whose cause if thou wilt plead thou shalt have double fees but if thou be of Counsel against heâ— or by thy opposition silence craft or negligence she be cast and overthrowne thou shalt never be able to stand in the Judgement but be disabled pleading before the Lord Chief Justice at that Upper Bench. Art thou a Physitian Conscience must be thy Patient whom thou must attend most be sure to keepe her out of a Lethargy and a Consumption to which diseases she is naturally most inclined if this Die under thy hand and miscarry thou art an undone man and all thy skill and practise nothing worth If thou be a Rich man Conscience will furnish thee with Baggs which wax not old of Treasure that will not waste If Poor it will furnish thee with a Cruse and Barrel that will not fail If thou hast a good Conscience it will be a staff to support thee If an evil it will turn in to a Serpent to sting thee If thou art an Israelite it is the Red Sea fear not to go into it it will secure thee if an Egyptian thou art drowned if thou go into it If thou be a woman Conscience is thy Glasse into which thou must looke and by which thou must dresse thy self saith Bernard that thou mayest please Christ thy Spouse If a Maid this thy attire If a Bride this thy Ornament If a Mother this thy Child which thou must nurse thy self not put out of doors as Moses Mother did him for any danger or benefit Take heed of starving and overlaying thy Conscience Thou must be as tender of this as of thy only Child for it more concerns thee Whosoever thou art I have two things more to beg the one for thee that what is here all along spoken of Conscience may be also spoken effectually to thy Conscience and tend to the clarifying and fortifying to the purifying pacifying and preserving of thy Conscience and the other from thee that thou wilt joyne in thy prayers endeavours that the Lords banished may be brought home that banisht Conscience may be restored to his liberty and that deposed Conscience may be Re-in-throned in his full power and soveraigne authority commanding in the heart and lives of all professors and Christians that while Conscience reignes the peace of God which passeth all onderstanding may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beare rule in our hearts and minds So I remit thee to the Conscience of God and commit thee to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pe. 2. 19 God of Conscience that thou maist live full of Conscience so dye full of comfort and rise full of glory So prayes he who is The meanest servant of thy Faith and Conscience J. S. THE CONTENTS THe sum and scope of the Epistle to Timothy is the Ministers duty page 1. The sum of the Text the Ministers greatest charge p. 2. 11. The words opened observations raised p. 3 4 c. The maine point of Doctrine Propounded p. 11. Expounded p. 12. Confirmed p. 13 14 CHAP. I. What Conscience is shewed two wayes p. 15. 1. By opening the word Conscience p. 15. Conscience is more then a bare and single knowledge ibid. Conscience implyes a four-fold knowledge with God p. 16. with self p. 17. with others p. 18. with things themselves p. 20. Four Corollaries and Deductions p. 22. 2. What the thing Conscience is described p. 24. CHAP. II. Two kinds of Conscience Evill Good A two fold evill Conscience Quiet Troubled A double goodness in Conscience of Sincerity Security p. 26. The full definition of a good Conscience viz. when 1. It is rightly Purified 2. Rightly Pacified 3. And doth â—egularly performe all his offices ibid When Conscience is rightly purified p. 27. Three things Conscience must be purified from Ignorance p. 27. Error p. 28. Hardnesse p. 31 Three things Conscience is purified by The Word of Christ The Blood of Christ The Spirit of Christ p. 33. CHAP. III. Of the Conscience rightly pacified p. 37. Three things Conscience must be pacified from The raigne of sin p. 37. The rage of Satan p. 39. The wrath of God p. 41. Three things Conscience is pacified by The Word p. 42. The Blood p. 43. The spirit of Christ p. 44. CHAP. IV. The Offices of Conscience p. 45. Conscience hath a four-fold Office Ministeriall or Propheticall Regall or Magistratuall Testimoniall or of a witness Judiciall or of a Judge p. 46. To which is added a fifth Office viz. Registeriall Wherein Conscience is a Minister p. 46. Wherein Conscience is a King p. 48. Wherein Conscience is a witnesse p. 49. Wherein Conscience is a Judge p. 51. Wherein Conscience is a Register p. 52. Five Corollaryes p. 54. CHAP. V. Ten particular sorts of good Conscience propounded First of the Conscience of Faith ibid p. 60. CHAP. VI. Of the Conscience of Purity p. 66 CHAP. VII Of the Conscience of Sincerity p. 72. Ten notes of Sincerity p. 75. CHAP. VIII Of the Inoffensive Conscience p. 93 Inoffensivenesse twofold Not taking Not giving Offence p. 93. 1. Inoffensiveness in not giving offence respects either God or Man ibid. What is it to be inoffensive before God p. 94. How any can be said so to be inoffensive ibid. Foure markes of this inoffensivenesse p. 95. Offence not to be given to men Others Godly p. 97. or Those without p. 105. Our selves p. 107. Six cautions given to prevent offence giving p. 98. Six rules prescribed to avoid offence giving p. 102. 