been used before untill and now at this day the most of those things 2 Cor. 11. 23. were before this day Often under 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 conscience playes 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 tryall of it A good conscience holds out constantly in a good Cause without Deflection and in a good Course without Defection 1. In a good cause Let a good conscience undertake the defence of a good Cause and it will stand rightly to it and neither grow weary nor corrupt It will not make shewes of countenancing Pauls cause till he come before Nero and then give him the slippe and give him leave to stand upon his owne bottome and shift for himselfe as well as hee can A conscionable Magistrate and a Iudge who cut of a conscience of the faithfull discharge of his place takes in hand the defence of a good or the punishment of a bad cause will not leave it in the suddes will not be wrought by feare or favour to let Innocency be thrust to the walls and Iniquity hold up the neb but will stand out stiffe and manifest the goodness of his conscience in his Constancie 2. In a good Course A man that is once in a good course having a good conscience wil neither be driven nor be drawn 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 will turne neither way Pro. 4. 27. but keepes on fore right and presses hard to the marke that is set before it Try it with tentations on the left hand Try it by the mockings and derisions of others whom it sees in good wayes will this stagger or stumble it and make it start aside not a whit but it wil 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 used thus scorned and mocked not a whit for all this The righteous shall hold on his way and hee that hath cleane hands be stronger and stronger Try it by mockings and derisions personall Si reddere beneficium non aliter quam per speciem injuria potero oequissimo animo ad honestum consilium peâ— medium infamiam â—endam Nemo mihi videtur pluris virtutem nemo illi magis esse devotus quam qui boni viri famam perdidit ne conscientiam perderet Senoc epi. 82. by personall infamy and reproach let a mans owne selfe be derided be defamed this will goe neerer than the former what will this move him out of the way No He will lose his good name before his good conscience See Ps 119. 51. The proud have had me greatly in derision yet have I not declined from thy Law And though Michol 2 Sam. 6. play the flouting foole yet David will not play the declining foole but if to be zealous be to be a foole he will be yet more vile And though Ieremy was in derision daily and every one mocked him yea and defamed him yet he was rather the more than the lesse zealous Ier. 20. 7 9 10. The righteous Psal 135. 1. are like Mount Sion that cannot be removed but abides for ever What likelihood that a puffe of breath should remove a Mountaine When men can blow downe Mountaines with their breath then may they scoffe a good conscience out of the waies of godlinesse and sinceritie Mount Sion and a good conscience abide for ever But these happily may be thought lighter trials put a good conscience to some more smarting and bleeding trials then these pettier ones are and yet there shall we find it as constant as in the former Let the Lord give the Sabeans ChaldeaÌ„s and satan leave to spoile Iob of his goods and children will not then Iob give up his Integrity doe ye not thinke that he will curse God to his face So indeed the devill hopes Iob 1. 15. But what is the issue what gets the devill by the triall onely gives God argument of triumph against him in Iobs constancie Iob 2. 3. And still he holdeth fast his integrity As if he had said See for all that thou canst doe in spight of all thy spight and mischievous malice he holds fast his Integrity untill this day See the terrible trials to which they were put Heb. 11. 37. They were stoned sawne asunder c. and
Company to the full The twelve dayes feast of the Nativitie how is it longed for before hand how welcommed when it is come And what may the reason be But only because it is a feasting time This is counted a blessed good time and why a blessed good time As Christ was a blessed good man the prophet that should come into the world and therefore should be made a King because hee had fed and filled their bellies Iohn 6. So the most make that a blessed time not for the memorial of Christs Incarnatiō but because of the loaves Christ shall be a King because of the feast the time is blessed Well then is the world so desirous and so glad of feasting Are feasting times such blessed times Lo then I invite you to a feast to a blessed good feast indeed that will make you blessed and truly happy Not to a feast of twelve daies but to a feast that lasts al the twelve moneths of the yeare to a continuing and a continuall feast How glad are many when they may goe to a feast Lo a way to make feasts for your selves What a credit is it counted in the world