ought to beaâ— the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves Let every one of us please his neighbour Gal. 6. 2. for his good to edification saith the Apostle 5. That we make not too bold with our liberty through indiscretion immoderateness Caut. 5 or unseasonableness in the use of it This caution ye have 1 Cor. 8. 9 10. Take heed least by any meanes this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weake for if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the Idols Temple shall not the conscience of him which is weake be imboldened to eat those things which are offered unto Idols Consider we must who looke on and what interpretation may be made of our actions and what hurt may be done by our example least as Tertullian said we do aedificare in Exitium or as others say aedificare in Gehennam If Peter lead not right Barnabas may unawares follow into a dangerous way of dissimulation Gal. 2. 13. 6. Take heed of being regardlesse of other mens Censures and Opinions of us and Offence-taking Caut. 6 at us say not If they be offended let them be offended This is to be cruell to our selves to our Brethren yea to Christ 1 Cor. 8. 12. When you sin against your Brethren and wound their weak conscience you sin against Christ Rather say with the Apostle Who is weake 2 Cor. 11. 29 and I am not weake or sick and say Who is offended through my default and I burne not as with griefe and horrour It is not a slight or single but a great and double yea treble sinne saith Pareus 1 Cor. 8. 12. when wee so slight and grieve our Brother Tria mala cumulat saith he And Chrysostom shewes how such sin against Christ in a threefold respect Vno modo quod quae servis fiunt Christus pro in se factis imput at qui vâ—s spernit me spernit Altero quod in Corpus ejus saeviunt qui membra percutiunt Saule Saule quid me persequeris Tertio quod opus Christi quod propriâ morte absolvit ij propria ambitione destruunt unde ne cibi causâ destrue opus Christi inquit Apostolus 1. They sin against Christ saith he because Christ doth reckon as done to himselfe whatsoever is done to any servant of his according to that He which despiseth you despiseth me 2. Because they offer violence to his body who hurt any of his members according to that Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And 3. Because those destroy that for which Christ died according to that For meat destroy not the worke of God Rom. 14 20. 2. To prevent giving of offence certaine Rules are to be given as first 1. Consider ever what is expedient as well as know what once is lawfull 1 Cor. 6. 12. 10. 23. All things are lawfull but all things are not expedient 2. Consider not onely what is lawfull 2 Rules to be observed but what may edifie or offend that which is good and lawfull in its owne nature being inconsiderably done may be offensive All things are lawfull but all edifie not 1 Cor. 10. 23. Let all things be done to edification 1 Cor. 14. 26. 3. The Apostle gives a third Rule to avoyd offence-giving 1 Cor. 10. 24. Let no man seek his owne but every one anothers wealth This golden Rule well observed would make us happy and our times happy at once freeing the Church from many calamities and our selves from much guilt in matter of offences 4. A fourth Rulo is laid down in the same Chapter 1 Cor. 10. 32. Give none offence neither to the Jew nor to the Gentile nor to the Church of God q. d. With whomsoever you have to do labour to be inoffensive That your Conversation may please whom your Profession doth displease Call no man common or uncleane lose no man harden no man Give none offence to the Jew There was an old partition-wall up between the Jew and the Gospell some hot spirit of our time would have said Let them go they are legall superstitious stubborne hereticall no hope of them why should I regard them But the Apostle would give no offence to the worst Jew Nor to the Gentile There seemed to be a Gulfe fixed no hope of their coming over from their dumb Idols The Gentiles they are Idolatrous Profane Dogs c. Why should I seek them But give no offence to the Gentiles Nor to the Church of God Whom thou thinkest wise meeke strong able to passe by an offence make not too bold with them neither 5. Study how far thou art to go to please thy brother which is a great duty The Apostle Col. 1. 10. prayes for the Colossians That they might walke worthy of the Lord in all pleasing as if no carriage were worthy of the Gospel but of the plancid and yeelding Spirit And he exhottes Rom. 15. 2. Let every man please his neighbour for his good to edification And to perswade to the practise of a point to which we are naturally so opposite as thinking it below a Christian and zealous spirit an argument rather of an abject and servile spirit He makes this duty more commendable by Isa 42. 1. 2 Mat. 12. 18 setting downe some examples 1. The Example of Christ Rom. 15. 3. For even Christ Jesus pleased not himself He did not strive nor cry nor dissent nor divide It is therefore no disparagement to you whosoever you are 2. He propounds his owne example 1 Cor. 10. 33. and shewes his compliance so far as we would be apt to mis-interpret the like in another Even as I please all men in all things Here are two all 's both of which go very far strive to imitate him Yet with these two reservations That thou be not such a man-pleaser as ceaseth to be the servant of Christ Gal. 1. 10. viz. 1. The one negative I please all men in all things not seeking my owne profit As if some should say Paul you are a Polititian and you know how to insinuate into mens good opinions you lose nothing by that Nay saith Paul I have no designe in the earth in it I looke not after outward profit and commodity I looke higher Therefore he adds the second Positive Reserve That they may be saved q. d. I please no man by soothing him in his evill way I comply not with men so as that they be strengthened in their sinnes But my course is with all so to seek to save them as that also I may please them and so to seeke to please them as that also I may save them but if I cannot both please and save them I shall then study rather to save them though I do not please them then to please them if I may not save them Oh that we had many such examples in these times So 1 Cor. 9. 19 20 21 22 23. the same Apostle tels us how much he studied to be made
and sickly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle calls it 1 Cor. 8. 12. and which is easily cast down and discouraged This was the disease of the stony ground it was so Mat. 13. 21. tender that it was offended at the Cross Outward tenderness is a disease inward is a virtue The stony ground was outwardly tender but inwardly hard therefore could not endure any outward scorching The good ground on the other side was inwardly soft and tender to give Root to the seed received but it was outwardly hardy able to endure all weathers This kinde of Conscience cries A lion in the way I shall be torn in the streets This picks a quarrell at the Gospel for some Circumstances Prov. 26. 13 Why do thy disciples eat with unwashen hands and walk contrarie to the old Ceremonies of the fathers Mark 7. 2. This bird-eyed conscience as I may call it starts as the bird-eyed horse at every leafe shaking or bird flying and layes his Rider on his back or flings him into the dirt haply this is a pittifull weake conscience This was the conscience of the mixt multitude and of the ten spies they started at sight Num. 11. 4. of an Anakim and would not by any means Nu. 13. 31. advise the people to endanger themselves by adventuring forward This conscience is known by these ill Properties 1. It is apt to scruple things lawfull it eateth nothing but herbs Rom. 14. 2. 2. It puzzleth and perplexeth it self about businesses of no great moment about dayes meats c. Touch not taste not handle not Col. 2. 21. 3. It is apt to judge him that upon better grounds is not of his minde and practice Rom. 14. 3. Let not him which eateth not judge him which eateth which he is very apt to do 4. He is apt to stumble Rom. 14. 21. 5. Or to bee grieved and distasted Rom. 14. 21. Occasions whereof as it is the dutie of the strong and wise Christian to avoid so it is the propertie of the weak to bee subject unto 5. And a fift ill tenderness there is of the Conscience all awakened but such as cannot take any rest more Psal 77. 2 3 4. My sore ran all night and ceased not my soul refused comfort I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed Thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so troubled that I cannot speak So the like Psal 51. 3. My sin is ever before me Psal 38. 17. I am ready to halt and my sorrow is continually before me This is a sad and painful if not sometimes also a sinful tenderness when the soul sees nothing but sin guilt and miserie in it self nothing but anger wrath and frownes in God and no hopes of Redemption by Christ or of recoverie by the Spirit of Grace This is a sad Tenderness or Soreness or Bruisedness or woundedness of Spirit through too much sensibleness of sin tending apace towards fearfull distrust of God and despair of mercy This poor soul is as a man who hath all his bones broken and all his members dislocated and out of Order his heart melting like wax in his belly Psal 22. 14. his spirit even failing nor can he turn himself in his bed without pain A tendernesse this is but from disease not soundnesse Or as you see another man who hath a sore raw eye or an eye that hath been scalded or scorched in the fire it is very tender it cannot look upon the Sun or a Candle without offence it alwaies runs drops trickles and requires some soft silk or fine Linnen to bee before it So the conscience scorched with sin that hath not the fire taken out by the Eye-salve made of Christ his blood Rev. 3. 18. and hath not the fine silk and Linnen you read of Rev. 19. 8. is a sad Conscience though tender it is raw and running and sore and fierie Such a Conscience is tender indeed till it bee the worse again Thus Leahs eyes were said to bee tender it was small Commendation to her they were debiles weak as Junius renders it Rachel was more fair and more beloved her eyes were not so tender Gen. 29. 17. But the Right tendernesse of Conscience is that due Proportion of sense in an awakened ◠Right tenderness and self-observing spirit which labours to keep the soul guarded and unmolested He takes up the resolution of Job My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Job 27. 6. q. d. I can endure reproaches enough from any other hand I am so outwardly hardy but from my self and my own Conscience I love not to be upbraided with inward heart-burning and risings in my stomack I am inwardly so sensible This tenderness shews it self in respect of God Others Self 1. Of God in every thing to which God is In respect of God Ex. 10. 26. entitled and hath interest in Moses stands for a Hoof. Our Saviour tender of the least Jod or Title of the Law of God He was all in Mat. 5. 18. Joh. 2. 17. a flame with the zeal of God's house when he saw it perverted to uses of merchandize This is not to be called Strictnesse Scrupulousnesse or Rigidnesse but right Tendernesse and true Zeal The command of God to his People is Exod. 23. 13. In all things whatsoever I have spoken unto you be circumspect 1. Particularly and principally he is tender of those things wherein God's Glory and And Particularly 1. Of Gods Honor. Honour is concerned Our Saviour layeth down this for a Maxime Joh. 7. 18. He that speaketh of himself and acteth for himself seeketh his own glorie but he that seeketh his glorie that sent him the same is true and no unrighteousnesse is in him And he therein did vindicate himself against his calumnious Opposers Joh. 8. 49. 50. I honour my Father and ye dishonor me I seek not mine own glorie There is one that seeketh and judgeth This tenderness makes a man altogether regardless of self in respect of Name Credit Family Commoditie yea of Life I count nothing dear to my self so that God may be Act. 20. 24. magnified be it by my loss or life or death The Holy Martyrs counted nothing great or precious or base or hard in relation to God's Honour When the Christian women in Julians time were forbidden to sing their Psalms in their houses they sang out the louder especially when the Emperour was to pass by And they sang out those verses of the Psal 115. 4. 8. The Idols of the heathen are silver and gold the work of mens hands They that make them are like unto them and so are all they that trust in them Yea they added by the appointment of Publia the head and forwardest of the Company to their former wonted Psalms that vers of the 68. Psalm Let God arise let his enemies he scattered And Theodoret. lib. 5. c. 19. when the Emperour in a rage sent for her into his palace and commanded her
this first part of Tenderness in respect of God Secondly Tenderness of Conscience must 2. In respect of others shew it self in reference to Men as well as to God and so both to all in generall and to each man particularly to godly to wicked to strong to weak 1. To the godly and that 1. Forbearing to 1. The Godly 1. By not grieving them offend one of them one of the least of them by any just scandal or grievance on our part Who is offended at least through my default and I burn not saith tender Conscience He is ever tender of the Peace and studious of the satisfaction of every honest man If my meat or my wine or my apparell or my hair or my Companie make my brother to offend I will eat no meat drink no wine put on no such apparel keep on no such hair frequent no such companie while the world standeth least I make my brother to offend This is the voice of Tender or True Conscience like that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 8. 13. 2. We must bee as tender of their Reputation 2. Not disparaging or discrediting them that we expose not them or rather Religion in them to reproch What an excellent Instance have we in Joseph who is called a just man for his labour He had looked upon Mary formerly as a godly and gracious woman and she being now with childe he knew not what to think on it but having a purpose to leave her being formerly contracted to her that he might not bring reproach upon himself he purposed to leave her privately that the world might not take notice of any such thing that so he might not bring reproach upon her Joseph her Matt. 1. 19. husband saith the Text being a just man and not willing to make her a publike example was minded to put her away privately This was his Care his Honestie his Tenderness and his Righteousness But where shall wee finde the like Tenderness or Righteousness now adayes to salve the Credit and conceal the failings of our brethren we are glad if we have any thing to Paradeigmatize them for and say Report and we will report it Jer. 20. 