2. Inoffensivenesse in not taking offence from God p. 109. The Godly p. 110. The wicked p. 111. CHAP. IX Of the well sighted Conscience p. 112. CHAP. X. Of the well spoken Conscience p. 115. 1 Pet. 3. 21. Opened The answer or interrogation of a good Conscience p. 115. 116. CHAP. XI Of the honest dealing Conscience p. 120. Seven notes of an honest Conscience p. 124. CHAP. XII Of the tender Conscience p. 129. A double tenderness of Conscience Sinfull and diseased Lawfull and Sound p. 132. Five kinds of diseased and faulty tenderness p. 132. 133 Right tendernesse respects 1. God 2. Others 3. Our selves p. 140. 1. Tendernesse in respect of God seen in six things p. 141. 2. In respect of Men. 1. To all Godly in generall 2 Weaker ones among them especially 3 To all men whatsoever 4. To those who are related to us principally p. 151. Sequ. 3. In respect of our selves this tendernesse seen in 14. Notes p. 157. Sequ. CHAP. XIII Of the passive or suffering Conscience p. 181. Foure sorts of sinfull uncomfortable sufferings p. 187. Six markes of honourable and conscientious suffering p. 189. CHAP. XIV Of the Conscience of Charity p. 194. Charity two-fold Externall or civill Ecclesiasticall or christian p. 195. 1. Externall charity respecteth The Poore The Neighbour Our Enemy To the poor is to be shewed charity of beneficence p. 196 To the Neighbour a charity of benevolence p. 199. To an Enemy the charity of forgiveness p.
200. 2. Ecclesiasticall or Christian charity the more excellent p. 201. In what it is to be shewed p. 202. The great and dolefull want of it in these times p. 206. CHAP. XV. The reasons of the point p. 212. Three generall heads of reasons whereof the first is taken from the excellency of good Conscience and shewed in five particulars p. 213. CHAP. XVI The second reason from the danger and mischief of an evill Conscience p. 225. This set out in foure Particulars p. 225. 226. CHAP. XVII The third reason from the difficulty of getting and keeping a good Conscience and escaping an evill p. 232. This made plaine in three particulars p. 233 CHAP. XVIII The application of the Doctrine p. 237 A seven-fold application propounded ibid. First by way of information ibid. This information looketh two waies 1. To discover errors 2. To assert Duties and Truths 1. Error discovered that to preach Conscience and presse duty is legall preaching p. 238. 239. 240. 2. That Conscience is a snare not security p. 243. Third mistake of such who judge thier conscience good when it is yet but a naturall conscience p. 244. Naturall conscience may have some good in it yet cannot be call'd a good conscience p. 244. What good may be in naturall conscience shewed in 8. particulars p. 244. 245. What is wanting in naturall conscience to make it truly good shewed in four particulars p. 246. 247. Fourth mistake To judge conscience therefore good because quiet p. 247. Foure quiet consciences never an one of them good p. 248. 1. The ignorant mans conscience p. 248. 2. The unawakened conscience p. 249. 250. 251. 3. The deluded conscience p. 252. 253. 254. 4. The hardened conscience p. 255. A six-fold hardnesse of heart or conscience p. 255. 1. Naturall hardnesse p. 255. 256. 2. Voluntary and attracted p. 256. Eleven steps to hell discovered p. 256 257. 3. Judiciall hardening by Impostors and Seducers p. 259 4. Ministeriall hardening by Ministers and Ordinances p. 259. 260. 5. Divine hardening by God himselfe ibid. 6. Satanicall by the prevailing efficacy of Satan p. 261. 5th Mistake of such who judge conscience therefore good because troubled p. 263. Three notes of an ill troubled conscience p. 264. Six notes of a good troubled conscience p. 271 A sixth Mistake to judge erroneous conscience a good conscience p. 273. Seven common and ordinary notes of an erroneous conscience p. 274. A seventh mistake to judge scrupulous Conscience a good Conscience p. 278. The eighth mistake to judge the conscience of and for liberty a good conscience p. 280. Sinfull liberty of conscience branded and decyphered p. 281. Right liberty of conscience asserted p. 282. Set out in five particulars p. 283. CHAP. XIX The other part of the use of information to assert Truths p. 285. 1. That good conscience is the Christians greatest charge ibid. 2. To looke after conscience in selfe and others the ministers greatest charge p. 286. 3. Conscience decaying is the decay of State p. 290. 4. Conscience decaying grace decayes p. 292. 5. Tolleration not to be granted to all sorts of consciences p. 293. 6. Whence the world is so poysoned with corrupt Doctrines and blasphemous errors p. 249. 7. Whence many have lost former peace and comfort ibid. 8. Whence many come to dye Tragically and dispairingly p. 296. 9. Whence men come to commit the sin against the Holy Ghost p 298. CHAP. XX. The use of Lamentation p. 299. The generall want of conscience lamented ibid. The generall losse of conscience more lamented p. 303. CHAP. XXI The use of reproofe p. 309. Want of conscience reproved ibid. Want of conscience the greatest want p. 313. Losse of conscience reproved p. 314. Losse of conscience the greatest loss p. 315. CHAP. XXII The use of terror to foure sorts of men p. 317. 1. Such as are regardlesse of conscience ibid 2. Such as have an accusing gnawing conscience 318. 