for a man to keep a good and great house to keep feasting and open-house for all commers during the Festivity of the twelve dayes Would we have this credit of good hous-keeping not for twelve dayes but for all the yeare long Get good consciences keepe good consciences There is no such good house-keeper as is the good conscience-keeper for a good conscience is a feast a continuall feast There is nothing that men desire more then to live merrily and how many stumble at Religion and keeping of a good conscience under an idle conceit that it is the way to marre all their mirth and to make a man lumpish and melancholly Do not believe the devill do not believe his lying agents It is a prophane Proverbe that Spiritus Calvinianus est spiritus melancholicus A good conscience is a feast a feast with all dainties musick and wine Can a man be melancholly at a feast at so joyfull and so sweet a feast doth feasting make men melancholly or make men merry make men weepe or laugh If a man should cry downe feasting with this argument That it makes men melancholly would not all men laugh him to scorn And why then should a man feare melancholly more from a good conscience than from a feast There is none lives so merry a life as hee that keepes a good conscience hee is every day at a feast hee is alwayes banquetting Yea the worst dishes of this feast even those at the lower end of the Table are better than the most choice rarities of other feasts The very teares that a good conscience sheds have more joy and pleasure in them than the worlds greatest joyes And if the teares of a good conscience be such what is the mirth and laughter of it If weeping be so sweet what is singing If the courser dishes be so dainty what are the best services Would wee then live merrily and passe our dayes jocundly indeed Get a good conscience and thou keepest a continuall feast and that continuall feast will keepe thee in continuall mirth and continuall joy Yea though thou be in affliction and under crosses so as thy dayes unto the world may seeme exceedingly evill shalt thou live merrily as at a feast Yea this is the scope of the Scripture All the dayes of the afflicted are evill namely in the eye and judgement of the world but a good conscience namely to the afflicted is a continuall feast A good conscience feasts then and turnes fasting dayes into feasting dayes A good conscience feasts a man in his poverty in his sicknesse in the prison and cheeres up a man with many a dainty bit The wine of this feast makes them forget all their sorrow Now then that we would be so wise as to hearken to Gods invitation to this feast Let us keep the feast with the bread of sincerity and truth 1 Cor. 5. 8. Take heed now that we put not off God as those did Luke 14. invited to the feast with the excuses of Farmes Oxen and the like So doe many urge them to the keeping of a good conscience and their answer is If they should be so precise how should they live they shall have but poore takings if they take such a course I pray have me excused I must live Thus they answer as many good husbands when invited to frequent feastings doe No believe mee it will not hold out if I goe every day a feasting I may goe one day a begging I must follow my businesse and let feasting goe And so say men here But take heed of putting off God thus The time will come that thou wouldst give all thine oxen to have but the scraps crums of this feast and thou shalt not have them God will serve thee as hee did them Luk. 14. 24. None of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper Those that care not to keep the feast of a good conscience shall never come to Gods feast in heaven If you refuse to come to his feast now God will at the last day thrust you out of doores when you will be pressing and crowding in and shall say to you Get you hence ye despisers of a good conscience you scorned the feast of a good conscience and therefore now the feast and guests of heaven scorne you here is no roome for such to feast here who have made their consciences fast heretofore CHAP. XIV A third and a fourth motive to a good conscience Come wee now to a third motive that The third motive to a good conscience may yet helpe to stir up our minds to this necessary duty of getting and keeping of a good conscience Besides what hath beene said it is worthy of our consideration that without a good conscience all our actions yea our very best services to God are so farre from goodnesse and acceptance that they are abominable and distastefull unto the Lord. The formall goodnesse of every mans actions is to be judged and esteemed by the goodnesse of his conscience which being evill and defiled makes all a mans actions to be such 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the commandement is love But what kind of love doth the commandement require will any shewes or shadowes of obedience serve the turn will the bare dutydoing passe for currant No but such love to God and man and such performance of obedience as proceeds from a pure heart and a good conscience So that let a man doe all outward actions of obedience yet if a good conscience be wanting all is nothing For the end of the Commandement is love out of a good conscience As is a mans conscience so are all his workes and therefore nothing acceptable that a wicked man doth because hee 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 under the Law the Leaper defiled all he touched The best meat disht and dressed with defiled and dirty hands is loathsome to us The honest works of a mans calling are good workes in themselves but no good workes to him that doth them without a good conscience Pro. 21. 