is no power or jurisdiction above it but that of God himself Conscience is the Jury of life and death and there is small hope that the Judge will save them whom conscience smally casteth off Joh. 3.20 If our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God doing those things that are pleasing in his sight Now there being nothing in this world better than a good conscience and nothing worse than a bad one it will be a mans great business to know how a good conscience is gotten and how kept Every one by nature and in the state of corruption hath an evill a deadly and a filthy conscience And therefore primarily a good conscience and a pure and lively is obtained by the bloud of Jesus Christ and by faith in his merits The bloud of Jesus Christ who through the eternal Spirit Heb. 9.14 offered himself without spot to God doth purge a mans conscience from dead works to serve the living God And these words To serve the living God as they denote the true end wherefore Christ by his bloud did make our consciences pure and good so they shew us the right means of keeping and preserving a pure and a good conscience namely by serving the living God His service is perfect freedome and his service is taught us in the Moral Law the Ten Commandments which set forth our duty towards God and towards man And beyond this holy Rule or contrary to it there cannot be any such thing as Christian liberty or liberty of conscience Herein did the Apostle exercise himself Act. 24.16 to Have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men And he that is so exercised hath a tender conscience And whatsoever is not repugnant unto some part of the Law of God contained in the Ten Commandments though perhaps it may go against mens humours and fancies cannot be said to be against conscience and so neither against Christian liberty because the divine Commandment is a perfect Law of liberty Ja. 1.25 No question it is a great sin to tyrannize over poor souls and to impose upon mens consciences things to make them stumble to weaken their faith Rom. 14.21 1 Cor. 8.9 and to corrupt their judgements and manners And God forbid that any should do so But all persons pretending conscience before they profess publick dissent from the Injunctions Canons and Constitutions of Authority should do well to be of a sure ground that the things they dissent from their brethren in are demonstratively of such a nature otherwise their liberty will appear to be but a cloak of maliciousness and that they preferre their own private conceits and perverse humours before either the peace of the Church or Gods honour And surely as all sinne defiles the conscience so none more than a schismaticall uncharitablenesse I could never yet see nor any other man I believe by what analogy or rationall argumentation the discourse of St Paul to the Romanes perswading to indulge the weak brethren about dayes and meats or that of his to the Corinthians about eating things offered to idols could be made as many would have it a common place against all order and discipline in the Christian Churches For the Apostle in the one dealt about Judaisme and in the other concerning Gentilisme and Paganish Idolatry And either of those bear as little reference or likeness to our Worship of God and Orders in the Church as there is concord between Christ and Belial or as there is coherence in our adversaries discourses There were in those Churches Jews and Gentiles mixed and many of the new converts of the Jews did still retain some of the Mosaicall observations and could not suddenly be weaned from them and some of the Gentile converts also had some smacks and sentiments of their old superstitions And the Apostle advised and enjoyned the more perfect and well grounded Christians to favour the others as much as lawfully they might and not to be bitter against them for their infirmities But the Apostle dealt not so with Hymeneus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1. v. last Tit. 1.11 nor yet doth he advise Titus to deal so gently with the seducers in Crete who subverted whole houses And surely a gentler hand is to be carried toward new converts than to inveterate refractarians and wilfull Apostatas Let conscience in the Name of God have its liberty But then let that liberty have a conscience Men make much talk of tender consciences but it is for the most part but a talk Jacobs voice and Esaus hands Quid verba audio cùm facta video Men shew their conscience as well as their faith by their works I believe Abraham had a tender conscience Gen. 13. because for peace-sake he gave way to his inferiour But I cannot think so of Corah and his party Numb 16. because they opposed their betters Abrahams conscience could not vary from his oath to take from the King of Sodom Gen. 14. so much as a threed or a shoe-latchet But I remember who sware and forced others to swear hand over head by vertue of which oath they scarce left the King or his loyall Subjects the worth of a threed or a shoe-latchet I believe David had a tender conscience 1 Sam. 24.5 because his heart smote him for cutting off Sauls skirt But I dare say Baanah and Rechab had not so because they slew Ishbosheth and cut off his head at his own house 2 Sam. 4.4 I am fully perswaded Josiah had a tender heart and a good conscience 2 Chron. 