3. Such as have a stupified and feared conscience p. 320 4. Such as are falling into the consumption of conscience p. 321. CHAP. XXIII The comfort and happiness of such whose care is to get and keepe a good conscience p. 323. CHAP. XXIV The use of examination p. 327. CHAP. XXV The use of exhortation p. 333. 1. By way of Dehortation ibid. 1. By way of Adhortation to All Christians Ministers chiefly p. 334. This exhortation backed with Motives perswading p. 335. Meanes directing p. 349. Motives to perswade foure p. 345. c. Meanes directing two-fold principall Subservient p. 349. Principall meanes two The blood The spirit p. 350. Subservient meanes 13. whereof 6. prescribe what is to be had and done 7. what is to be avoided p. 352. 1. Meanes to get and keepe good conscience faith 353. Three-fold faith necessary for a good conscience Justifying for the heart p. 354. Orthodox for the judgement 355 particular warranting faith for our particular actions p. 356. 2d. Meanes To exercise and renew repentance p. 357. Repentance a Gospell duty ibid 3d. meanes To attend the Hints and Items given by Christ and his Spirit p. 360. 4. To attend and observe the hints and motions of our own Spirit p. 361. 5. To confer our conscience with Scripture p. 365. 6. The last meanes to be used Prayer p. 366. 2. The evills to be avoided are seven p. 370. 1. Beware of the smallest sinne allowed ibid. 2. Of one sinful Act deliberately committed p. 373 3. Beware of living under a loose cold freezing ministery or an unsound ministery p. 375. 4. Take heed of an ill companion p. 381. 5. In things doubtfull forbeare to Act or chuse the safer part p. 382. 6. Shun worldly mindedness p. 383. 7. Beware of erroneousness of conscience p. 385 2. The other part of the exhortation concerneth ministers especially p. 387. Ministers have a double charge given them concerning conscience 1. Personall 2. Doctrinall His personall charge is that he be a man Exemplary a man of conscience ibid Here 1. A particular encouragement to younger Timothyes p. 389. 2. An Item to Hymenaeus p. 390. His Doctrinall charge is that he bee aman for Conscience in all his ministery applying himselfe to the conscience of his hearers p. 396. A Good Conscience THE Strongest Hold. 1 Tim. 1. 19. Holding faith and a good Conscience which some having put away concerning Faith have made Ship-wrack THese two Epistles to Timothy and that to Titus may well be called the Ministers Directory made up of Canons clearly and undubitately Apostolicall Directing the Minister how to Govern himselfe and how to Guide his People The Ministers charge is looked upon by all as the greatest and the Apostle who best knew what it was doth not spare to lay it home to him and to give it him to the full Each Minister hath a double charge The one ad extra concerning others The other ad intra which concernes himselfe Both are 1 Tim. 4. 16. summed up in those few words 1 Tim. 4.
is certaine whatsoever Trade the other was of how ominously fatall is it to the undertakers themselves when private Mechanickes do presumptuously invade the Ministery and become publique Preachers 3. There is no dividing between Faith and a good Conscience leave Orthodox Faith and farewell good Conscience or let go good Conscience and you have seene the last of Faith it sinkes it shipwracks 4. How true is that of 2 Tim. 3. 13. That evil men and Seducers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 waxe worse and worse deceiving and being deceived seldome staying when they begin to shrinke from their former sincerity and strictnesse till they arrive at the highest of impiety going from sinne to sinne and from Error to Error till by the just judgement of God they are given over to become open Blasphemers and outragious Persecutors 5. Every vicious and infectious Teacher and every bold Broacher of Doctrines corrupting and staining the simplicity of the Faith and every Member of a corrupt and dissolute Conscience are not to be Tollerated and permitted in a new Testament Church but all such are deservedly excommunicated the Church who have once excommunicated Conscience and they justly suffer in being delivered up to Sathan who have wickedly sinned in delivering Doctrines of Sathan No liberty here you see for every kinde of Conscience 6. Yet are not visible and open censures but for visible and open sinnes not for Errors in judgement concealed but published not for want Publice declarantur pertinere ad regnum Satanae quippe qui non pertineant ad regnum Christi Piscator of faith but for opposing it 7 Excommunication Clave non errante is a solemne and dreadfully operative Ordinance a shutting out of Heaven a shutting up in Hell him who is justly cast out of the Churches fellowâ—hip by that censure He is delivered up to Satan 8 The end of Excommunication and all Church censures is not to serve to the destruction 2 Cor. 10. 8 13. 10. 1 Cor. 5. 5. of the Censured or Private revenge of the Censurers but to edification onely That the offender may be terrified and reclaimed The Traditi sunt ad emendandum non ad perdendum Sedul in locum flesh destroyed that the soule may be saved and that others may be warned and so the infection stayed That they may learne not to blaspheme Vt Castigatione hac adducti desinant falsum suum dogma spargere Piscator But none of these doe I intend to stand upon though I shall have occasion to meet with them in prosecuting the intended Doctrine To the words Holding Faith and a good Conscience c. Holding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Piscator It signifies properly Having and so translated 1 Pet. 1 Pet 3. 