4. An high look and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is Sin The calling of Husbandry is counted the most honest calling of all others yet where a good cōsciēce is wanting a mans very plowing is Sin Come to holy duties of Religion and Gods service and how is it with a man wanting a good conscience in them That curse of Davids Psal 109. 8. Let his prayer be turned into Sin lies upon the services of all evill 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 upright that is of a man that hath a good and upright conscience is his delight Observe the opposition Hee sayes not the prayer of the wicked and the prayer of the upright nor the sacrifice of the wicked and the sacrifice of the upright but the sacrifice of the wicked and the prayer of the upright A sacrifice had prayer with it but yet it was more sumptuous more solemn then single prayer Now who would not thinke but such cost should make a man welcom yet the single prayer of the upright is accepted whilst his sacrifice is an abomination yea and that a vile abomination Is 66. 3. A man of evill conscience delighting in his abominations makes his holiest services 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 availes any thing without the answer and stipulation of a good conscience 1 Pet. 3. 21. And for the Sacrament of the Supper whether doth it profit an uncleane conscience or such a conscience pollute it It may be judged by a like case resolved Hag. 2. 11 14. The uncleane person by a dead body touching the Bread or Wine or Oyle makes these to be uncleane The ceremoniall uncleannesse by the touch of a dead body typified the morall uncleannes of an evill conscience unpurged from dead works God looks specially at the cōscience in all our services and if hee finds that foule and filthy he throws the dung of mens sacrifices in their faces that come with the dung of their filthy consciences before his face See therefore how Paul serves God 2 Tim. 1. 3. Whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience It is an impure service that is not performed with a pure conscience as sleight as the world make of puritie How much more shal the blood of Christ purge your consciences from dead workes Heb. 9. 14. But to what end are they purged To serve the living God Therfore marke that till the conscience be purged and made good there is no serving of God So Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neere that is in prayer and the like duties But how Having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience Otherwise it is but a folly for us to draw neere for God will not be neere when a good conscience is far off And therfore we are bid to purifie our hearts when wee are bid draw nigh to God Iam. 4. 8. Behold here then a speciall motive to make a good conscience beautifull in our eye As we would be loath our services of God our prayers and holy performances should be abominable in Gods eye so labour for good consciences As we would have cōfort in alour duties of obedience so labor to make our conscience good It is a great deale of confidence that silly ignorant ones have in their good prayers their good serving of God as they call it yea it is all the ground of their hope of salvation when they are demanded an account of their hope now alas your good prayers and your good serving of God! why what do you talking of these things Hath Christ purged your consciences from dead workes Have you by faith got your consciences sprinkled and rinced in Christs blood and so have ye made them good If not never talke of good prayers and good serving of God your prayers cannot be good whilst your consciences are naught An evill conscience before God and a good service to God cannot stand together But would you have your prayers good indeed and your service acceptable indeed then let your first care be to make your conscience good Fourthly let this worke with us as a The fourth motive to a good conscience maine motive to a good conscience That it is the Ship and the Arke wherein the faith is perserved The faith is a rich commoditie a precious fraught and a good conscience is the bottome and the vessell wherein it is caried So long as the ship is safe and good so long the goods therin are safe but if the ship split upon the Rocks or have but a leake therein then are all the goods therein in danger of being lost and cast away So long as a man keeps a good conscience there is no feare of losing the faith the integrity and soundnes of the doctrin therof Constancie in the truth is a fruit of good conscience Psalm 119. 