10. As if we were of the minde of him of whom Jerom spake whom he calls passionately Scriptorem illiteratum qui Procacitatem Ruffinus maledicentium in omnes signum estimet bonae Conscientiae that is to think there is no other token of a good Conscience then to speak ill of other men and traduce their persons and laie open their nakedness to their disgrace That godly Emperour Constantine was quite of another minde who was wont to saie if he should finde a Christian Bishop or Pastor overtaken in any infamous Act he would rather pull off his purple Robe to throw upon him to cover him then that any should come by his means to hear of it to the scandal of Religion I am sure this is more like to the Example of Christ who casts his Purple Robe upon us that our sins should not be taken notice of 3. This good Conscience will make us tender of disagreeing with or dividing from 3. Not dissenting or dividing from them any who are godly upon unnecessarie and frivolous grounds Enter not upon doubtful disputations fall not upon questions that nourish jangling but destroy Edification This is the common sin or miserie shall I say of these times Or shall I say both There is much of misery in this sin and much of sin in this misery How much good is ill spoken of ordinarily because it is the good of such persons against whom we have taken up a prejudice and how much ill is gladly spoken of with the Joy of all the heart when it is of some persons of whom we had rather hear ill then well when we should studie to make and represent one another as good as we could that we might congregate and unite we strive to make at least to represent one another as bad as we can that we may disgregate and divide This is a lamentation and cannot but be for a lamentation to all godly and peaceable spirits to see such unkinde Heats and Animosities raised and cherished among men otherwise godly judicious and learned differing about matters of no great moment yet filling the world with bitter invectives one against the other Jerom is fallen out with Ruffinus and writes bitterly against him Ruffinus thinks as much scorn of Jerom as he could possibly of him he resolves not to die in his debt he writes as bitterly against him The truth is though both good men they were both to blame There was too much of passion in them both Must they needs be condemned and abandoned by all men whom some learned men have once condemned and that haply out of inconsiderate prejudice must a godly man be presently expunged out of the Calendar of Saints and enrolled in the black Bill of Hereticks because it pleaseth some to reckon him such Must Jerom's onely Censure and sharper writings against Helvidius Jovinian Vigilantius Aerius or some others make them ipso facto execrable Hereticks When upon through disquisition and calmer consideration their reputed errors were but the prejudices of those present times Oh how were it to bee wished that this were more thought of upon all hands So that Christians might not be to Christians as the Jewes were to the Samaritans Joh. 4. 9. The Jewes have no dealing with Samaritans And that one godly man might not be to other godly men as a Shepherd to the Egyptian Gen. 46. 34. and that our publique meetings and our religions exercises there might not be as the Israelites Sacrifice in the sight of the Egyptians both of them an abomination Ex. 8. 26. How happy were we if we had so learned Christ as to put off with the old man according to the Apostles counsell Eph 4. 31 32. All bitternesse and wrath and clamour and evill speaking with all malice and to be kinde one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us 2. As we must be thus tender to all godly 2 Weaker ones ones in generall so especially to the weaker ones among them no ways to discourage them despise them or impose any burdens upon much lesse lay any stumbling-block before them but to beare their infirmities Ro. 15. 1. condescend to their terms Rom. 12. 16. And not to please our selves but them rather This is to be like-minded to Jesus Christ who is tender of all his little ones that believe in him He himself beares their infirmities and feeles their sicknesses Mat. 8. 17. He saith the Prophet gathereth up the Lambs with his arm and carrieth them in his bosome and gently leadeth them that are with young Esay 40. 11. He doth not strive nor cry nor is his voyce heard in the streets The bruised Reed he breaketh not and the smoaking Mat. 12. 18 19. flax he quencheth not But
to suffer for Conscience onely one thing they could not endure viz. to suffer in and from Conscience And here might I write a whole Volume of the sufferings of Primitive and later times or transcribe many large Volumes of Ecclesiastical Histories treating of this subject in their Martyrologies They were deprived of States degraded of Offices yet did bear it they were imprisoned they were exiled yet did endure it they were slain racked tortured yet did they suffer it Some were hanged some headed some were burned some drowned some devoured of wilde beasts some pull'd in pieces by men more savage then beasts yet they did all bear it and rejoyced they suffered for Conscience and for God Attalus and Alexander were twice bayted with wilde beasts to be torn in pieces Eccl. Hist l. 5. cap. 1. by them as Eusebius reports Attalus escaping the beasts was reserved to other torments to be burnt to death in an iron chair heated red-fire-hot yet did hee bear all Macedonius Theodulus and Tatianus laid Socrat. hist l. 3. cap. 13. upon a Gredyron and broiled to death yet did they bear it Marcus Arethusius was stripped naked then had his bodie all over daubed with Broth Butter and Honey then hung up in a Cage in the hot scorching Sun to be eaten up with flies and stung to death with wasps yet did he suffer all rather then give one half-peny to re-edifie that Idol Temple in his diocess which he had formerly plucked down To be eaten up with flies and stung with wasps he did account farre more desirable that he might preserve his Theodoret. Lib. 3. cap. 6. Conscience in Puritie and Peace then to bee eaten up of horrour and stung with Hornets if to preserve his life he had delivered up his Conscience There were many Christians together stopt up in Lakes or Caves artificially made close which Lakes or Ditches were filled with a companie of Dormise kept hungrie to gnaw and feed upon the poor Christians they all the while bound hand and foot that they could not keep off those hunger-starved creatures which were kept Mag. Cent. 4. cap. 3. Ex Theodoreto without meat also purposely that they might fasten upon the bodies of those godly men which lingring and miserable death they under-went yet was not their faith and patience at all born down saith the Historian They chose much rather to lie in such a Lake artificially stopt and to be eaten up alive with those Vermin their Conscience being preserved then to yeeld up this Fort of Conscience for fear of any earthly torments to be eaten up while alive with guilt and horrour of Conscience And when dead to be bound hand and foot and cast into an infernal Lake of fire and brimstone eternally stopt up there to be conversant with filthy spirits and to be eaten up with those hellish furies Yea to make an end for it is impossible to mention all Lactantius saith not onely the men among the Cbristians and those of stronger years and hearts but even our women and little children saith he have Latrones robusti corporis viri ejusmodi lacerationes perferre nequeunt exclamant gemitus edunt Nostri autem ut de viris taceam pueri mulierculae tortores suos taciti vincunt expromere illis gemitum necignis potest Lact. 1. 5. cap. 13. endured all torments and been too hard for their Tormentors no rack no fire could fetch so much as a groan from them which the stoutest Theeves and Malefactors among their Persecutors could not undergo but they would roare and crie out through impatience and disabilitie to endure them But how little of this good Conscience is to be found now adaies when Christ saith Who is on my side who Our times have brought forth many a degenerate Christian silken and satten Christians Christians for the right hand and the left if Christ have any Kingdoms Mannours or Honours to bestow But if a Cross they all forsake him and fly and shift for themselves as the terrified Disciples did the night of his Passion Luther call's some of the Divines of his Time Theologos Gloriae they would not suffer Some faithfull Ones were called Theologi Crucis so have we many Saints now adaies who are rather Triumphant Saints then Saints militant Well we know who hath said He that is ashamed of me I shall one day be ashamed of him he that loveth his life shall lose Mar. 8. 38. it but he that loseth his life for my sake shall finde it Joh. 12. 25. There is no condition or sort of men have in Scripture more abundant and more excellent Promises then these that suffer And none in Scripture have more Cautions and Rules given then those set down to regulate and circumscribe our sufferings for all that suffer cannot say they suffer for Conscience and for God and then what thank can they exspect from God if they suffer for their own default they must as we say thank themselves There be four kindes of sufferings which a Four ill kindes of sufferings good Conscience can have no comfort in therefore must seek to avoid 1. That we put not our selves upon Voluntarie and Arbitrarie suffrings and place Religion and Conscience in it when we have done thus did the Baalists of old who did cur and lance themselves that the bloud followed 1 Ki. 18. 28. Thus do the blinde Papists at this day Pennance and Discipline themselves out of a superstitious opinion of merit or satisfaction but they have no thank of God because though it may proceed from some kinde of Conscience yet it is a blinded and deluded Conscience not that Conscience towards God which Peter spake of Therefore 2 Pet. 2. 19. God will say to them Who required this at your hands Isai 1. 12. And as to them who offered their sons and daughters to Moloch It never came into my heart neither did I command them saith the Lord Jer. 7. 31. These things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will-worship and humilitie and neglecting of the Col. 2. ult bodie not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh But these are not the sufferings of Christians nor can these say They bear these as the marks of the Lord Jesus in their bodies Gal. 6. 17. 2. That we pull not upon our selves Vnnecessarie and unwarrantable sufferings by a preposterous and precipitate intermedling in businesses out of our way and calling This is to suffer as busie-bodies in other mens matters But that in the Apostles Language is clean another thing then to suffer as a Christian therefore he doth oppose them and is all one as to suffer as an evil doer therefore they are joyned together 1 Pet. 4. 15 16. 3. That we pull not upon our selves Necessarie but deserved evil sufferings from the hand of Justice for our evil doings These may say with the Thief suffering with Christ we have the same Crosses that he
Leah instead of an imagined Rachel It climbes the Tree of Knowledge and cuts down the Tree of Life It taketh and chuseth a Barabbas but renounceth and condemneth Christ Jesus It Mar. 7. 8. 11. 12. will make a Pharisee set more by an old Tradiâ—ion then a divine Precept and a Pharisees diâ—ciple Acts 16. 9. Gal. 1. 13. 14. Psal 3. 6. Mat. 23. 15 look more after the Corban then his duâ—y to his aged and indigent Parents This set Paul blindfold to persecute and blaspheme Christ onely that he might shew his zeal to God This makes others compasse both sea â—nd land to make one their Proselyte who when all is done is but a double childe of hell Oh the wofull work erroneous Conscience hath made in all Times in the past Ages of the Church And this my story of iniquity worketh hitherto and is still working more mischief amidst our sad and dismall distractions This is one part of the spirituall wickednesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in heavenly things or places Ephes 6. 12 13. Against which must be taken the whole armour of God This like Saul hath slain his thousands not of Philistines but Israelites This like that wood which in a bloody day devoured more by erring disordering and intangling them then the sword devoured 2 Sam. 18. 8 This destroys more then ignorance or superstition or prophanesse This lets go Scripture duties upon more credit given to Revelations Upon this mistake a true Prophet once contrary to expresse commands of God gave up his faith obedience and withall his conscience upon a report of a later revelation and an Angelicall apparition to the old Prophets bare but false asseveration of a newer and cleerer light 1. King 13. 18. I am also a prophet as thou art and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord saying Bring him back with thee to eat bread and drink water but he lied unto him This above all other is the evil conscience intended in this place It was nothing but erring conscience at first that caused Hymenaeus and Alexander to relinquish their former Profession and having put pure conscience out of doors they come to make a fearfull shipwrack of their faith totally and oâ— their souls finally Enlightened conscience feareth and departeth from evil this fool rageth and is confident Prov. 14. 16. Englightened conscience hath his eyes open and seeth the angel in the way erroneous conscience like the seduced false Prophet rusheth forward into the midst of danger Erroneous conscience is he whose deceived heart turns him aside who feedeth on ashes as the Prophet saith Esay 44. 20. hath a lie in his right hand so that he cannot deliver his soul This is he whose plague is in his head Levit. 13. 44. This is the man whom ye may bray in a mortar with a pestell among wheat yet will not his folly depart from him Prov. 27. 22. There is more hope of a fool then of this man because he is wiser commonly in his own conceit then seven men that can render a reason Prov. 26. 12 16. Erroneous conscience is the eye that puts darknesse for light and light for darknesse It is the mouth that puts bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter It is the traveller that leaveth the ancient paths and the good way to walk in new wayes wayes not of Gods casting up and Scriptures chalking out Jer. 18. 15 A good Conscience must therefore be purified from Errour Thirdly It must be purified from naturall From deadnesse or hardnes deadnesse or hardnesse which is as bad a disease as either ignorance or errour So that although thou mayest escape the fear of ignorance by the instructions of Wisdom and-the snare of errour by the light of the Gospel yet if thou be taken in the Pit of deadnesse and naturall hardnesse thou art never the neerer thou hast not yet a good conscience Heb. 9. 14. The conscience must be purged from dead works that it may serve the living God A dead conscience is not for a living God One may be a knowing hypocrite or an orthodox nonconvert but what is he neerer to salvation while in this deadnesse There is a generation pure in their own eyes yet not cleansed Pro. 30. 12 as to conscience from their own deadnesse God I thank thee I am no Papist say they no Anabaptist Antinomian Sectary I am a catholike Christian I am an old Protestant but an unsanctified Christian and the common carnall Protestant is no better then they He is blinde and cannot see afar off and forgets that he is not yet cleansed from his old sins 2. Pet. 1. 9. Except you be regenerate and raised from naturall deadnesse you cannot see the kingdom of God Al that are not seducers as Jesuits false Teachers or seduced as common Papists Antinomians Libertines Anti-scripturists prophane Atheists and Socinians are not therefore necessarily saved There is a plague in the heart that every one must see and bewail and get cured of or else it is as pernicious to the 1 Kin. 8. 38 soul and sends more certainly to hell then any plague or leprosie in the head Levit. 13. 44. We call not that Arm or Leg good which is onely not bruised wounded out of joynt when it is benummed or paralytick It hath no pain indeed but what use is there of it So what though conscience be not bruised raging and tormenting and out of joynt by errour if it be benummed stupified or dead There is no use of such a conscience Conscience must therefore be purged from deadnesse Secondly There be three things which Conscience must be Purified by which are 1 The Three things conscience is purified by 1. The word of Christ word 2. Blood 3. Spirit of Christ First The word of Christ is the Great heart Searcher and Conscience Purifier Heb. 4. 12. The word of God is quick and Powerfull and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart c This is the Fanne with which Christ doth purge his Floore Canscience John 15. 3. Now are you clean through the word which I have spoken to you saith Christ to his Disciples and for them he prayes Joh. 17. 17. Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is that sanctifying truth This removes those before named discases of conscience 1. This is that which removes ignorance Psal 119. 105. Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths What can the best eye see without a light of Sun or candle What can we know concerning God and his will without his word This written word is a more sure discovery of the minde of God then all apparitions or the most famous particular revelations 2 Pet. 1. 19. To which we must take heed and have recourse as to a light shining in a dark place This giveth knowledge to the simple Psal 119. 130. This is sufficient to remove all ignorance and uncertainty in divine things 2.