16. 3. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Having a good Conscience here Holding To have and to hold in our English speaking are usually put together It is not enough once to have or for some while to have Had unlesse we ever have and hold them Faith Either take it first for that which we call Grace-faith Fides quâ creditur That hee should Hold Act Maintaine Exercise the grace of saving and lively Faith Or Secondly for the Doctrine of Faith Fides quâ creditur In which sence it is used Chap. 3. 9. 4. 1. Tit. 1. 13. Jud. v. 3. And Expositors do generally understand it so here that Timothy should 1 Tim. 3. 9. 4. 1. Tit. 1. 13. â—ud v. 3. hold the wholâ—some forme of sound words and still retaine the old received Faith in Orthodox Doctrine for the grace of saving Faith will not be long kept in the heart unlesse we keepe the Doctrine of sound faith and principles in the head And a good Conscience Conscience you seldome 1 Tim. 3. 9. 1 Pet. 3. 16. Acts 23. 1. Heb. 13. 19 see it without an Epethite and this usually is his Epethite Good Conscience so in many places Cap. 3. 9. 1 Pet. 3. 16. Acts 23. 1. Heb. 13. 19. Faith had no Epethite of Good you doe not Ordinarily see other Graces called Good as good Love good Repentance Zeale Hope Patience or the like But ever good Conscience The other graces are commonly Nemo tam perditus est ut sit omni conscientia planè expers Ames good or few have them but those that are good But Conscience is a thing which all have though a good Conscience but few therefore get and hold a good Conscience or have none at all Which some having put away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qua repulsa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de trudo depello arceo ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 trudo pello Act 7. 27. 39 Beza Expulsa Piscator quam Repellentes Vulgar Transl thrusling it away This word is used Acts 7. 27. He that did his Neighbour wrong 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 trust Moses away as a busie body and an intruding intermedler so did these thrust away Conscience as if it had been a troublesome usurper over them So after Act 7. 39. The rebelling Israelites thrust him from them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They would cast off and eashiere Moses no more receive his Dictates nor obey his directions but would set up another Captaine whom they would follow or lead rather into Egypt Thus did these in the Text cashiere and throw off conscience from his be trusted employment and would follow their owne swinge This word is used also Rom. 11. 1. 2. Hath God cast away Ro. 11. 1. 2 his people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and v. 2. He answers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath not cast away or reprobated his people whom he foreknew But these did reprobate Conscience and would make it a cast away as not to be retained in times of Gospell Light and liberty So that in this place the Translation is with the softest and more gentle it is here then in any other place when it is rendered they put away good Conscience It might have been read they thrust off threw away cashiered disclaimed and even reprobated it Concerning faith made Shipwrack Fide Vacui facti sunt They were emptied and eased of their faith Syriack transl Their souls are Shipwrack'd their Faith Grace Ship-wrack'd aleak being sprung in Conscience the Vessel they lost all they had and saved not the use Comfort Confidence Joy or feeling of former Faith and beleeving Nor did they preserve their former simplicitie and integrity of judgement in matter of Doctrine and Truth But as Conscience was reprobated to their judgement their judgement is now wholly reprobate concerning the Faith Now the words being opened you see they are a Magazine or Panoply of Armor and Ammunition to furnish Timothy and each good Minister yea every Christian with the most necessary and usefull armes both to warre that good warfare v. 18. And to prevent this evill shipwracke v. 19. Timothy thy charge is that thou war a good warfare thy duty is
Christs head is his glory good conscience sets the crowne on faiths head is faiths glory For though there be two great preheminences which faith hath above Conscience the same that the man hath above the woman 1. That the man is not of the woman but the woman of the man hoc est taken out of man so faith is not out of conscience but conscience out of faith 2. Neither was the man created for the woman but the woman for the man Nor was faith created for consciences use but conscience for faiths Yet he concludes v. 11. Neverthelesse neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord So neither is faith without good conscience nor can good conscience be without faith in the Lord For the Relation is Reciprocall and the dependance and benefit mutuall ver 12. For as the woman is of the man so is the man also by the woman but all things originarily and primarily of God So also here it is as good conscience is of faith so faith is by good conscience but both of God for mutuall comfort and delight And from this couple the Church is propagated and increased to this day These two as Leah and Rachel build up the house of Israel faith bearing children to the Church on good consciences knees and good conscience bringing up those children which faith hath borne at her breasts as Ruth brought forth children for the comfort of Naomi and Naomi brought up those children for the ease of Ruth Hold Faith and you are sure of a good Conscience CHAP. VI. Of a pure Conscience THe second good conscience is the Pure The Conscience of purity Conscience The fine Linnen clean and white Rev. 19. 