54 55. I have kept thy Law he had not declined from nor forsaken the truth of God but what held and kept him This I had because I kept thy precepts Keeping of a good conscience will keepe a man in the truth It is that which is the holy preservative to save from all errors heresies false doctrins The better conscience the sounder judgment the sounder heart the sounder head As the better digestion in the stomach the sreer the head is from ascēdent fumes that would distemper and trouble the same Iohn 7. 17. If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God How shall a man come to have a sound and a good judgement to be able to judge what is truth and what is not Let him get a good conscience and make conscience of doing the will of God Iohn 14. 21. Hee that hath my commandements and keepes them c. such a man hath and keepes a good conscience And what benefit shall such a one have by keeping of a good conscience I will love him and I will manifest my selfe unto him And Ps 50. 23. To him that orders his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God God doth communicate himselfe and his truth to such as make conscience of their wayes The pure in heart shall see God and the secret of the Lord is with them that feare
III. A good Conscience what it is False ones discovered 19 CHAP. IV. Peace of Conscience how gotten 35 CHAP. V. Integrity of Conscience how procured 46 CHAP. VI. Two further meanes to procure Integrity of a good Conscience 57 CHAP. VII Two marks of a good Conscience 73 CHAP. VIII Three other Notes of a good Conscience 90 CHAP. IX The two last Notes of a good Conscience 103 CHAP. X. The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience in the case of disgrace and reproach 128 CHAP. XI The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience in the times of cōmon feares and calamities and in the times of sicknes other personall evils 147 CHAP. XII The comfort and benefit of a good conscience at the dayes of Death and Iudgement 165 CHAP. XIII A second Motive to a good conscience That it is a continuall feast 180 CHAP. XIV A third fourth Motive to a good cōscience 201 CHAP. XV The last Motive to a good conscience viz. The misery of an evill one 213 CHAP. XVI The portion and respect that a good conscience finds in the world 232 CHAP. XVII The impetuous injustice and malice of the adversaries of a good conscience 243 CHAP. XVIII The severity of Gods justice upon the enemies of good Conscience and the usuall equity of Gods administration in his execution of Iustice 253 FINIS THE MISCHIEFE And Miserie of Sandals Both Taken and Giuen By IER DYKE Minister of Epping in Essex Wherfore let him that thinks he stands take heed least he fall 1. Cor. 10. 12. Aug de verb. Dom. Serm. 53. Imo vtinam terruerim vtinam aliquid egerim Vtinam qui sic filerat vel quae sic fuerat non sit vlterius Vtinam verba ista infuderim non effuderim LONDON Printed by W. S. for R. Milbourne in Pauls Church-yard at the Greyhound 1632. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE Ladie the Ladie ELIZABETH Countesse of Winchelsey his Noble PATRONESSE MADAM IT is not vnknowne vnto your Honour what first occasioned mee to meddle with this Subiect That which first moued me to preach it in mine owne Charge hath also induced mee to make it more publique I conceiued it might bee a worke well worth the while to vindicate as much as in mee lay the Honour of God from that impeachment it commonly receiues from Scandals to heale the bleeding wounds they vsually giue to the profession of Godlinesse to stop the mouth of iniquity which they set so wide open and to giue men notice of the great danger that both the taking and giuing of Scandal may bring them into J obserue that men doe with the Scandals of Professours as the Leuite did with the twelue partes of his Concubine they send them Iudg 19. 29. thorough all the quarters of Israel It were happie that such foule actions as trench to the dishonour of God and Religion might be buried in eternall silence and neuer be published Publish it not in 2. Sam. 1. Gath But since that is impossible but that they will be published in Gath What inconuenience is it that something bee published in and sent into the Coasts of Israel that may stop the mouthes of the men of Gath that may salue the Honour of God and Religion and that may discouer and preuent the danger of Scandalous euils J confesse that when I considered how frequently Scandals haue fallen out and what a world of mischiefe hath beene done by them I wondred that no man for ought I know or can learne had hitherto medled with this