shall lament Wo to them that are at ease Luk. 6. 25 in Zion and put far from them the evil day when they cause violence to draw near If he adde drunkenness to thirst and walk in the imaginaon Am 6. 1. 3. of his heart and bless himself saying I have peace and I shall have peace God will not spare such a one but his anger and jealousie Deut. 29. 18 19. shall smoak against that man It is the case of the godly oftentimes to cry fear fear where no fear and danger is And the wicked usually cry peace peace where no safety and peace is Thus yet do many sleep and live and die in peace when Jonah-like there Jonah 1. 4 5. is the greatest storm of Divine Displeasure pursuing them and the Destroyer is ready to swallow them up They slumber and sleep but their judgement all the while lingreth not and their damnation slumbreth not For there 2 Pet. 2. 3. is no Peace from God to the wicked Isa 57. ult 2 It is pacifyed from the rage of Satan After 2. From the rage of Satan conscience hath been delivered from the paws of the ravening Bear the reign of sin It must next seek to be delivered from the jaws of the roaring Lyon the rage of Satan This latter is usually more terrible the former more dangerous When Sin is dethroned the first and greatest wo is past When Adonijah flies Solomon presently succeeds and is established 1 Kin 1. 50. in the throne Sin once put to flight the King of Peace reigns in the throne of Conscience This is that happy peace and security promised to the Beleever Mat. 16. 18. Upon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it This is the sum of that other promise Rom. 16. 20. The God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly shewing manifestly our securest peace is when God doth not only restrain but ruine Satan not binde but bruise him not chain him up but tread him down The like Prayer 1 Thes 5. 23. The very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly This peace from Satans rage the godly man may for so me time want who yet hath a good and pure conscience Such a want may stand with a perfect good conscience though not with a perfectly well conscience Conscientia honestè bona may be molestè mala Ames The Philistines often rushed upon Sampson and gave him many alarums hee still Iudg. 16. 9. 12. 15. 14 came off with honour and victory They come â—ut one way and fly seven waies The trouble was his the losse was theirs Yet thus is many a poore beleever often encountered some for longer time some for shorter some even al their life time are kept in bondage through Heb. 2. 15. feare of death and him that hath the power of Death the Devill They mourne they feare they pray they cry they are weary with waiting for the salvation of God When will the redeemer come out of Zion When Rom. 11. 26 Mal. 4. 2. will the Angell of the Covenant of peace come with Healing under his wings Paul had not this Peace sometimes 2 Cor. 7. 5. we had no rest but were troubled on every sâ—de without were fightings within were feares yet at another time could say 2 Cor. 2. 14. Thanks be to God who alwaies causeth us to Triumph in Christ And Rom. 8. 31 33. ad finem If God be for us who can be against us What shall separate us from the love of God shall Tribulation or Distresse or Persecution or Temptation c. Nay in all these things we are more then Conquerers through him that hath loved us yea I am perswaded that neither the Temptation nor the Tempter nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor Life nor Death nor Height nor Depth nor any Creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. In this condition Conscience saith to the Soule Returne to thy Rest O my Soule for the Lord hath beene Beneficiall unto Psal 116. 7 thee This is that Peace which Christ hath Purchased and Bequeathed to the Beleever Peace I leave with you my Peace I give to you Jo. 14. 27. b. e. not Peace onely with God and with selfe and with men in midst of a Raging unquiet world but Peace in Despight of Hell Gates and Sathans Darts Of this Peace we may say as Gideon of his Altar Judg. 6. 34 Jehovah Shalom the Lord is God of this Peace or this Peace is the Peace of God Thirdly The third thing Conscience From the displeasure of God Rightly Pacified is at Peace and Delivered from is the Displeasure of God This is the Highest Step of Solomons throne the best part of our Peace above both the former when we can say being justified by faith we have Peace with God through Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 1. This a blessed Peace when not with man or selfe or sin or Sathan but with God Reconciled through Christ This that Peace Christ promised which the world cannot Give Nor Devill take away Jo. 14. 27. The peace of which the Apostle speaketh so magnificently calling it Phil 4. 7. the Peace of God which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praesidio erit Beza passeth all understanding which shall guard and engarison your hearts and mindes through Jesus Christ This Guards the Soule and Conscience from all the feares and assaults of Law sin guilt death hell and Satan In this condition the Soule lyeth downe in Peace and riseth in Peace and saith to the Godly â—ustified Person in Solomons words Eccle. 9. 7. Go thy way eat thy Bread with joy Psal 3. 5. 4. 8. and drinke thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy works Secondly There are 3 things which Conscience must be Pacified by and those the Conscience is pacified by 3 things same three by which before it was Purified what ever tendes to Purity Tendes to Peace viz. 1. The word 2. The bloud 3. The Spirit of Christ First By the word of Christ Conscience is Pacified and restored to Peace The word By the word of Christ especially the Gospell is therefore cald the word of Peace Tydings of Peace Gospell of Peace Word and ministery of Reconciliation Act. 10. 36 Ro. 10. 15. 2 Cor. 5. 18 The Gospel is the Instrumentum Pacis Christianae Gods Proclamation and our Charter of Peace containing the largest concessions of Grace It is an Act of Oblivion Passed in Heaven God not imputing our sinnes to us and further giving us an Act of Indemnity against all charges and impeachments of law sinne Conscience or Sathan This word we must produce for our security It is by the Mar. 4. 39. 41. Job 34 29 Jer. 20. 9. word of Christ that the winds and stormes are laid in the conscience and a calme made Christ utttereth his voyce and the
holy Ghost is that sin unto death hath no more sacrifice for it but becomes eternally unpardonable but because it is ever perpetrated and committed in despight of 1 Jo. 5. 16. Heb. 10. 26. conscience against his most clear and strongest convictions and against the most peremptory checks and dissenting restraints of the awakened and enlightened conscience Nothing heightens sin so fast conscience may say If I had not come unto you you had no sin If I had not done my Office faithfully you had some cloak for your sin which now you have not This makes sins of knowing men greater then of ignorant Englands sin greater then the Jndies Judas's perfidiousnesse worse then Sauls persecutions The one did it ignorantly and therefore obtained mercy The other had no cloak for his sin Christ gave him warning by the sop all took notice 1 Tim. 1. 13 he replyed upon consciences enforcing Is it I And he therefore died a son of perdition because he lived and persisted a son of conviction This is the servant who shall be beaten with many stripes Luk. 12. 47. To him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin Jam. 4. 17. Corollary 4. When a man lies under the lash of conscience in respect of his two last offices viz. testimoniall and judiciall he lies under the greatest misery Maximus angor conscientiae Dr. Ames Mar. 9. 44. maxima poena Then the worm never dying devours him the fire ever burning the fire not blowen takes hold of him Cains mark is Iob. 20. 26. upon him His punishment is greater then he can bear This is the first woe and the hell on earth for Revel 1. 18. there is a hell before death and Revel 20. 14. an hell before the lake of fire How fearfull was Herods case to be given up to wormes to eat him alive Infinitely more dreadfull to be given up to this worm of conscience to be eaten up both alive and dead How dolefull a sight is it to see a wolfe or a Cancer on the womans tender breast ever gnawing and stinging never cured But a worse wolf is the gnawing and accusing conscience No fits of convulsion so tearing and pulling and racking as convulsion fits of conscience no ulcer in the bladder or bowels so painfull as the exulcerated conscience See this in Judas now brought to a sight of his sin and sense of his misery he is like Isa 57. 20. the raging sea that cannot rest Out he cries I have sinned take your money it hath damned me from person to person from place to place he goes but his hell he carries with him from the terrour and sting of conscience he cannot run To death he saith Fall on me to hell bury me so I may be hid from sight of conscience he strangles himself because he could not strangle conscience into hell he leapes not longer able to abide himself and indeed if there were any place in hell where this Apollyon of destroying conscience came not into it would all the damned get to case themselves Hell were not hell if raging conscience ruled not there if this worme could ever die that fire might then be quenched Judas hung himself to ease himself but then was death and hell cast into the lake of fire Revel 20. 14. He at first brake the neck of conscience that at last brake his neck he had strangled good conscience an ill conscience strangled him and being dead all his bowels fell out of his body because all his conscience fell out of his bowels while he was alive To conclude this Corollary The wrack of Mat. 15. 11 Subijciatur corpus in paena in jeiunijs macereâ—ur verber ibus lanietur equuleo disiendatur gladio trucidetur crucis supplicio affligatur secura erit conscientia Bern. de in t dom c. 22. Pro. 18. 14. good conscience is the saddest shipwrack for poena damni it is the greatest losse And the rack of an ill conscience is the sharpest rack for poena sensus it is the greatest pain Not all from without doth so defile a man as that from within nor all from without doth so torment a man as that from within All the windes blustering abroad about our ears paine us not but a little winde enclosed in the bowels how much doth it torment and put the body into the extreamest pains All troubles from without are easily undergone if conscience be sound But the wounded spirit who can bear He shall flee from the iron weapon and the Bow of steele shall stricke him through It is drawne commeth forth of his body The glistering sword commeth out of his Gall Terrors are upon him All darknesse is hid in his secret places h. e. he hath an Epitome of all the woes and miseries of Hell in his soule a fire not blowen shall consume him as Zophar excellently Allegorizeth Job 20. 24. 25. 26. Coroll 5. VVhen conscience hath done all these foure Offices faithfully and then giveth Peace This is the right peace of conscience This is the Son of Peace upon which the peace Luk. 10. 6. of God and the peace of the Minister ever comes Thus have you seene what a good conscience is h. e. when it is purified and when it is pacified purified from Ignorance Error deadnesse pacified from the raigne of sinne the rage of Satan and displeasure of God both purified and pacified by the word blood and spirit of Christ And after all doing his four-fold Office in due time and place of a Minister of a King of a Witnesse and of a Judge And thus much of good conscience in generall CHAP. V. Of severall good Consciences in particular and first of the Conscience in which Faith is HAving hitherto treated of the good conscience in generall we shall now descend to speak of some Particulars and give you in the severall sorts and best kindes of good consciences that are to be found in all the Sciptures commended to us that when you see such an one you may know a good conscience againe and say there goes a good conscience Ten particulars I shall recommend to you and after speake somewhat to Ten good consciences laid down in scripture each of them Their names are 1. The conscience of Faith 2. Of Purity 3. Of Sincerity 4. The Vnoffensive conscience 5. The well-sighted conscience 6. The well-spoken conscience 7. The Honest-handed conscience 8. The Tender conscience 9. The Passive or Hardy conscience 10. The conscience of Charity The first and most excellent conscience is that in the Text the good conscience of faith The conscience of Faith This onely makes a good conscience Nor can all the other nine make it such without this It is impossible that any thing or person should be good and please God without faith Heb. 11. 6. Precious faith makes the conscience of great price It is therefore very observable that in three places of this Epistle The Apostle