8. is the righteousnesse of Saints and the Lambes wifes ornament The pure cleane and undesiled conscience is the inherent and internall righteousnesse of the Saints and the Ornament of the Christian Of this good conscience the Apostle speaketh often to Timothy 1 Tim. 1. 5. The pure heart and good conscience and faith unfeigned put together and 3. 9. Holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. I serve God from my forefathers with a pure conscience The former goodnesse of conscience by meanes of faith makes the conscience good before God the justified conscience This of purity makes it good before men the sanctified and renewed conscience that was by the blood of Christ this is by the Spirit and Grace of Christ Of this wee have spoken somewhat already chap. 2. therefore shall need to say the lesse here Blessed are these pure in heart they shall see God Mat. 5. 8. And 1 John 3. 3. He that hath this hope of seeing God as he is must purifie himselfe as God is pure God is a God of pure eyes and cannot Good conscience is of Hab. 1. 13. pure eyes and must not behold iniquity Great are the comforts benefits and priviledges of this pure conscience and high are the promises made to it With whom will God shew himselfe pure but to and with the pure And to the froward he will shew himselfe Psal 18. 26. Lev. 26. 23 24. as froward To them that walk contrary to him he will walke contrary to them Who is he that shall ascend the hill of the Lord Or who shall stand in his holy place He that hath the cleane Psalme 24. 3 4 5. hands and the pure heart who hath not lift up his soule unto vanity This is the man who shall receive the Blessing of the Lord and righteousnesse from the God of his salvation In the pure water thy face may be seen which cannot in muddy water In a pure conscience Gods face is to be seene no where else in earth and by none in heaven but by the pure in heart This is the Mountaine of transfiguration where Mar. 9. 1 2. alone the Kingdom of God is seene coming with power This is the only Isle Patmos where Rev. 1. are the Revelations and Visions of the Sonne of man Here is Gods Booke with seven Seales unsealed This is the Sanctum Sanctorum beyond that in Solomons Temple all overlaid with pure Gold in which God doth dwell sit upon a Mercy-Seat and make known his minde giving answers whensoever consulted with and enquired after herein The pure conscience is the Heart after Gods heart who is all for purenesse he loveth Righteousnesse and hateth all uncleannesse No Sacrifice in which was any Blemish or Spot Psal 11. 7. 45. 7. was to be offered no Sacrifice with Leaven no Priests sonne might come neere to Officiate Lev. 1. 3 10 Lev. 2. 11. Lev. 21. 18. in whom was any blemish no High Priest presume to sacrifice in any legall uncleannesse on him But his standing Rule is I will be sanctified in them that draw neere to me Lev. 10 3. None were to come in to the Persian King but such as were first purified and had passed through twelve whole moneths in a course of purification Esth 2. 12. What manner of persons ought they to be then that shall come before God either to waite on the Ministery or to partake of Ordinances And what measure of Purification should we come addressed withall Now this Purification is that of Conscience especially Heb. 9. 14. and 10 22. Therefore wash thy heart O Jerusalem that thou Jâ—r â— 14. Mat. 23. 26. mayest be saved Let not vaine thoughts lodge in thee Purge the inside of the cup and platter O Pharisee that thy outside may be cleane also But in these dayes there is much of Liberty little of Purity of Conscience Shall we call them pure with the bag of deceitfull weights and with the wicked Ballances as the Prophet Micah saith Micah 6 10 11. Are there yet the Treasures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked and the scant measure which is abominable and shall these be counted pure There is a Generation indeed pure in their own eyes who are yet not washed from their filthinesse There is such a Generation O how lofty are their eyes and their eye-lids lifted up Prov. 30. 12 13. speaking too lively of such a generation as ours is Shall we say such have any thing of conscience or grace in them who can live loosely speak scurrilously and scoffe at purity holinesse strictnesse and all piety Where shall the wicked and ungodly appeare if onely the pure in heart are blessed Take heed then of all impurity and defilement by any allowed sinne whatsoever weakneth Purity wasteth Peace Conscience is the Temple of God whosoever defileth this 1 Cor. 3. 17 Temple destroyes it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word is and him will God destroy The craâ—â—â—r flaw in the Bell not so much lesseneth the soundnesse as marreth the sound of the Bell. How few good Consciences are there then in these impure and licentious dayes to be found when purity and strictnesse is exploded as a badge of