34. Chap. 35. because be restored the worship of God wept at the reading of the Law and set the Priests and Levites in their places and charges But I am sure Jeroboam had an evil heart and a bad conscience because he corrupted the worship of God and made Priests of the basest of the people 1 King 13.33 The conscience of the Saints in Davids time led them to worship fall down and kneel before the Lord their maker Ps 95. Many tell us now their conscience will not suffer them to do so Then their conscience did prompt them unanimously to go up together into the house of the Lord Ps 122. Now conscience is pleaded against coming thither In St Pauls dayes conscience taught men to be subject to Magistrates Rom. 13.5 Tit. 3.1 1 Pet. 2.13 Heb. 13.17 and to be ready to every good work to submit themselves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake and to obey them that had the spiritual rule over them and watched for their souls Now conscience is only named by a great many to shift off all duty and to affront all Authority What an Antidote against Caesar Shall we have conscience against conscience Conscience against God Conscience against Godlinesse Conscience against publick worship Conscience against
not to Gods purposes Rom. 11.29 For the calling and gifts of God are without repentance In this enquiry let all persons beware that they be not mistaken with bare words as many of late have who thought every new fangled doctrine a call from heaven and instability to be a mark of proficiency Christs sheep will not follow strangers but flee from them But many a one the more pity by being apt to follow every voice Jo. 10.5 have gone to the slaughter like the two hundred in Jerusalem who were called by Absalom 2 Sam. 15.11 and went in their simplicity and knew nothing Others labouring to satisfie themselves in this business began at the wrong end troubling themselves with the curious particulars close lockt up in the Cabinet of Praedestination of which God never lent any man a Key nor made him a schedule Consolatory arguments for weak souls are not to be drawn from Gods secret counsel but from the apparent fruits of their election and the promises of his superabundant grace and mercy The men of Bethshemech had been safe 2 Sam. 6.19 had they not been presumptuously curious and they gate nothing by prying into the Ark but the destruction of fifty thousand threescore and ten persons And the rash handling of predestination it may justly be feared hath been the ruine of many thousands Briefly to the point let every man examine his heart for faith his life for obedience The best assurance is hid and it is within a man as the late Arch-Bishop of Canterbury said at his Martyrdom Men know that Jesus Christ is in them 2 Cor. 13.5 except they be reprobates He that hath faith and charity cannot be without hope He that believes in Christs merits endeavours to live after his Commandments hath a zeal for his glory a love to all men and especially to the houshold of faith and a constant sence and sorrow for his own failings such a one makes his calling sure The rejoycing of the Apostle 2 Cor. 1.12 and of his fellows was the testimony of their conscience and so it will be every good mans Whom conscience makes to rejoyce all the world cannot much afflict but whom conscience torments all the world cannot case Heb. last v. 18. And this is a sign of a good conscience when men are willing in all things to live honestly This is the plain mans plain way to come by an assurance of his calling It is too voluminous a task for me at this time and too busie at any other and perhaps more consounding than edifying to the generality to produce sixteen or seventeen proofs and marks of an effectual calling I humbly conceive with all due respect to persons of vast abilities that a man may go a nearer and a more direct way and to this purpose I crave leave to tell a story and that a true one upon my own knowledg There was sometimes in this County a certain Clergy-man and I pray God there be not now too many such in this Nation who loved to follow the Law more than to Preach the Gospel and for his delight in contention might have been sirnamed Norfolk He was exceedingly proud covetous and malicious and the mischief was the curst beast had long hornes for he was very rich And as the greatest Clerks are not alwayes the wisest men so he being one of the wisest men as wise men go now adayes was none of the greatest Clerks This man had to his servant a near Kinsman very poor and very ingenuous