for be weakeneth the hands of the people and he seeketh not the welfare of this people but the hurt Hee is no waies well affected to the State but a malignant So they Act. 5. 33. 7. 54. were cut to the heart and gnashed at Steven with their teeth as if they could have eaten him up Thus tender was the High Priest who rent his clothes at Mat. 26. 65 Christs supposed blasphemy when he should have rent his heart for his owne treason cruelty and hypocrisy All this is not tenderness but effeminate softness outwardly and inwardly the greatest hardness There may be mollities animi where is maxima durities cordis as in the godly there may be summa durities or is vultus when maxima mollitudo cordis Ezek. 3. 9. Christs face was harder then flint Isa 50. 7. Ezekiels then Adamant when the heart was most tender So è contra wicked men have tender skin and flesh hard heart and spirit Their Passions are soft and touchy Their dispositions hard and unruly Their love to their sinne is tender to their soules as cruell as the Ostriches of the wilderness Lam. 4. 3. This is a corrupt softness like that in a rotten Plum which if you touch you breake But it hath a hard stone in the midst that will not breake So have these a hard stone in the heart when so much outward tendernesse But the right tenderness is that which was Act. 2. 37. Their hearts were peirced and being pricked in heart they cryed out Men and brethren what shall we doe They fall not out with Peter but with themselves As Austin looked upon it as a marke of grace in Alipius when he had reproved his sinne viz. Stage playes Quod ilius acciperet ad succensendum mihi accepit honestus Adolescens ad succensendum sibi ad me ardentius diligendum When another would have been angrie with me the honest youth saith he was onely angrie with himself and loved me the better Right tenderness is to be very sensible of the evil of sin and the danger thereof thereupon impatient of the sin but easily patient of any Reproof Let the righteous smite me Psal 141. 5. that my heart may not stab me another day and let him reprove that my own heart may not reproach me you see the sound hand will endure touching and shaking when the sore hand must not bee so much as touched 2. Scrupulousness As when one hath got some stone or gravell in his shooe he cannot set his foot on the ground without complaint he cries out Tender when his foot is plainly Galled This is no good tenderness neither Take out this Gravel and hee may walk without any more ado The Apostles rule will help him Rom. 14. 5. Let every man bee fully persuaded in his own minde His meaning is not that he would have us at adventures lay aside all Enquiries but onely rid our selves of unnecessarie and unprofitable scruples Unnecessarie scrupulousness is when a man makes a stir about that in which God's Word is silent and makes a sin where the Scripture makes none The priests made one while a great scruple of going into the Praetorium the house of a heathen Joh. 18. 28. man least they should bee ceremonially defiled and so held from the Passeover but made no matter of defiling themselves morally with the guilt of Innocent bloud Another while they made a great scruple of putting the money into their holy Corban because the price of blood but questioned not the giving the money unto the same end and taking the blood it self upon themselves and their children Matt. 27. 25. These tithe mint Mat. 23. 23 and Cummin and yet neglect the grand and weightie matters of the Law which God gives especially in charge Mercy truth and Judgement keep a stir about washing of pots Mar. 7. 11. and hands make nothing of filiall disobedience to parents strain at a Gnat swallow a Camell cannot walk upon even ground yet can dance bare-foot among thorns and kick against the Pricks Herod had a great deal of this Conscience he had passed his word and given his Oath to go back were perjurie but to go forward by virtue of his rash oath to commit murder is Pietie when the rule is injusta vincula rumpit Justitia Unnecessarie and vain scruples the Apostle would have us lay aside 1 Cor. 10. 25. asking no question in such cases for Conscience sake 3. A third faultie tenderness is that too much facilness and flexibleness of spirit to every Counsellor and Enticer whereby the blinde often followes the blinde or at least the blinde followes the lame for which Ephraim was broken in Judgement because he was so readie and obsequious at every commandement Hos 5. 11. of this man you may say he is Gereus in vitium flecti monitoribus asper As wax for softness prone to every vice As thorns for sharpness stern to best advice Young and tender-hearted Mollis animo Jun. Thus tender-hearted was Rehoboam 2 Chro. 13. 7. Tener corde But to whom was he so tender-hearted It was onely to the young mens Counsel The wiser Old men found him not so tender to better counsell but pertinaciously stiffe to them and immoveably resolved not to yeeld in the least to any submissive Petitions for the ease of his aggrieved Subjects Zedekiah who rebelled most against the word of the Lord of any other was as easie and flexible to the Princes as could be imagined Jer. 38. 5. The king is not he who can do any thing against you saith he to the Princes but as inexorable and refractorie to Jeremy as was possible These the world calls your Good Natures you may work them as you will and lead them whither you will but who is it that may lead them Not God not the godly Minister not his religious Parents but his vain Companions But he onely can be said truly to be of a Good nature who is partaker of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. I am sure Christ sets us another Example He was as immoveable as a Rock as hard as Adamant he set his face as flint Isai 50. 7. When he heard any evil motioned Get thee behinde me Satan Matt. 16. 23. said he to Peter So to Satan tempting Matth. 4. 10. Get thee hence Satan But to God It is my desire to do Psal 40. 8. Joh. 6. 38. thy will O my God I came not to do my own will but his that sent mee And to John It becomes Mat. 3. 15. Eze. 3. 8. 9. us to fulfill all righteousness This is the right good Nature to have a face of flint a fore-head of Adamant harder then flint as Ezekiels was to any evil motion but as soft as wax to any good Bray him in a mortar among wheat yet is he stedfast and unmoveable This hardness is better then all that former tenderness 4. The fourth ill tenderness is of that Conscience which is weak
to be beaten She accounted her self honoured saith the Historie and went home and sang nevertheless as she was wont to do Yea the Ecclesiasticall writers of that Age tell us that when that Apostate Julian had thrown down Christian Religion and set up all kindes of Religions and Idol-worship the Christians would sing publikely and at their burials c. Confundantur omnes qui Magd. Cent. 4. c. 3. adorant sculptilia c. Confounded be all they that worship graven images No Restraint could hinder them from professing their Religion and reproving his impietie This is right tenderness when in a clear cause of God it makes one like a Brazen wall Jer. 1. 18. or like Adamant harder then flint or like fire invincibly resolute against all discouragements to break through whatsoever difficulties to declare for the Honor and Worship of God Josiah was a man tender-hearted no man more yet in the Cause of God and in promoting Reformation in Religion how beyond measure was he passionately zealous that he could not possibly escape the worlds Censure of immoderate Rigour Crueltie and too much Severitie yet he hath this honourable Testimonie from the Spirit of God 2 King 22. 25. Like to him there was no king before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul according to all the Law of Moses neither after him arose any like unto him Yet this tender-hearted Josiah burnt idolatrous Priests alive and sacrificed them upon the altars and burnt the bones of the dead He threw down Altars and would not leave standing any of the old high Places that some worse Kings had set up and some better Kings had in their daies tolerated he would allow no longer diversitie of worships and pluralitie of Religions upon any such pretence as giving Libertie of Conscience This had been a foolish tendernesse had hee done so and had fitter for a weak Rehoboam been the greatest impietie that could have been shewed to God and the greatest crueltie to mens souls Jeroboam and Jehu in their own things zealous in matter of the subjects libertie seemingly and Politickly tender stout Champions against and bold Opposers of the Exorbitancies of Princes but all was to builde their own houses in the things of God as cold as Coleworts Jeroboam frameth a Politick Religion sutable to the Temper of the People and hee would have Priests of the Temper of his Religion no Scripture Canon to settle his Religion by or any bred up in the Schools of the Prophets their then Universities for his Priests but any gifted or rather giving brother though of the lowest of the people fit to Officiate in that Emploiment which they atheistically look upon as a humane but politick Invention to keep men in awe and Order Here was State-tenderness indeed but too much but no Church-Tenderness at all great and tender respect had to their own glorie none to God's and accordingly it prospered On the other side you finde Nehemiah earnest and tender in God's Honour and Interest carefull he was and strict order he gives that the Sabbath be more religiously Neh. 13. 15 18. 19. observed how enraged was he to see the Temple or any lodging thereunto belonging to bee perverted from that use which it was first intended for he threw out Tobiahs ver 8. housholdstuff he required the Priests and Levites Portions and Tithes should be restored ver 10. 11. contended with the Nobles and took on passionately because the House of God was forsaken yet in his own particular concernments he was the most remiss man in the world to the loss of many a fair hundred of pounds that he might have made of his Publike Offices as well as others before him But thus did not he because of the fear of his God Neh. 5. 15. 2. This tenderness must shew it self again 2. Of God's truth in respect of Gods Truth which must be bought not sold How tender or jealous do you finde Paul Gal. 2. 11. when the truth of the Gospel was in danger He that could in other things be made all things to all men when truth and holiness might not bee prejudiced would not admit of any halting in Peter but fell out with him Resisted him to the face and sharply expostulated with him The least Jod and Tittle of Divine Truth is very precious and not to be thrown away As the least pieces of Jewels or filings of Gold are very precious and to be made much of He that breaks one of these least commandements and teacheth men so shall bee called least in the Kingdom of Heaven Matt. 5. 19. In the second of the Revelation the Church of Ephesus is commended by our Saviour for Rev. 2. 2. two things seeming contrarie her bearing and not bearing her Patience and Impatience I know thy works and labour and patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil but hast tried them that say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them liars and hast born and hast patience and for my Names sake hast laboured and hast not fainted Here is bearing and not bearing patience and not suffring commended which seem to imply contradictions But it is easily reconciled Any thing that touched self they could bear the least diminution of Divine Truth they could not bear There is a Patience that is a virtue sometimes and sometimes a sin There is an Impatience that may sometime be a virtue as oftener it is sinful In thy own cause shew Patience in God's cause take heed of too much Patience Suffer thou that truth may not suffer Shew Patience in suffering evil but in doing ill and approving evil Shew thy self impatient it is then the better virtue And as the good man must shew his tenderness in retaining of and contending for old Truths so must he take heed of venting any new doctrines Be not too busie in doubtful disputations Take heed of stamping God's Image on our Coin and writing his superscription about our new and uncertain Conjectures and obtruding our own conceived new lights upon the worlds credulitie Thus may the false prophets do of whom we are foretold who shall for filthy lucre or airy honour make merchandize of Gods truth others souls and their own Consciences 2 Pet. 2. 3. whose Judgment slumbereth not and whose damnation sleepeth not How happie is that Minister that can say I have done nothing against the truth but for the truth I have not followed cunning devised 2 Cor. 13. 8 2 Pet. 1. 16. fables in setting forth the Gospel of Christ nor are we as many who corrupt the word of God but as of sinceritie and as of God in the sight of God 2 Cor. 2. 17 speak we in Christ How sad is it Our Church should be troubled every day and weak unstable souls tossed to and fro with that which was the haunt of the fals prophets of old I have dreamed and I have dreamed Jer. 23.