be not regarded in his two first Offices he will be known in his two last if his Ministeriall reproofs and Magistraticall rods be slighted he will as a witness against thee and a Judge over thee chasten thee with Scorpions Did not I speak to you will Conscience say as Reuben to his brethren Gen 42. 22 and you would not hear then see now what is come on it Now his bloud is required 4. I might adde in the fourth place that which followes in the Text that when once any have betraied their trust and delivered up this Fort to Satan they are ever after cashiered God's service and are by him delivered up to Satans custodie and an evil Consciences mercie either to be misled by an erroneous Conscience or terrified with an accusing Conscience He that is filthy let him Rev. 22. 11 Zech. 11. 9. be filthie and that which perisheth let it perish saith the Lord in his fiercest anger as they had no love to the truth so they shall have no Judgement to discern lies but be given over to strong delusions to beleeve any lying doctrines That all they may be damned who received not the love of the truth that they might be saved 2 Thes 2. 10 11 12. Thus it befell these Hymeneus and Alexander who having once renounced Conscience and forfeited their faith they were discharged any more emploiment They have no more part in Christ nor lot in the Church but are delivered up to Satan among blasphemers CHAP. XVII Of the difficultie in getting and keeping a good Conscience and escaping a bad WE have alreadie spoken of the excellency The third Reason from the difficultie of getting the good Conscience and escaping the bad and benefit of the good Conscience and the danger and mischief of the bad But here we shall see the difficultie of getting and keeping the good Conscience is as great as the excellencie or benefit when had and the difficultie of escaping an ill Conscience is almost as great as the danger of it What can be so hardly got or kept as the one what so hard to scape and misse as the other Consider it in these three respects 1. First in respect of Satan it is hard to get and keep the one and escape the other Satan all his spite is at good Conscience all his aim is to make a bad He envies a man nothing but his good Conscience not riches not honours no learning parts duties not mirth pleasure not his peace but onely a good Conscience He envied not the Serpent his subtilty he could make use of it not Pharaoh his Kingdom not Ahithophel his Policy Gen. 3. nor Absalom his Beautie nor Haman his Court-honours or State-offices nor Dives his wealth and good cheer He could tell how to make use of all Yea he will offer his help to men to get them riches honours offices learning so they will quit good Conscience He will grant any Articles you can propound so he may gain this Fort. He can make use of all other things parts power policie but a good Conscience is never for his turn in a Magistrate or Minister or in a private person but it is constantly against him and he against it and therefore he despairs of doing any good on it as they said of Luther when some perswaded the Pope to attempt to take him off by offering him some great preferment and Church promotions it was answered it was in vain to trie Germana illa bestia aurum non curat That German beast Mel. Adain vita Luther said they cared not at all for all their gold Yea if a man be plundered of all his estate and stormed out of all his out-works his riches friends children power places yea stormed out of his nearer comforts out of his faith and hopes out of his prayers and promises all on the sudden surprized if he retreat to a good Conscience and make good this last hold by a still retaining of his integritie Satan will be repelled with shame and losse and draw off with dishonour wearie of laying his siege against so impregnable a Fort. Job had lost all but keeping good Conscience alone and manfullie defending this piece he recovered all again he had lost and his Job 42. 12 13. last state was double to his first 2. In respect of thy self or of the work it self thou wilt finde a hard task of it to get or keep a good Conscience in an evil age it will require thy greatest skill and utmost diligence So the Apostle found it Act. 24. 16. therefore he saith Herein do I exercise my self Mr. Harris Mr. Ward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meditari exercere se in re aliqua Gagnei In genere notat severius exercitium Religionis Christianae sive praeparare se ad certamen Vid. Leigh Crit. Sacr. to keep alwaie a Conscience void of offence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifies saith one I use all my skill diligence and constancie together I lay my policie or bend my wit saith another godly Divine All which tell us it is the Christians master-piece to look well to a good Conscience A work of continuall exercise to an Apostle himself Look but well into it and thou wilt fâ—nde there is work enough in it as much as thou canst turn thee too To keep a Merchants book is a piece of art requiring skill and care To keep this book well is the art of arts To keep thy Masters accounts if thou be a servant thy Lords if thou be a steward thy