whose propinquity of relation made his Uncle the more bold with him to make him a slave according to the mode of wretched worldlings This Uncle Parson with fair words and strong delusions made his Nephew man spider-like even work out his heart and bowels to encrease the muck heap and fill the bag For why should he not believe his Uncle promising him a good part of the fruit of his hands seeing God had denyed his Uncle the fruit of his own body But see the event the Uncle makes his Will disposeth his Estate into many hands and dyeth and the poor drudge this Kinsman was turn'd off with his labour for his pains It chanced after a long time this poor man among others being at a neighbour Gentlemans house one of the company for want of better discourse asked him as usually they speak of the dead how long since God called his Uncle Alas said he you are mistaken God never called my Uncle at all For my Uncle did often vow and protest and call God to witness that whensoever God called him I should be made much the better for him But I was never yet the better for him one penny in this world And therefore I am sure God never called him There is an argument ab effectu or à consequente a plain argument of a plain fellow And now I would have all my brethren and countreymen examine their calling by the correspondence of their actions with their sacred and civil protestations obligations and engagements And then I believe they will find that the poor Kinsman in this point may pass for a sound Logician and a good Divine Conscience Conscience all the world for a Good Conscience have a care of a Tender Conscience And let us have Liberty of Conscience THese be the cries of the present times like those of London up street and down And I pray God there be not as much a cheat in them The large reign of hypocrisie now unmasked by inordinate licentiousness hath made many think that there is not nor ought to be any such thing as conscience But they will one day find because they have not cherished it as a lamb in their bosome it will tear them like a vulture at the heart Conscience the word and the thing is as it is used like Aesops tongues the best and the worst dish at the table Men of merry hearts or according to the Hebrew men good at the heart Prov. 15.15 or as St Hierom reads men of a quiet mind such have a continual feast This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conscience is maximum in minimo the greatest thing in a little as Periander said It is a true glass giving the true reflection of all objects and colours without counterfeit or flattery Conscience under God is All in All in the Isle of Man It is a Judge holding an Asuzes within every man and giving sentence without partiality it is a thousand witnesses giving true evidence concerning the matter of fact speech or cogitation it is a Serjeant either to plead or implead according to equity and that freely without money and it is an Executioner to torment and destroy without mercy The dominion of conscience reacheth through all Nations Jews and Gentiles Rom. 12.15 Heathens are subject to it Their conscience also bearing them witness and their thoughts the mean while either accusing or excusing one another And as conscience reigneth farre so there
a Wildernesse and the people into wild beasts as by laying waste the places of Gods worship and making them desolate But who so shall attempt it may justly fear to be smitten with the keen Arrows of the Almighty both in person and posterity yea and to be destroyed even by those brute creatures which they shall nourish and cherish to Gods dishonour And therefore as some people would have the King giveliberty to all mens consciences which is impossible where consciences look so many contrary wayes so I hope their Civility will give them to suppose that of all consciences his Majesty will be most tender of his own And then they may be well assured that he will never grant any thing prejudicial to that Faith whereof he writes himself Defender or to that Church whereof God hath made him the nursing Father And most infallibly it would conduce more to the glory of God and the Nations happinesse that all the Subjects would rather look to the exactnesse of their own consciences then to presse so much upon their gracious Sovereigns to increase their own remissnesse This would be a work that would save the King much labour and his Honourable Parliament many an hours consultation And in Gods name where judgment by divine appointment must begin there let conscience begin also at the house of God 1 Pet. 4.17 Let those whom he hath appointed over his houshold as faithfull Stewards of the manifold grace of God give unto those under their charge their souls meat in due season that they may be found hoc agentes so doing that the Ministry may not be blamed by reason of blame-worthy Ministers Let them value the flock more than the fleece and know that if