but we have not the same Titles written on our Crosses We suffer justly the deserts of our ill deeds He hath done nothing amiss These like Luk. 23. 41. Zimri are burnt with the fire which their 1 Ki. 16. 18 own hands have kindled 4. Last of all that we bring not our selves under worse sufferings then any of the former viz. sufferings in Conscience and from Conscience by shunning any other sufferings for God and Conscience as Judas and Spira who because they could not suffer outwardly now suffer inwardly they suffer dreadfully from God and from Conscience because they would not once suffer Honourably for God and for Conscience these finde God departed from them in anger because they departed from him in base fear these want now the Peace of God and the Peace of Conscience by seeking to buy at too high a rate the peace of the world They would have saved themselves but they have lost themselves These are the greatest sufferers and Losers in the world It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God these have run from the fear and are fallen into the pit to avoid Isai 24. 18. the wrath of man have fallen under the insupportable wrath of God The first of these sufferings are foolish sufferings the second sinful the third shamful these last dreadful sufferings But the sufferings of good Conscience are of another nature and that it may suffer Six honourable kinds of suffrings with Glorie and with Comfort must observe these Rules 1. That his sufferings be ever and onely for wel-doing These are honourable and comfortable sufferings As he shuns not sufferings so he seeks them not He procures them not by evil-doing as a Thief or flagitious Malefactor nor by over-doing as an eager busie-bodie he is not so fool-hardie as to be ambitious of suffering But his first and Chief Ambition is well-doing that hee may prevent il-suffering 1 Pet. 2. 15. for so is the will of God that by well-doing wee may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men His second Ambition is to be Quiet so is the Apostles Rule 1 Thes 4. 11. That we studie to bee quiet and to do our own business the word signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that we do ambitiously and studiously affect it Sufferings are onely to be desired and undergone in the last place when I can no longer will nor chuse that is when I can no longer go on in wel-doing according to my dutie and no longer sit still in quiet according to my Desire with a safe Conscience then I must be content to suffer But we are to pray and endevour that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honestie We are to trie how far Integritie and Innocencie may protect us and how long we may be followers of that 1 Tim. 2. 2. Psal 25. which is good before men molest us 1 Pet. 3. 13. The good Conscience must not go out of God's way to meet with sufiering as he must not go out of suffering way to meet with sin In a word the Christian can never expect to take the degree of Martyr till he have first commenced Saint It is not Poena but Causa that commends the sufferer 2. If he do suffer for il-doing yet he must be sure to look to it that it be wrongfully 1 Pet. 2. 19. And if any evil be charged upon him that it be falsly Matth. 5. 11. And then we are under the same Promise of blessedness as if we suffered for Righteousness But if ye do well and suffer wrongfully taking it patiently this is that which is thank-worthy with God And blessed are ye saith our Saviour when men revile you persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake When Conscience can say we are as deceivers yet not deceivers but true as unknowen yet well knowen to God 2 Cor. 6. 9 10. 3. The good Conscience desires chiefly and especially to suffer in the Cause and for the Name of Christ this with him is to suffer as a Christian In the matter of the Kingdom Daniel was careful to carry himself unreproveable Dan. 6. 4 5. but in the matter of God he cared not what he suffered All the businesses of a Kingdom are below a wise Christians spirit to suffer for them civil and secular interests and quarrels he likes not to adventure himself in but the onely quarrell that he would ingage in and lay down his life for is the cause and truth of Christ the worship and matter of his God Life as it is too little worth to be laid out for Christ so it is too precious to be laid out in any other cause I must take heed that my own blood be not mingled with my Sacrifice as the Galileans was 〈◊〉 â—uk 13. 1 with theirs This is thank-worthy onely if a man for his conscience toward God suffer c. Austin somewhere saith Non refert qualia quis patiatur De civit Dei l. 1. c. 8. sed qualis quis patitur It matters not so much what it is that the man doth suffer as what the man is that doth suffer What an honour is it if I can call my suffering the suffering of Christ Col. 2. 24. my skars and marks the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 brands and marks of the Lord Jesus Gal. 6. 17. and if I can subscribe my self the Prisoner of Christ Eph. 3. 1. 4. Good Conscience loves to see his ground he goes upon that his cause be clear his grounds manifest that he may not be stimulated and thrust forward by a heady and turbulent spirit a mis-informed Conscience but it must be for conscience towards God or according to God the phrase is emphaticall the Conscience of God that I may say as the same Apostle in another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2. 19. place that I suffer according to the will of God 1 Pet. 4. 19. That when I shall say to God Lord thou seest what I do and suffer for thee I have contended and have fought for thee I have lived and have died for thee God may not reject all and say You have eaten Zech. 7. 5 6. and drunk fasted and feasted lived and died to your selves As the poor persecuted and hated Jewes have for many ages from the Romanes first and all other Nations since suffered all extremities yet while they say it is for their Conscience God saith it is for their obstinacy and contempt of Christ and the Gospel 5. As the matter must be good that we suffer for so it must be in a good manner that we suffer after or we stain our suffering If thou 1 Pet. 2. 19 20. suffer wrongfully thou must yet suffer patiently impatience in the best cause will keep thee from thy Crown This is to suffer according to the will of God not onely for the matter but manner This is to
first begins to liâ—e and the man ceaseth to live when once he ceaseth to feel So it is in the Soul the life of grace appears sooner in the sensibleness of Conscience spiritual Compunctions Heart-smitings and Heart-prickings for sin and guilt spirituall fears of his danger sorrow for his sin and miscrie then by any other tokens whatsoever 2. Tactus as Origine primus so it is Necessitate maximus usu summus of greatest use and absolute Necessitie It is first in the Original of life appearing and the most necessarie above all the other senses in the continual course of life A man may want his sight yet be a healthful and understanding man he may want his hearing yet bee a very active and apprehensive man he may want smell and taste yet be a strong man but if he want his feeling he is a dead man These serve more to the bene esse of natural life then to the simple being So is Conscience absolutely necessarie to the very being of a Christian a man may be short in parts defective in knowledge weak in duties have lost his comforts never had the Ornaments of Abilities Expressions Experiences that some others have yet a very good Christian But if he have lost his Conscience he is a dead Christian altogether 3. Tactus they say is Hominis Optimus The other senses other creatures excel man in Vultur odaratu the Dog and Vulture in smelling in sight the Eagle in hearing the mastiff c. But in feeling man which is the most noble and excellent Creature excelleth most he hath the most quick and tender Touch which considered I know no sufficient reason to say of it that Tactus is digniute ultimus when they confess it is Origine primus necessitate maximus So the best Christian excells in the tenderest and quickest Touch of Conscience Others may out-go him in Excellencie of speech and wisdom of words worldly men may have stronger brains to out-wit and over-reach the childe of God who is not so wise in his generations as the children of this world they have Luk. 16. 8. the finer wits stronger memories sharper inventions the better expressions he hath still the better part and is the better man because he hath the better Conscience 4. Whereas other Senses have a particular Organ of their own and lie confined to a narrow roome Hearing lies in the Ear only Seeing in the Eie Taste in the Tongue or Palate Smell in the Nostrils Feeling hath no such narrow confinement but is extended all the bodie over within and without So is Conscience of vast and universall extent over the whole man over all our actions intentions words motions from first to last Faith looks to Promises Fear to Threats Hope to futures Obedience looks to duties Repentance to sins Conscience looks to all This is the great Superintendent and oversees all all Graces duties all sins and snares Therefore saith one well Conscience is not confined to any one part of the Soul it is not in the understanding alone not in the memorie will affections alone but it Dyke hath place in all the parts of the Soul Conscience is the great Mistress of the hous she as soon as she is up calls up all her maids sets them all about their work and calls Pro. 31. 15 27. them to their account 3. The virtue and worth of a good Conscience is most excellent above all other things because it most fortifies the soul with strength against and gives victorie over all Adversities it carries the soul unwounded through the greatest afflictions It 's like Oile that alwaies swims aloft whatsoever waters of distress are below It is as the Ark which hath a window open in the Top to let in the light of Heaven This like Elias Mantle hath divided the waters and earried godly souls through a floud of miseries as on drie land This hath encouraged them in the midst of fire and faggots hath accompanied them in Dens and Caves and made Martyrs sing in midst of Prisons and flames It overcomes all his tormenting Persecutors It 's like the Anvile which breaks all that is beat upon it but is it self by all strokes made more firm It makes a man like a brazen wall Jer. 1. 18. All may fight none can prevail against it at sight of fear it saith Aha At destruction and famine it doth laugh and fears not the beasts of prey Job 5. 22. This like Noahs Ark to which it is compared 1 Pet. 3. 21. is pitcht within and without Ideo bituminata intrinsecus ne aquam emitteret suam extrinsecus ne admitteret alienam Aug. It is pitcht within that it may not let out any of his own water of comfort laid in for his own necessities and relief And pitcht without that it may not let in any thing from without that may endanger the safetie of the ship It keeps in all that may do Good it keeps out all that may do hurt It is the Christians Armourie or Magazine like the Tower of David furnished with a thousand Bucklers Cant. 4. 4. or like the house of the forest of Lebanon wherein Solomon put three hundred shields of beaten gold 1 King 10. 17. This will inable a man with undaunted courage to hold up his head before any Judgement seat Act. 23. 1. yea before God's Tribunal 1 Joh. 3. 21. Keep but Conscience safe it will keep thee safe Keep it in puritie and it will keep thee in peace It will make Tranquilla Conscientia tranquillat omnia thy face to shine as Stevens did The chearful Conscience maketh the chearful Countenance Prov. 15. 13. This will bee a drie house to thee in a wet daie it will make alwaies fair weather within doores what ever weather it is abroad Thou shalt sub tecto imbrem exaudire and thou shalt ever finde it fair above head what ever it is under foot This makes nothing of the Viper of Detraction Envie and Malignitie at which another man would have swoln or sworn but without any more ado shakes it off into the fire whence it came Premat corpus fremat Diabolus trahat mundus illa semper erit secura Let men world and divels do their worst Bernard de Consc ca. 8. they cannot hurt Conscience This is the whole skin which it is good sleeping in for a torn Conscience is the worst rent The wounded spirit who can bear If Prov. 18. 14. thou suffer Conscience to be torn to keep thy skin whole the rent is made worse if thou lose thy Conscience to save thy life thou art a Loser not a Saver and if thou lose thy lâ—fe to save thy Conscience thou art the greatest gainer by that which the world calls greatest loss Skin for skin and all that I have to save my life saith the world in Satans Language Job 2. 4. Skin for skin and life for life to save my Conscience saith the godly man 4. Good
he not be able to finde it out 3. It prefers a supposed fictitious Revelation before written and clear Revelations as did the deceived prophet 1 King 13. Now all Divine Revelations coming from the Spirit of Truth ever are consonant to the word of truth which is the Rule to trie all Revelations by 2 Pet. 1. 19. 4. It prefers a strong impulsion from his own thoughts before Gods own thoughts Jer. 7. 31. God said what they did never came into his minde to approve it yet would they do it because it was their Conscience and it came into their minde But the strongest impulsion of our spirits though gracious Spirits can be no Rule David had a very strong impression once to build God a house he consults with Nathan a Prophet he hath the 2 Sam. 7. 2 3. same apprehension of the work Go on for God is with thee yet was it not therefore good in Gods eyes because good in both theirs David had another vehement and impetuous Motion to be avenged on Nabal for his inhumanitie 1 Sam. 25. 22. and uncivilities towards his servants sent in his name he backs that motion with an Oath yet upon Abigails submission he changeth his minde blessing both ver 33. God and her and the counsell given to stay him from proceeding so fiercely according to the wilde light of an erring Conscience God did appoint his people under the Law Numb 15. 39. to wear fringes on their garments that they might remember Gods written Commandments and not seek after their own heart after which they were apt to go a whoring He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool the wise man Pro. 28. 26 saith And Job gives a serious Item in this case Let not him that is deceived trust in vanitie for vanitie shall be his recompense Job 15. 31. 5. Erroneous Conscience interprets difficulties and discouragements as a discharge from dutie The time is not come say they to build the House of God nor is it any more our dutie because the Kings of Persia forbad and the adversaries hindered it Hag. 1. 2. But this is the sluggards Conscience when he seeth a lion in the way Prov. 26. 13. 6. It conceives a fair intention or a good end may legitimate an unwarrantable action Now though true it is That the goodness of the end propounded hath a great influence upon an action to make it theologically good yet can no good end alter the nature of an action that is materially bad to mend it To do the greatest good to an evil end as to pray to be seen of men and to do the least evil to attain the best end as to lie for God are Job 13. 