Shop-book if thou be a tradesman requires much care and diligence What is it to keep thy soul-book to keep Gods book to keep this Dooms-day-book for so Conscience is 3. Look yet further and in respect of others thou wilt see it more difficult still How many hast thou seen miscarry in it who is sufficient for this work How should we fear This is much insisted on in the Text and given in charge to Timothy Timothy see thou war a good warfare and look well to thy charge hold fast faith and a good Conscience for all have not done so Of many that have run in a race most have lost but one ohtained the prize of many that have fought most have been foiled or wounded or slain or fled but one crowned Run not uncertainly fight not saintly look well to thy Conscience And here are many Items couched together in this place 1. Some Not one single person in an age but it is the case of many not one mans onely many have miscarried and it is incident to all Look well to it Be not high-minded but fear Rom. 11. 20. 2. Some have put away Conscience A monstrous vile act for men sometimes of better principles to send Conscience packing like a vagabond or to thrust it out of doors as if it were the Son of the Bondwoman It is the most unkinde and ungracious act that can be to disclaim Conscience
Consciences witnessing with them saith the Apostle of the naturall Heathens and their thoughts as well excusing as accusing them They may have tranquillam but not securam conscientiam as Bernard distinguisheth And thus it is said of Socrates who living according to the rules of his naturall enlightened understanding when he came to die and was put to death he took his death with much Resolution and Tranquillitie of minde He said of his enemies They could but kill him they could not hurt him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yet for all this no naturall Conscience can be a good Conscience 1. Because though it may cum seipso cum aliis scire yet it doth not cum Deo scire At the best it is liable to that rebuke given unto Peter Matth. 16. 23. Get thee behinde me Satan thou art an offence unto me for thou savourest not the things that Mat. 16. 23 be of God but those which are of men onely 2. Because it is not purged by the bloud of sprinkling It is without Christ therefore without God and Covenant and Promise and Eph. 2. 12. Hope and Mercie 3. Because as it hath not the purifying bloud of the Lamb so nor the purifying water Ezek. 36. 25. of the spirit sprinkled on it whereby it should be cleansed now whatsoever is born of the flesh is still but flesh and onely that which is born of the spirit is spirit Joh. 3. 6. 4. Because it hath not Faith which is that whereby the heart is further purified Act. 15. 9. And the Apostle when he bids Timothy hold faith and a good Conscience tells us as much that first faith must be had and then good Conscience Good Conscience is never without Faith never before Faith This Conscience how ever many may lull themselves asleep on it yet is it a bed shorter then that a man should stretch himself on it and a Isai 28. 20. covering narrower then that a man should wrap himself in it No sure Refuge is it and a strong fort it is not to endure a storming It is not the Ark of Noah of Moses it may be not an Ark of Gopher wood but made of Paper Rushes not pitched with Pitch but daubed with slime not furnisht with all manner of Provision as Noahs was to hold out to the utmost for a whole year and longer Gen. 7. 11. with Gen. 8. 14. but utterly unfurnisht for a day that unless he be taken out of it as Moses was he may there lie and crie and famish and perish This fort is no better then that hold of the idol Berith to which when the men of Shechem fled for Refuge it was fired over their Judg. 9. 46. 49. heads and they perished miserably in it A poor man and this naturall Conscience may perish and burn together Oportet Conscientiam non solum bonam esse tranquillam sed securam Bern. Par. Ser. 4. The fourth use discovers another mistake of theirs who judge their Conscience good when it is nothing so With many that is held for the best Conscience that is most still quiet and sleepie as ignorant people think of a Minister he is the best Minister who is the good neighbour the quiet man who troubles none even he in whose mouth is no reproofs Whereas the Prophet saith They who bless the people cause them to erre and they who are called blessed of them are destroyed Isai 9. 16. and 3. 12. The blinde lead the blinde into the ditch But a man may have so much of this Peace till he be the worse again He may have this Peace too soon he may have it too long There is a Peace of Satans giving Luk. 11. 21. As there is a sword and variance of Christs sending Luk. 12. 51. The kingdom of God is righteousness Peace and Joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. The kingdom of Satan is ignorance and peace and joy in unholy courses yet this is the Conscience which most men call good if it be Pacatè bona they care not though it be malè Pacata Cain desires his Conscience would be quiet therefore he sets upon business of building and travells to go from his discontents Saul makes use 1 Sam. 16. 16 17 23. Act. 24. 25. of musick Felix would stop his present trembling by an abrupt diversion I will take another more convenient season purposely for this Meditation Judas would fill up the mouth of hell and clamours of Matt. 27. 