Jacob for twenty years together Gen. 31.38 40. was consumed as he said with the scorching heat by day and the sharp frost by night and the sleep of his eyes departed from him and all to save the brute creatures of his uncle Laban then the pains cannot be small the care cannot be little which must be taken nor the accompt ease which must be given up to Christ by the Pastours Act. 20.28 for that immortal flock of souls which he hath purchased with his own bloud They had need be thrice well assured that they love Christ who undertake to feed his Sheep and Lambes Joh. 21. seeing he made St Peter make a three-fold profession of his sincere affection Fidelity and dexterity must be resulgent in the Pastours that they may feed Sheep and Lambs have milk for babes and stronger meat for men And that they may teach their people to the lise their life must teach their people To the prayers of faith and Word of truth they must adde the lively Oracles of Charity for as with such performances the poor are benefited and with such examples the Church is profited Heb. 13.16 So with sach Sacrifices God is well pleased They had need above all things put on charity Col. 3.14 Lu 12.15 and take heed and beware of covetousnesse whom God hath taught so to teach others Let them not climb into the Fold and make a shift to get into the Church 2 Cor. 11. last as St Paul did to get out of Damascus at a window in a basket Nor like Ariosto's young shaveling with three ends of Latine a letter of Command and the Devil in a bag St Augustine did not love to see men passe per laicalem portam by a back door And as the unworthy should study to deserve before they aspire at preferment so conscience ought to rule the most worthy both informing them when they have enough and signifying to them that it is possible for them to have too much of this worlds honour wealth and dignity And then as the Herdsman said If the Devil get the Duke what shall become of the Archbishop of Colen Vt honos it à onus as the honour and emolument increaseth so should the Pastors care his pains his diligence otherwise the world will easily see that pride and covetousnesse are the only qualifications two qualities as commendable in a man of the Church as those I once heard a plain Countreyman give a Knights Tobacco who being asked his approbation answered Your Worships Tobacco is excellent good for it hath the two right properties of Tobacco it makes a great smoke and a filthy stink Pluralities and unions came into being and fashion in the Christian Church by sad mischances As by depopulations spoils and invasions made by prevalent Barbarians Hist Conc. Trid. and hostile Adversaries and their intendment ex parte Ecclesiae was in favour and benefit of the generality of souls and not designed for the meer advance of particular persons wealth and dignities And let not the Rivers rob the Sea nor the main end be lost in the pursuit of the lesse principal There are no question double Honours due to the Reverend Ecclesiasticks but they must be such as rule well and especially labour in the Word and doctrine And God increase such men 1 Tim. 5.17 and their Honours to his own Glory and his Churches happinesse And as Conscience doth well in the Incumbent so likewise in the Patron For were there no Receivers there would be no Thieves It was never Christs mind surely that Simon Magus should have to do with those Keyes which he gave to Simon Peter But there are such Patrons now in the world or Latrons rather that if St Peter himself should come to them for a presentation in the words he used to the Creeple Silver and Gold have I none They would soon bid him Walk Act. 3. and be gone Thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit Sacriledge And thou that teachest a man should not steal Rom. 2. dost thou steal Well fare the resolution of the Emperor Severus no lesse prudent than noble who would never suffer preferments to be bought Because said he they who buy will sell And so they will sell indeed when opportunity serveth their place their office themselves and their Benefactors And conscience would do well at Court too among Lords and Ladies except it be either out of fashion for its antiquity or too mean as being worn by poor Plebeians They who wear soft raiment and are in Kings houses in Princes favours and profitable Offices should do well to think upon those who want cloaths and habitations of whom not a few perhaps for merit and vertues might have vied with many of them had not Fortune parted them with a bare pair of sheers They should do well and God expects it at their hands to promote and further such persons suits and supplications gratis and not to be like Vultures ready to seize upon the dying and as brambles to rend off their skins whose fleece was gone long before What shall men be all complements and no conscience God deliver us from such a high point of breeding as to despise the poor or to