7. alike abomination Our Rule from the Scripture is not to do the least evil to gain the greatest beneficiall good or to avoid the greatest penall evil Rom. 3. 8. 7. Lastly this fool so rageth and is so confident that he dare appeal to God to patronize his exorbitancies Jo. 16. 3. They think they did God greatest service when they did the Church the greatest dis-service in killing the Apostles So did Pauls erring Conscience once stimulate him Out of zeal persecuting the Church Phil. 3. 6. Jehu could not look upon it as any other then true zeal to God when he saw himself so violent in rooting out Ahabs house and Baals priests Come see my zeal for the Lord saith he And were there not fourty zealously enraged against Paul who had made a religious vow not to eat again unless they had killed Paul Act. 23. 12. Quantum Religio poterit suadere malorum what so evil that erroneous Conscience will not call good It puts bitter for sweet and darkness for light familiarly 7. The next mistake is of them who mistake a scrupulous Conscience for a good Conscience whenas all their scruples are about minute and triviall matters about indifferent or impertinent things overlooking things of greater consequence they stand upon Tythe Mint Annise and Cummin and neglect the weightie matters of the Law Mercie Justice Faith Strain at a gnat swallow a camel stick at joyning with a Christian Congregation in the commanded duties of publike worship and Communion but never stick at joining with scorners in sinful communion or in conforming to the fashions of the world Surely we may say as Paul to his Ephesians But ye have not so learned Christ Ephes 4. 20 21. if ye have heard him and have been taught by him c. These make ado about washing pots and cups and outsides when the heart is brim full of pride hypocrisie malice censoriousness rapine and all iniquitie scruple rubbing ears of corn when hungrie but not swallowing a poor widows house The high Priests were troubled in Conscience and rent their clothes when Christ said he was the Son of God but when themselves blasphemed Christ and resisted the holy Ghost there was then no rending hearts nor renting garments When Judas brought back the money and threw it down they would not once touch it and into their Corban it must not come it was the Price of blood now but when they drove the bargain with Judas and told him out that very money then it was not the price of blood out of Corban it might lawfully come but into Corban again it must not go Oh painted sepulchres and whited walls 8. Such again on the other side who think that scruples and strictness and tenderness are the onely arguments of an ill Conscience and that Libertie and bold adventurousness are the best arguments of a good Conscience And so all the world is of a sudden become very Conscientious and our Reformation brought unto perfection All men crying Conscience Conscience Libertie Libertie But shall we go down and see whether they have done altogether according to this crie Gen. 18. 21. Is this the onely good Conscience that the world hath left Must wee needs leave Jordan and go wash in Abano and Pharpar that we may be clean Must we beat down one altar and set up many altars going the clean contrarie way to Hezekiahs Reformation to make sure that our Reformation shall not be Legall must we say that uniformitie is the onely slaverie That one heart one waie one faith one Baptisme and one Table of the Lord is too little under the Gospel That Jerusalem is not the place it is too much to meet all in one place Dan and Bethel may do as well private places are as good as publike The meanest of the people as fit as the most learned Well we see the one part the worse part of that prophecie fulfilled Micah 4. 5. for all people will walk every one in the Name of his God when shall we see the other and better part fulfilled which followes And we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever Shall this serpent Libertie eat up all our other Rods Must all the legitimate sons of Gideon be slain
far from me vanitie and lies With David Deliver my soul O Lord from lying lips Pro. 30. 8. Psal 120. 2. and from a deceitfull tongue Lord cast out this unclean Spirit and Create in me a clean heart and renew in me a right spirit No shipwrack so perilous no disease so dangerous no deceiver so deceitfull n abysse so deep no death so deadly no hell so dark no pit so steep to fall into and so narrow to get out of as the evill Conscincee But I come to the Exhortation which contains a double charge The text is no other then an Apostolicall Exhortation or divine charge therefore this Use must be made or the chiefe Use is not made yet First to each Christian secondly to the Minister especially First to each Christian who makes Conscience of any thing that he especially make it his care to get a good Conscience and to keep it As Solomon of Divine Wisdome so I of Conscience wherein is all practical Wisdome Above all thy getting get that saith he Pro. 4. 5. 7. So say I above all gettings whatsoever get a good Conscience and whatsoever thou gettest more get it still with a good Conscience and with all keeping keep thy conscience keep it pure keep it clean keep it in peace keep it thy friend keep it as thou wouldest keep the apple of thine eye Life and Death are in the power of Conscience it is the principal thing therefore above all getting and keeping look to this exercise thy self daily with the Act. 24. 16. Apostle herein to have thy Conscience alwayes on thy side and have it without offence both to God and man What the Orator answered to one demanding what was principally necessary to make a good Orator Pronounciation said he What second Pronounciation What third Pronounciation he answered still as if Pronounciation did chiefly and wholly make a compleat Orator So do you ask what is most necessary to make a good Christian I answer Conscience And what next if you ask I answer still Conscience And what again Conscience still say I. As of the Scholler comming from the University when he hath been a Student for many years the best Testimony which can be given him is that he hath profited Tam doctrinâ quam moribus In Learning and Religion So the best Testimony that can be given of a Christan going from the Church when he hath been a frequent hearer is That he hath profited tam scientiâ quam Conscientiâ both in science and in Conscience To back and strengthen this exhortation I shall first lay down some Motives to inforce then some Means to direct to the better attaining and retaining a good Conscience Let this move first that God doth weigh Motive 1 and try the Conscience of a man The Lord weigheth the Spirits saith Solomon Gold and Pro. 16. 2. Silver men do weigh Grace and Spirits men cannot God weigheth not Gold or Silver or Honours or Estates but he onely weigheth the Spirits and Consciences of men So much of Conscience as is in any person or duty or action or suffering so much of thank and worth with God This is thank-worthy with God if a man for Conscience suffer and take it patiently That â—ction is denominated good that proceeds from a principle of Conscience that suffering good which is for Conscience So much Conscience toward God so much Comfort is coming to thee from God So much Conscience before God so much confidence before God But on the other side if Conscience be Motive 2 wanting a man shall suffer losse of all he hath and lose the thing he hath done or suffered or expended When a man shall say with Jehu See my zeal for the Lord I have fasted I hove fought I have been active I have suffered God will say Have you fasted at all to me have you done all this out of Conscience When you fasted was it not to your selves and when you did eat was it not to your selves therefore walk in the sparks which you have kindled If you have done well and truly Conscientiously and Religiously as Jotham said once do you then rejoyce in Jud. 9. 19. Conscience and let Conscience rejoyce in you but if otherwise a fire will break out of that bramble the evil Conscience and consume you and all your works What a mighty stickler was Jehu a man of an active and impetuous spirit yet he lost his reward for all his pains and seeming zeal his Conscience was not right Ananias lost his cost charges after he had contributed so much Alexander lost his reward and comfort after he had suffered so much Judas lost al after he had followed Christ so long and preached Christ to others so often Mot. 3 This leads a man to perfect and compleat happinesse both here and hereafter Here in this world it brings two the greatest benefits being the onely way Ad bene beatèque vivendum Ad bene beatèque moriendum In Life Ad bene beateque vivendum A good Conscience is the onely way to the good and blessed life This makes the good dayes whether thou be in prosperity or in adversity First if in Prosperity this will be as a hedge about all thou hast As the Candle of God in thy Tabernacle as the widdowes Cruse and Barrel will never fail of somewhat to supply and support thee 2. If in Adversity this will be like the good Houswifes candle that goes not out by night Or like Israels pillar of fire that will not leave thee in a wildernesse This like Ruth to Naomi will stick to thee stay by thee goe with thee where thou liest it will lie and as thou farest it will take part with thee when all other comforts and dearest friends like Orpah lift up the voyce and weep and take their leave of thee This like Ittai the Gittite to David saith 2 Sam. 15. 21. as the Lord liveth in what place soever thou art be it in life or death there will I be This turns Reproach into Honour takes up a stigmatizing invective as if it were a Garland throwes the viper into the fire and feels no harm This fears neither fury of Tyrants nor fire of furnace It dreads neither Anakim nor Emim nor Zamzummim This makes a man more than a Conqueror Rom. 8. 37. which is a very high and bold expression of a poor Paul why Paul who art thou A Conquerour is the highest Title he gives Laws to Kingdomes his place is above that of a King it hath been held more glory to make a conquest than to wear a Crown Al Kings have been crowned all Kings have not been Conquerours yet are we Conquerours and more than Conquerours First The Conquerour may overcome to day yet be overcome to morrow of the same enemy Victorem a victo superari saepe videmus Secondly The Conquerour may find the same enemy increasing by new Associations and then shake of his Yoke Thirdly The Conquerour
cannot say though he have the better Sword but his enemy may have the better Cause that the other cause may after carry it Fourthly The Conqueror may pay so dear for his victory that he doth not greatly joy in it Ezek. 32. 27. Fifthly The Conqueror may when all is done go down to Hell with his sword by his side and his weapons of war under his head though he was the terror of the mighty in the land of the living and then his iniquity shall lie heavie on his bones But we are more than Conquerours we have overcome to day and shall to morrow our cause is a victorious cause carries not Fortunam Caesaris but Honorem Christi therefore shall go forth conquering and to conquer and let Satan and all his Confederates unite their forces Principalities Powers height depth we fear them not all we are secure of victory and safety O glorious and happy condition when a man hath lost all he is as if he had gained all the world when killed all the day long as if he was triumphing all the day long I suffer and am bound saith the Apostle but the word of God is not bound my Cause is not bound my Conscience Dr. Stoughton in his Sermon before K. James is not bound a man takes no hurt while Conscience is safe Excellently Dr. Stoughton to this purpose Job was more happy when he fate upon the dung-hill than Adam when he sinned in Paradise because though his body were dissolved into worms and every worm acted by a Devill as Origen would have it to increase his torment yet he had not eaten the forbidden fruit which bred this worm of Conscience and made him fly from God The Bride that hath good Chear within and good musick and a good Bridegroome with her may be merry though the hail chance to rattle upon the tyles without upon her wedding-day Though the world should rattle about his ears a man may sit merry that sits at the Feast of a good Conscience Nay the Child of God by virtue of this in the midst of the waves of affliction is as secure as that child which in a Shipwrack was upon a plank in his mothers lap till she awaked him securely sleeping and then with his pretty countenance sweetly smiling and by and by sportingly asking a stroke to beat the naughty waves and at last when they continued boystrous for all that sharply chiding them as though they had been but his play-fellowes O the innocency O the comfort of Peace O the tranquility of a spotlesse mind There is no Heaven so clear as a good Conscience So that learned Doctor Good Conscience is to a man his closest and dearest friend that like Baruch to Jeremy will visit him in prison and will keep his Evidences safe for him in a time of common conflagration and calamity Jer. 32. 11 14. Or rather it is that Earthen vessel wherein alone our Evidences of our heavenly state are put and preserved from being corrupted both our Evidences our sealed Evidence and our open Evidence for a Christian must have two the sealed Evidence of Justification and the open Evidence of Sanctification are kept in this Vrne as Baruch was commanded to put both Jeremies Evidences of his purchase the sealed and the open in an Earthen vessel Yea good Conscience is not onely the Non est utilius remedium nec certius testimonium futerae beatitudinis bonâ Conscientiâ Bern. de in t domo preserver of Assurance but is a part of it for what is Assurance of Salvation but in the originall an Act of Grace passed in favour of a poor repenting and beleeving sinner in the Court of Heaven entred and ingrossed in the Book of Life which because procured by the Price of Bloud is written out in the precious Blood of Christ signed and sealed by the impresse of the Spirit of promise which is the Fathers and the Sons Agent on this behalf and attested by good Conscience as that which sets to his his seal next God and is then delivered into the hand of Faith as Gods Act and Deed for the sole Use and Benefit of a rightly purified Conscience Or Assurance is a Transcript taken out of the book of life that sealed book sealed in the bosome and counsell of the Father now unclasped by the hand of the Lamb written fair out in his Bloud attested by the Spirit of God within and endorsed without with the graces and fruits of the Spirit and at last passed in the Court and entred in the Office of good Conscience This this is the Assurance of the Saints when Gods Spirit attests to our Spirit and again our Spirit doth withal consent with the Spirit of God The other benefit of good Conscience 2 At Death here is at death when as it enables and directs ad benè beatèque moriendum an undertaking that all Philosophy could never make good nor did attempt but did onely promise the way ad benè beatèque vivendum yet fell short of that Conscience is the way to well-living it is the onely way to well-dying This gives rejoycing as the Apostle saith to him that is under the sentence and stroke of death and is now despairing altogether of this life 2 Cor. 1. 9. Good Conscience as it is sweeter than life so it is stronger than death and the good man and his Conscience are like Saul and Jonathan lovely in their life and which is above all in death they are not divided Hujusmodi comparandae sunt opes quae cum naufragio simul enatent Prideaux History pag. 247 The goods embarqued in good Conscience are the onely goods which will be saved when there is any shipwrack of State or Life And those are the goods we should get said the Emperour Lewes of Bavyer which in a shipwrack can swim out as well as thy self A saying also which Q. Mary is said to have Englished and much delighted in These are two great Benefits in this Life here But there are two greater for hereafter Conscience helping Ad tutò intrepidèque comparendum Ad Gloriosè aeternèque triumphandum 3 At judgment Conscience hath two other kindnesses which it will doe for the Soule beyond those two fore-named in life and death It will stand a man in stead when he is to make his appearance before the Tribunal of God Where Courage dares not shew his face nor Eloquence open his mouth where Majestie hath no respect and Greatnesse no favour and as the Martyr said Where money bears no mastery There good Conscience is known and befriended there it dares appear thither it doth appeal when the King and the Captain and the Great man and the Mighty man and the Chief Commander and the Rich and the Bond and the Free cry to the mountains to hide them and to the rocks to fall Rev. 6. 15. 16. on them that they may not appear Then doth good Conscience lift up