Argument so needfull and so vsefull and therefore thought it would not be lost labour to doe something in this kind And what I haue done I now make bold to present vnto your Honour as presuming that that shall be welcome to you that pleades for the Honour of God and his Truth I acknowledge my selfe many wayes deeply engaged to your Honour and the many fauours I haue receiued from you binde mee to a thankefull acknowledgement of them May it please you therefore to accept of this small Treatise as a publike testimoniall of my thankefulnesse Which if you shall please to doe I shall reckon it as a superadded fauour to all the rest and to my thankefulnesse to your selfe shall adde my daily prayers to the God of all Grace for his blessing vpon your noble Family both roote and branch and that he would not onely continue to you the blessing of the left hand Riches and Honour Prou. 3. 16. but giue you the blessing of the right hand also length of dayes and with them both the best of his blessings All spirituall blessings in heauenly places in Christ Iesus This shall bee the daily suite of Your Honours Seruant in the Gospell of Christ Iesus Jer. Dyke To the Reader THere is not any one thing that Satan the professed enemie of Mankind labours and endeauours more then the hindrance of the saluation of man There is but one way to Heauen that which Peter cals the way of Truth 2. Pet. 2. 2. which Salomon cals the way of good men Prou. 2. 20. which Isaie cals the way of Holinesse Isai 35. 8. which Ieremie cals the old and the good way and the ancient pathes Ier. 6. 16. 18 15. Now Sathan to keepe men from Heauen doth his vtmost to make men stumble at and from the ancient pathes that by taking offence at the waies of God disliking and distasting them the saluation of their soules might become impossible To effect their stumbling at those wayes Sathan layes many and sundrie kinds of stumbling blocks in the wayes of men But yet amongst those many ones I find there bee some more dangerous then others and by which the Deuill preuayles much more then by the rest And those I obserue and conceiue to be specially these three 1. The Reproach Contempt and Obloquie that by some men is vsually cast vpon Religion and the conscionable profession and Professours thereof Sathan tels men that if they will needs goe this way they shall haue a deale of filth and dirt flung in the faces of them that they must looke to be scorned and Reproached as if they were the very Of scourings of the earth And this very thing starts and stumbles not a few Some will better abide a stake then some others can a mocke Zedekiah could happily haue found in his heart to haue hearkened to the Prophets counsell but that this lay in the way I am afraid of the Iewes least they deliuer me into the Caldaeans hands and they mocke me Ier. 38. 19. It was death to him to be mocked But all considered we shall see how little reason any haue for this to stumble at Religion For doe but consider who they are commonly that mock at Godlinesse Doe but obserue their Character in the Scriptures and you shall finde them such as these A company of Hypocrites Hypocriticall mockers Psal 35. 16. A crue of Drunkards Psal 69. 12. I am the song of Drunkards A sort
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 subject 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 be gotten and kept The meanes of it 4. How a good Conscience may be knowne The marks of it 5. The Motives 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 and actions and accordingly excusing or accusing absolving or condemning comforting or tormenting the same I know there be other definitions given by others more succinct and neat but I rather chuse this though it may be not altogether so formall to the rules of Art The rules of love and profit many times may make bold to dispence with rules of Art So I may be profitable I care the lesse to be 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 conceiving of it let it be taken in pieces and every parcell viewed severally It is a faculty or power of the soule It is therefore called the Heart 1 Ioh. 3. 20. If our heart condemne us Eccl. 7. 22. Thine own heart knows 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 save 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 Conscience Not that Conscience is a spirit distinct from the subject of the soule as Origen mistooke but because it is a faculty of the soule therefore the name that is oft given to the soule is given to it If it be asked in what part of the soule this facultie is placed we must know that Conscience is not confined to any one part of the soule It is not in the understanding alone not in the memory will or affections alone but it hath place in all the parts of the soule and according to the severall parts thereof hath severall Offices or acts Taking Knowledge Eccl. 7. 