his Wine to wash cleanse and search it if defiled his Oyl to mollifie supple and heal it if bruised festered This is the first and great Experiment to be used The second is like unto it namely this 2. The Spirit of Christ to get and seek the Spirit of Christ which is the next principal ingredient in or efficient of a good Conscience It is the Spirit of God with our Spirit that makes the good Conscience In this sense we may allow that of Origen That Conscience is another Spirit in the soul therefore the Apostle saith of his Conscience that it did bear him Rom. 9. 1. witnesse in the Holy Ghost The single Testimonie of natural Conscience is not much to be regarded in many cases but when Conscience is cleared by the Spirit and seconded with the Spirit the Testimony of these two is great and weighty the Spirit of God witnessing thus to our spirit is the clearest Testimony of Rom. 8. 16. of our Adoption and Salvation which thy Conscience alone is not to be credited in for what could the light of our body the eye see and discern if it were not for the light of the Heaven the Sun we should have a continuall Night So without the Spirit the light of God what can Conscience our light see and discern of the things of God Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2. 10 11 12. that God doth reveal unto his servants the deep mysteries of the Gospel by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him So the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we may know the things which are freely given to us of Cod c. So that wheresoever the spirit of God is there is the good Conscience where it is wanting Conscience cannot be good Where the naturall enlivening Spirit is absent or departed there is no life or vegetation or sense or reason or motion but all death darkness coldnesse c. So where the enlivening Spirit of Grace is wanting to the soul there is no life sense motion comfort but all is dead within and all the works are but dead works But where the Spirit is there is life there is light there is liberty and there is purity there is peace and there is grace there is comfort and there is Conscience there is indeed all 2 Subservient means The subservient means are thirteen whereof the first six direct us what to do the other seven what to avoid First of all those subservient means next to Christ Jesus himself and his Spirit which are the principal Faith is to be sought to 1. Faith make thee a good Conscience Thefore how often do we find faith and good Conscience joyned This next to the bloud of Christ and the purifying water of the Spirit hath the greatest cleansing virtue Act. 15. 9. Christ hath given faith for this end to purifie the heart Where faith is pure the Conscience is pure this makes the good and mends the bad Conscience Faith and good Conscience are made one for the other as the woman and the man to be fellow-helpers each to other Faith is Consciences Keeper Conscience again is Faiths These two like Jonathan and his Armour-bearer may discomfit a whole Hoste 1 Sam. 14. of Philistins when they keep together nothing is hard for them to undertake or like Saul and Jonathan lovely in life and undivided in death Faith and good Conscience do many a good office each for other and are forced to unite in a league offensive and defensive In an offensive league as Simeon and Judah Jud. 1. 3. the one must help the other to expell the Canaanites out of his Coast first and then proceed to expell them out of the others Coasts after Good Conscience helps to expel the Canaanites of fear distrust and despair out of Faiths coasts and to slay Sheshai Ahiman and Talmai these Jud. 1. 10 three sons of Anak and faith again layes to his helping hand to expel the Canaanites of fear guilt deadnesse dulnesse erroneousnesse and Scrupulousnesse out of Consciences coasts And in a defensive league they are joyned as David said to Abiathar Abide with me fear not so saith Faith to Conscience Abide with me Conscience for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life but with me thou shalt be in safety 1 Sam. 22. 23. Faith is the white Alabaster-box in which Consciences pretious Oyntment is put Faith is the bottle into which the wine of good Conscience is poured So again Conscience doth as much for Faith Faith is the light good Conscience is Faiths lanthorn the lanthorn shews forth the light within the lanthorn defends the light from winds and weather without that it be not blown out Conscience holds forth the light of Faith to be seen of men Conscience defends faith that it be not put out Faith is the Apple or sight of the eye Conscience is the eye-lid no eye-lid can see or doth it profit the body at all without the sight within nor can the eye see long if it have not the eye-lids to defend it from Sun dust smoak and the like annoyances and to keep the sight clear So what is Conscience without Faith but a blind and blundering Conscience And what is Faith without Conscience but as a naked weak raw sore eye A three-fold faith necessary to good conscience 1 Justifiing Faith Now this Faith that makes and keeps a good Conscience is three-fold First Justifying Faith there must be apprehending and applying the bloud of Christ Act. 15. 9. This is principally necessary to be sought this fides quâ creditur is the fides qua vivitur the fides quae creditur is not sufficient without this Secondly Doctrinal faith this is the faith 2 Doctrinal Faith here spoken of Hold faith and a good Conscience that is the sound Orthodox faith contend for it continue in it From this Hymenaeus and Alexander swerved and then left the plain path of good Conscience Say not any man is sound in faith and of a good Quam tu secretus es Deus solits magnus lege infatigabili spargens paenale â—caecitates super illicitas cupiditaâ—eâ— Aug. Conf. l. 1. Conscience who is unsound in Judgement and opinions Corrupt opinions breed corrupt Consciences and corruption in morals usually follows the corruption in intellectuals Here begins commonly the first step backward to all Apostacy and the first step forward to all impiety It is a sad story of the Emperour Valens who while he was among the Orthodox had gained much Glory in the Church he had stood firme in the time of Julian the Apostate together with his Brother Valentinian chusing rather to lay down all his Military Honours and imployments than
upon the soul A man well bred at first looks upon sin as importable once overtaken sin is not now importable but onely Primo importabile processu temporis grave paulo post leve postea placet dulce est Ad extremum quod erat impossibile ad faciendum est impossibile ad continendum Bern. de cons c. 3. Ex voluntate perversa facta est consuetudo dum consuetudini non resistitur facta est necessitas Aug. Conf. l. 8. heavy next time sin is not heavy at all but easie a while after not easie onely but light next time sweet and pleasant afterwards custome becomes another nature and what was importable at first to be committed is impossible at last to be avoided And Austin tels us a story of his mother who by sipping a little wine at first when she filled the cup came by degrees to be a tipling Gossip and to take her whole cups at last Qui modica spernit paulatim decidit he saith upon it Despise small sins and thou art gone Ad illum modicum quotidiana modica addendo in eam consuetudinem lapsa erat ut propè iam plenos mero caliculos inhianter hauriret Conf. lib. 9. 2. Take heed again of adventuring upon one greater sinfull act I say any one sinfull act deliberately presuming upon Gods Remission and thy own Repentance saying I shall have peace though I do this Such one act may for ever shut Conscience out of doors taking away the life and sense of it and ever after shut thee out of Consciences doors taking from thee its former peace It was but one deliberate act of sin that threw the Angels to all Eternity out of Heaven and chained them up in everlasting chains of darknesse That one sin deliberately committed by our first Parents against an expresse Precept cast them out of Paradise and caused the Cherubim and flaming sword to be set at the gate for ever denying any recovery re-entry See what became of Judas when he had once projected in his heart that prodigious act of murder and treason and was resolved to make good his bloudy engagement to the Priests He is now at present with Christ and his Disciples yet intendeth anon to be with the High-Priests He takes the Sop from Christ now and resolves the same hand shall take the High-Priests money too He hath a bag that can hold all that Christ can give and Satan offer Oh Lucifer how art thou fallen Oh Judas how art thou running headlong to destruction Judas what if Christ should disclaim thee for ever as he did for a son of perdition All those which thou gavest me have Joh. 17. I kept hut that one which is lost Judas what if thou shouldest be given over to Satan that thou shalt never repent Judas what if God should give thee over that though thou repent thou shalt not be received to mercy that thou and thy money and thy repentance perish together and God swear in his wrath that thou shalt never enter into his Rest The like you may see in Ananias and Sapphira who having deliberately concluded to try the Spirit of God in the Apostles never were called to Repentance after But when Peter had rebuked them with their sin Why hath Satan filled your heart they died in their sin 3. Take heed of living under or following after a loose and cold man-pleasing Ministery which preacheth liberty not strictnesse of Conscience which soweth pillows under thine Arm-holes and layeth feather-beds under thy feet to tread upon cries Peace Peace so that none departeth from his sinfull way The voice of a faithfull Preacher Esa 40. 3. Esa 58. 1. Ecc. 12. 11. is the voice of a Cryer His sound the sound of a Trumpet his words like sharp nails and piercing Goads his preaching is heart-pricking his dividing the Text and Doctrine the Heb. 4. 12 13. dividing of the Spirit and Marrow and cutting down the Back-bone and he layes all open This is the best Ministery that which is sharper than the two-edged sword and discovers the thoughts of the heart and makes the man quake and tremble and fall down before the word and cry out God is here of a truth Our blessed Saviour who had the Tongue of the learned to speak the word Esay 50. 4. Esa 49. 2. Psal 45. 2. Rev. 1. 14. Mal. 3. 2. Es 11. 4. in season to him that was weary was also as a polished shaft and his mouth as a sharp sword He who had grace poured into his lips and spake so as never man did his eyes were as a flame of fire and his comming into his Temple none was able to abide He was as a Refiners fire and the Fullers soap and with the breath of his lips he did slay the wicked The Prophets of old the Apostles in their time and all Godly Ministers since have been sons of Thunder their work hath been to fall roundly upon Conscience They have applyed all their engines to batter downe or take in this strong hold for Christ They have laid siege to the disobedient and refractory Conscience sought to Block it up to take away all provisions from it to force it to yeeld and call out for mercy They have surrounded Jericho's high walls day after day sounding with their Trumpets till they have fallen downe flat to the ground that Joshuah might enter as a Conqueror They still sought by loud and uncessant Alarums to startle the secure Conscience to awaken the sleepy to burne the seared to terrifie the obdurate And the only care they had was to comfort the afflicted to Josh 6 22. Heb. 11 31 quiet the troubled to strengthen the weake Conscience And to rescue one beleeving Rahab from perishing among thousands of them that beleeved not These were the weapons of the old ministeriall Warfare These the Stratagemes of Christ and his servants to undermine and blow up Satans Kingdom and to pressemen into the Kingdome of Heaven But this Age will not endure this kinde of preaching no more then the Israelites could indure the shrill sound of the Trumpet sounding loudder and louder and that terrible fire and Heb. 12. 19 20 that voice of words which they desired they might heare no more off We must have no legall teaching we Soft and Effaeminate Rehoboam must have young and complying Counsellors of his owne humour The Samaritan must not come with his Wine to search and cleanse and wash but onely with his gentle Oyle to heale and comfort Physitians of no value Say not this is to preach Christ Jesus free Grace the Kingdome of Heaven Gospell Promises Priviledges Is the Son of peace there Are thy hearers Loaden Weary Luk. 4. 18 Pricked Wounded Bruised Sick When the Gospell Commission was first opened the instructions were to preach the Gospel Es 61. 1. 2. to the poore to heale the broken-hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives recovering of sight to the blind to
the Counsell of the ungodly least at last thou be set in the Chaire of the scorner Evill company corrupts the best dispositions we see godly Jehosaphat in company with a wicked Ahab complementing 1 Kin. 22. 4 too farre and complying too too much I am as thou art saith he c. 5 In things doubtfull be well advised or forbeare and take the surer and safer way This is a necessary rule to be observed I meane not the safer way in outward respect This often blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the judgement of the judicious But of inward safety before God I speake As for instance Vsury some allow most condemne it now what is to bee done Faith and Troth some say is no swearing others say they have too much appearance of evill I am sure thy Conscience will say they are more then Yea Yea Nay Nay Some say to Drink and pledge healths to play at Cards and Dice to follow the fashions of the times The long haire of men the naked necks backs and breasts of women are all lawfull Others are of another minde Judge thou what is safest and let those be thy rules to judge by Eph. 5. 11. Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darkness but rather reprove them Phi. 4. 8. Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are just whatsoever are honest whatsoever are pure whatsoever are lovely and whatsoever are of good report thinke on these things and doe them c. Resolve thou what is safest with thy selfe when sometimes thou mayest plainly see danger of sin lying on the one hand and none at all on the othe The wary traveller when night comes on and he not perfect in his way will rather chuse to take up his lodging and lye short then adventure to goe on and wander in the darke or be in danger to bee set upon It is safe to lye short often goe not ever to the utmost of thy Liberty Quodcunque Licere potest Libere non debet 6 Take heed of worldly-mindednesse no enemy worse to Conscience These thornes choak the best seeds of Grace and this Canker eates out the very bowells of Conscience For a piece of Bread such a one will transgresse and for one small morsell sell a Birth-right Take heed of that maxime of the Mammonist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gaine is the Godlinesse This is the root of all evill when the man is resolved to bee rich and will dye worth thousands leave his Children such portions become a purchaser drive a great Trade though he dye Ditior quam Sanctior These resolutions send Conscience packing Then is the wilde Boar broke into the field of Conscience all is rooted up These will break their word betray their Trust deceive their Brother violate their Faith falsify their Wares Weights Measures lye at catch for advantage and for an accursed wedge of Gold bring the fire and curse of God into their Tents and Families What is become of that old honesty integrity and plain dealing that was wont to be in the world Where is that Breviary and Epitome of all justice as Jerom call'd it to be found Whatsoever yee would that men should doe to you doe ye the same to them Men many times in bargaining make more large and cheap Penni-worths of their Conscience Faith Hope Christianity yea salvation then of their wares you shall have too much of them to helpe off with these What more ordinary then to say as I am a Christian as I hope for mercy if there be any faith in me upon my Conscience upon my Salvation and upon my Soul such have Venalemque fidem Vendibilemque animam a low-priced faith and a vendible soul Seldom doe riches and a good Conscience dwell under the same Roofe Satan knowes where to have such at any turne Balaam in pursuit of the wages of iniquity will not be stopt by any Angell in the way or a bruised Legge Gehazi will steale out some private way when he thinks his Masters eye is not upon him Satan knew who carryed the Bagge among the Apostles and that thirty silver pieces would make him swallow the Soppe and any the most opprobrious open reproofe too yet goe on with his purpose to sell both his Saviours body and his owne soul Take heed your hearts be not surcharged with cares of the world and deceitfulnesse of Lu. 21. 34. Riches as well as with surfeiting and drunkennesse More go to hell that are the worlds good husbands buying selling building planting c. than of perjury blasphemie buggery incest Atheisme and malicious despighting the Spirit of Grace These are no light sins they were Sodomes sins This is no Gospell life it was the life of the old world whom God destroyed The worlds best husbands are commonly heavens worst husbands The penny and Earthly wise is the pound and the Pearle-foolish How seldome are those wise to Salvation who are so over-wise in their Generation Finally take heed and again I say take heed of an erroneus Conscience This is indeed as the wild-fire in the standing corn or as Sampsons Foxes with their fire-brands in their tails These are as the wild Boar or as the ravening Bear No stopping this Fool in his folly A wild Asse used to the wildernesse that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure Jer. 2. 24. in her occasion who can turn her away Saul when an erroneous zealous Pharisee thought no better service could be done to God than to make havock of the Christians This Alexander and Hymenaeus what Heresies did they broach after they once fell away and because they found not Paul as vertiginous mutable as themselves they hate defame and persecute his person and blaspheme his Doctrine Oh how sad a sight it is to behold that many hopeful Professours formerly after they are once leavened with the bitter leaven of the Pharisees how do they in their hearts undervalue and contemn and it may be in their speech openly cry out of and seek to put all the disgrace and disesteem upon such faithfull Ministers whom themselves did most magnifie and prize judging them worthy of their very eyes in their heads Oh the unsavoury salt of Errour how doth it infatuate and distaste every thing till it be cast out to the dunghil It is a dolefull story that of Valens mentioned Postea nec Arrianus nec Christianus visus est licentiam omnibus dedit sua sacra celebrandi gentibus ac Judaeis nec non omnibus haereâ—icis Idolatricas vanitate à Joviniano destructas reflorescere permissit Jovis cultum Dionysii Cererisque sacra non in occulto celebrabant sed per medias plateâ—â— Bacchantes ubique cur sitabant cum illis solum inimicum se praebebat qui Apostoliam doctrinam praedicare videbantur Theod. l. 4. c. 24. before who having been sound and zealous in the true profession in the time of Julian yet afterwards being Emperour having married an Arrian wife and being
not my Jer. 23. 29. Word an Hammer that breaketh the Book in pieces 1. Consider who hath sent you and given you your Commission How can they Rom. 10. 15. preach except they be sent Tell me when the storm comes what answer thou canst make to these interrogatories Jonah 1. 8. Tell us what is thine occupation and whence commest thou what is thy Country and of what People art thou 2. Consider whether thy entrance upon the Ministerial Office and imployment can be called a fair entring by the door into the sheep-fold and not rather a climbing up some other way by a presumptuous invasion an audacious intrusion or an impious irreption as Vzziahs was to whom the Priests of the Lord said it did no wayes 2 Chro. 26. 16. appertain to him to officiate in that Service lest Gods displeasure break out upon thee and smite thee with a Leprosie in thy head Lev. 13. 44. 2 Chro. 26. 19. and fore-head for which if thou be not driven out or shut up thou mayest infect all others with whom thou hast to do I confesse sometime as Jerom saith Ex Lacicis eliguntur Sacerdotes Hieron ad Gerontiam Out of Lay-men as he cals them some have been taken into the Minestery but then they have been such as were first approved by the Church and secondly such as being once made Church-men ceased after to be Secular either Trades-men or States-men They might not wear two Swords and serve two callings much De Civ Dei l. 1 c. 35. In gregibus et armentis aries taurus corpore et animositate prestantior alios antecedit homo vero bestiis aliis bestialior tanto indiscretius et audacius praeesse praesumit quanto minùs de virtutum tiâ—ulis aut Conscientiae sinceritate confidit Petrus Blesensis lesse as Austin said of some Medo Theatra medo Ecclesias replere They must be men of approved Gravity and Holinesse and men of considerable abilities Among the bruit-beasts said one complaining of like disorder there is none doth lead and rule but the stronger and more generous and shall he that hath least of skill and Conscience take upon him to lead and teach men Nazianzene sadly complained that the Ministery was more dishonoured than any other calling none would take upon him to be a Painter or a Taylor but he who was instructed in those Arts and had served his time in learning But saith he shall any step to the Ministery all at once Non elaboratus sed recens simul satús et provect us quemadmodum Gigantes finxerunt Poete Vno die sanctos fingimus eosque sapientes et eruditos esse jubemus qui nihil didicerunt nec ad sacer dotium quicquam antè contulerunt quà m ipsum velle Shall a Saint of a few dayes standing he put into the Ministery who brings no other commendations to his works but onely a bare good will and an impulse of a private spirit Jerome often complained in many places of his works of the inconsiderate taking in and preposterous thrusting in of unmeet persons to this imployment Heri Catechumenus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heri sacrilegi bodie bodie Pontifex heri in Amphitheatro bodie in Ecclesia Vesperi in circo mane in altari Yesterday schollers to day teachers Yesterday at a Play-house Tavern or a Fight to day in the Pulpit They understand not the Scripture saith sacrifici Docent scripturas quas non intelligunt prins imperitorum magistri quam doctorum discipuli Jerom. Antèa effundere quam infundi velint loqui quam audire paratioces prompti docare quod non didicerunt c. he yet will they presume to interpret Scriptures and they first commence Doctors among the Ignorant before they have been Disciples of the Learned They may reckon themselves full of Charity saith Bernard being very forward and liberal in teaching but they should not instruct till they have been instructed nor teach till they have heard more nor guide others till they have learned better to govern themselves 3. At thy peril howsoever thou art called gifted and approved let me charge thee to take heed of two Rocks which such as those of your cloth are subject to dash upon that thou corrupt not the Doctrine of the true Faith and that thou cast not away the care of a good Conscience That thou be not one among those many Pastors to whose charge God layes it That they have destroyed his Vineyard Jer. 12. 10. And that your manner of dealing with the Scriptures may not rather be called a paddling with your feet rather than a fair handling of it as Ezek. 34. 18 19. Seemeth it a small thing to you to have eaten up the pasture but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures and to have drunk of the deep waters but ye must foul the residue with your feet And as for my flock they eat that which ye have troden with your feet and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet And so you become not Pastores but Impostores not Doctores but Seductores not Pontifices but Pontii not Prelati but Pilati It was wittily said of Luther that the young and unskilfull Physitian who Germanicum proverbium ut Lutherns de doctore medicinae juvenâ— opus ei esse novo Caemiterio c. See M. Bowls in his Pastor Evangelicus l. 1. c. 13. did more hure than good by his Practise had need have a new Churchyard he would kill so many And of the young and unexperienced Divine Opus ei esse novo inferno He had need have a new Region or Plantation in hell for by his dangerous Preaching he would send a new Legion or Colonie thither to furnish it He would destroy so many Fourthly let Hymenaeus Alexander know this further if they still proceed to belch forth pernicious errours and blasphemous doctrines though now there be no Discipline on foot to deliver them to Satan and though Paul and Timothy are dead and gone forgottentoo almost by many yet Pauls sentence here shall reach and overtake them They who have delivered up the Forts of Christ and the strengths of the Church into the hands of Satan stand in foro Dei delivered up to Satan themselves Lastly because I would not altogether despair of the return of the worst of these Paul had yet some hopes left that these might learn not to blaspheme And some possibility 1 Tim. 1. 20. there is that even they who are already taken captive by Satan may recover themselves by repentance and come to the acknowledging of the truth out of these snares of the Devil 2 Tim. 2. 26. So I intreat these men if they have not altogether made a total shipwrack of faith and conscience to look well to themselves whether their preaching be not more out of envie and strife to add affliction to Pauls Phil. 1. 15. 16. hands than out of love and sincerity to strengthen Pauls hands and whether they seek not more to discourage the shepheards and scatter the flocks to draw Disciples after themselves than to bring their Disciples unto Christ Jesus the great shepheard Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord Jer. 48. 10. negligently But more accursed he that doth it Deceitfully Secondly To conclude the other and last part of the Ministers charge is That he Doctrinally look to good Conscience as the principall part of his Pastorall Charge in respect of others Take heed to thy self and to thy Doctrine You that have entred the Lists see you make good this Warfare Let this be your Study Care Businesse to be acquainted with the Nature Offices Work Businesses Impediments Helps Friends Enemies Diseases Cures of Conscience Seek in all your Sermons Conferences Writings Debates Discourses to Inform Direct Convince Satisfie Resolve and Stablish Conscience Still strive to speak to Conscience to thy own first and then to thy Brothers This is the most prevalent and comfortable Preaching when we do not beat the Aire and study to speak onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not face to face and from the mouth to the ear but heart to heart and eye to eye By this means warmth comes upon the dead Shunamites son from the greater warmth of the Prophet This the lively and Evangelical preaching Let Conscience be thy Study Library Concordance Let Conscience be thy Text thy Doctrine thy Vse Let Conscience be thy first and last and all Eat up this little Book and receive it into thy bowels then Prophecy To study Books makes the Scholler To study Men makes the States-man To study the Times makes the Politician To study thy Conscience makes the good Christian To study thine own Conscience first and then thy peoples makes the able and accomplished Minister ERRATA PAg. 22. lin 32. for Uniformity read Unanimity p. 106. in the margin read Sed Pharisaei non-sunt infirmi sed malitiosi calumniarores pertinaces nebulones Jubet Dominus ne de eorum scandalo sint soliciti Other mistakes will not much disturb the sense what they be either pardon or amend PErlegi hunc librum cui titulus est Good Conscience the strongest Hold In quo nihil reperio sanae et Orthodoxae fidei contrarium sed quam plurima quae doctrinam de Conscientia erudite acutè et perspicuè illustrant quaeque ad vitam piè instituendam maximè conducunt Faculatem igitur concedo ut typis mandetur Decemb. 17. 1649. THO TEMPLE