22. Thine owne heart knowes Conscience is placed in the soule as Gods spy and mans superiour and overseer and inseparable 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 David speakes of God himselfe Psa 139. 3 4. Thou compassest my heart and 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 up to heaven c. The same may be also said of conscience Gods deputy it is acquainted w th al our waies not a motion in the mind nor a syllable in the mouth to which it is not privy yea it is thus inseparably present with us not only to see but also to set downe to register and to put downe upon Record all our thoughts words and works Conscience is Gods Notary and there is nothing passes us in our whole life good or ill which Conscience notes not downe with an indeleble character which nothing can raze out but Christs Nam quocuÌ„que me verto vitia mea me sequuntur ubicunque vado conscienscia mea me non deserit se praesens adsistit quicquid facio scribit Idcirco quaÌ„quam humana subterfugiam judicia judiciuÌ„ propriae cons â—ugere non valeo Et si hominibus celo quod egi mihi tamen qui novi maluÌ„ quod gessi celare nequeo Bern. de inter Com. cap. 31. bloud Conscience doth in this kind 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 graven with an iron pen laid in the rock for ever 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 point of a Diamond and they are graven upon the Table of their hearts Ier. 17. 1. Conscience doth in our pilgrimage as travellers in their journey it keepes a Diary or a journall of every 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 and is the Register and Recorder of the soule And bearing witnesse This we find Rom. 2. 15. Their conscience also bearing witnesse Rom. 9. 1. My conscience also bearing me witnes 2. Cor. 1. 12. This testimony of our conscience And this the end of the former office of the conscience For therefore it is exact and 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 witnesse cannot lie Prou. 14. 5. This office it is ready to doe at all times Peccata mea celare non possum quoniam quocuÌ„que vado coÌ„sc mea mecum est secum portans quod in ea posui sive bonum sive malum servat vivo restituet defuncto depositum quod servanduÌ„ accepit Bern. Med. de vot cap. 14. of triall affliction and most of all at the last day the day of iudgement when it shall be more solemnly called in to give in evidence Rom. 2. 15. 16. Their conscience bearing witnes c. In the day when God shall iudge secrets of men At that day it shall especially witnes either for or against a man if our life and actions have beene good it will then doe like the true witnesse Pro. 14 25. A true witnes delivers soules If wicked ungodly it will deale with it as Iob complaines God did with him Iob 10. 17. Thou renewest thy witnesse against me It will testifie according to every mans deeds And this testimonie of conscience is without all exception for in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand and conscience as our common saying is is a thousand witnesses for it is an eye-witnesse of all our actions yea a pen-witnes bringing testimonie from the authentique Records and Register of the Court of Conscience Concerning this testifying office of Conscience that place is worth the noting Esa 59. 12. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee our sins testifie against vs for our transgressions are with vs and as for our iniquities we know them By which place wee may know the
I beseech you brethren marke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that cause or commit scandals or offences And to what purpose should they marke them That they might decline and shunne their company Marke them and Auoid them And therefore wee see the Apostles seuerity in the exercise of discipline in the case of the Incestuous Corinthian In the name of God he doth excoÌ„municate cast him out not onely from societie in holy things but makes a rule vpon it that if any that professe religion liue in any scandalous course that they should not afford him ciuill familiar conuerse 1. Cor. 5. 11. If any man that is called a brother be a fornicatour or couetous or an Idolater or arayler or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one no not to eate It is not to be denyed but vpon good sound euidences of true repentance a broken vessell may be mended vnsauoury salt may regaine his sauour and so there may be an healing of their errour and a receiuing of such into publique and priuate communion againe for I presse not g Marcianus se Nouatiano coÌ„iunxit tenens haereticae praesumptionis durissimam prauitatem vt seruis Dei poenitentibus dolentibus ecclesiam lachrymis gemitu dolore pulsantibus diuinae pietatis paternae solatia subsidia claudantur nec ad fouenda vulnera admittantur vulnerati sed sine spe pacis coÌ„municationis relicti ad luporum rapinam praedam diaboli proijciantur Cyp. Epist 67. Nouitian rigidity but yet till such repentance doe appeare all scandalous persons though not touched with Church censures are to stand excommunicate out of the hearts and familiar fellowship of al Gods people What difference betweene a leprous and a scandalous person and the leper during his leprosie till hee were clensed was to be shut vp and kept apart If thy right hand scandalize thee cut it off and cast it from thee Math. 18. 8. This hath a truth in this case If a man that hath bin deere pretious fall into scandal yet spare him not but let him bee cut off and cast out of society til he be brought to such truth of repeÌ„taÌ„ce as becomes h Adeo non pudet aut piget admissorum tamen audent venire in ecclesiam sanctorum audent missceri gregi Dominico Tales interdum tolerat ecclesia ne prouocati magis etiam perturbent populum Dei. Sed quid prodest non eijci caetu piorum si merueris eijci Nam eijci remedium est gradus ad recuperandum sanitatem eiectionem meruisse summa malorum est Ac frustra miscetur caetui sanctorum c. Cypr. de dupl Martyr And how-euer men fallen into some fowle scandal may escape the publique censure of eiection and excommunication and by intrusion haue fellowship in holy duties of worship yet litle comfort shall such mens consciences haue so long as publique satisfaction is not giuen to the Church of God for what shall it profit a man not to be cast out of the congregation of the faithfull so long as he deserues to bee cast out for for a man to bee cast out is a remedy and a degree towards the recouery of spirituall health But to deserue casting out as all scandalous persons doe that will not and doe not subiect to Gods ordinance of publique satisfaction and confession is the height of all euill Such was the ancient i Nam cùm in minoribus delictis poenitentia agatur iusto tempore exomologesis fiat inspect â vita eius qui poenitentiam agit nec ad communicationem quis venire possit nisi prius illi ab episcopo clero manus fuerit imposita quanto magis in his grauissimis extremis delictis ante omnia moderatè secun dum disciplinaÌ„ Domini obseruari oportet Nemo abhinc importuno teÌ„pore acerba poma dâ—cerpat nemo naueÌ„ suaÌ„ quassataÌ„ perforataÌ„ fluctibus priusquaÌ„ diligenter refecerit in altuÌ„ denuo committat Nemo tunicam scissam accipere induere properet nisi eam abartifice perito sartam viderit à fullone curataÌ„ receperit Cypr. Epist 12. Legimus literas quod Victori Presbytere antiquaÌ„ poenitentiam plenam egisset temerè Therapius collega noster immaturo tempore praepropera festinatione pacem dederit Quae res nos satis mouit recessum esse à decreti nostri auctoritate vt ante legitimum plenum tempus satisfactionis sine petitu conscientia plebis pax ei concederetur Cypr. Epist 59. seuerity of discipline that such as had giueÌ„ scaÌ„dal were neither suddenly nor easily readmitted into Communion but there was first publike confession a time it seemes of the tryall of their repentance before they had a fresh admittaÌ„ce into Church-fellowship Greene apples too soone gathered they thought might set ones teeth on edge and it was dangerous to set a ship to sea that had bin crackt flawed before it were thoroughly repayred againe Yea and it was strange to see the k O si posses frater charissime istic interesse â—ùm praui isti peruer si de schismate reuertantur videres quis mihi labor sit persuadere patientiam fratribus nostris vt animi dolore sâ—pito recipiendis malis curandisque consentiâ—nt vix plebi persuadeo imò extorqueo vt tales patiantur admitti Cypr. Epist 55. ancient zeale of the people against such with how much adoe they suffred such as had giuen scandal and had not yet giuen sufficient euidence of their repentance to bee readmitted and receiued into the Church againe Nay further wee shall finde that in i Inter Christianae religionis professores ordinati sunt aliquot qui inquirunt in vias mores accedentium vt non concessa facientes candidatos religionis arceant à suis conuentibus c peccantes praecipuè libidine contaminatos è suâ republic â reijciunt nostri rursum vero resipiscentes haud secus quaÌ„ rediuiuos recipiunt tandem ea tamen conditione vt quoniaÌ„ lap si suÌ„t excludantur in posteruÌ„ ab omnibus dignitatibus magistratibus ecclesiasticis Origen cont Cels lib. 3. Origens time there were some appointed to looke into the wayes and manners of the people professing christian religion that if they carried themselues offensiuely they might be kept out from the publique meetings And further if any were found sinning scandalously especially if defiled with lust and vncleannes they cast them out of the Church And when vpon their repentance they were receiued againe yet was it with this condition that because they had fallen into scandal they should be excluded for euer after from all ecclesiasticall dignity and gouernement And we soe that in m See Cyprian Epist 64. 68. Cyprians time also it went for good discipline that a Bishop that had falleÌ„ into Idolatry and defiled himselfe with that scandalous sinne though he might communicate as Lay persons yet might