3 4 5. Conscience with loud and bitter Confessions fearfull Exclamations and plenarie Restitution Some call for wine and Mirth to cheer themselves against a day of slaughter All James 5. 5. which is like the drinking cold water to one who is in a feaver who for the present findes relief but his feaver is increased thereby There are four Quiet Consciences and never Four ill quiet Consciences 1. The ignorant mans conscience Luk. 11. 44. an one of them good 1. The ignorant mans Conscience is quiet and still and as the blinde man eates many a hair and drinks many a flie so these know not that they do evil no more then the graves are aware who goeth over them Blindeness of minde makes men past feeling when they commit all uncleanness with greediness Ephes 4. 18 19. Abimelech talks much of his Integritie and Gen. 20. 4 5. Vprightness and stands much upon his Conscience when all was but moralitie or ignorance Without knowledge the Conscience cannot as without Conscience knowledge is not good The Scripture somewhere cals Knowledge the Key but if Knowledge be the Luk. 11. 52. Key Conscience must be the Lock The one must be made fit to the other therefore Paul cals Good Knowledge the Knowledge according to Godliness Now what is a Lock Titus 1. 1. good for without a Key what Conscience good for without Knowledge to open and shut to lock and unlock it and what is the Key good for without the Lock Get both Science and Conscience Glorie not that thou hast got a quiet that is a blinde deaf silent and speechless Conscience The dumb and deaf spirit was the worst spirit to cast out of all the evil spirits wee read of in the Gospel Mar. 9. 25 26 29. The other roaring devils were more easily ejected Better a roaring raging and racking Conscience then a dumb Conscience Mar. 1. 23 26. The second Conscience that is quiet yet 2. The unawakened conscience not good is that Conscience that was yet never well awakened But sin lies at the door like a Mastiff asleep and makes no noise Here is quiet indeed but a dangerous quiet This Conscience either is given over to sleep a perpetuall sleep as God threatens Jer. 51. 39 40. In their heat I will make their feasts and I will make them drunken that they may rejoyce and sleep a perpetuall sleep and not awake saith the Lord. Then will I bring them like lambs to the
that way may be Judg. 8. 31. 9. 18. made for the son of an harlot or Concubine a bastard son to reign alone Must Faith and Charitie and Puritie and Sinceritie and Patience and Honestie and Inoffensiveness of Conscience All go and shall we content our selves onely with Libertie We have fought a good fight and made a good warfare while we have put away Faith and old good Conscience and have left Hymeneus and Alexander free leave to spread their blasphemies if they please no fear of being ejected the Church and delivered up to Satan It is well for them that Paul and Timothie are dead and gone In Jeremie's time when Nebuchadnezzar lay before Jerusalem with his Armie they would make a self-denying Covenant to provide Jer. 34. for the Libertie of the poor servants they made it solemnly They cut the calf in main and went through the parts of it they made it they kept it God diverted the danger they had their end All was safe and quiet They would then be at Libertie from their late Covenant All Covenants binde but pro tempore with some and serve to binde God to us not us to God again God brings back the enemie returns their fear afresh And then serveth them in their kinde Libertie they would have from Conscience from Covenants from bonds of dutie They shall have Libertie enough Behold saith the Lord I proclaim libertie to you a libertie to the sword to Jer. 34. 17. the famine and to the pestilence So may not the Lord say in his anger to such as are all for Libertie I proclaim Libertie to you to sins to errors to strong delusions and swift destruction Go and serve ye every one his own idols Ezek. 20. 39. walk ye after your own hearts lust were not this libertie our greatest servitude were it not much more signe of Grace and Favour if God should rather say as it is in the same Chapter That which cometh into your minde shall not be at all I Ezek. 20. v. 32 37. will ere I have done with you cause you to pass under the rod and bring you under the bond of the Covenant Yet there is a good Libertie of Conscience that we should contend and labour Right Libertie of Conscience for And that is 1. To free our selves from humane additions to Divine Institutions to free Conscience from humane impositions inventions and observations in matters of Religion Gal. 5. 1. 2. To have the Conscience set free from all guilt of sin before God by the bloud of Christ Heb. 9. 12 13 14. and 10. 1 2. 18 19 20. This is the Highest Libertie of the Gospel 3. Libertie from sin not to sin Where the Rom. 8. 2. 2 Cor. 3. 17. Spirit of God is there is libertie indeed but from sin the Apostle means not to sin a libertie from the yoke of Satan not Christ's To be free from sin and servants stil to righteousness Rom 6. 18. but not to be servants of sin and free from righteousness ver 20. 4. Libertie from perplexing scruples which are then removed when the heart is established Heb. 13. 9. by grace and the Conscience settled by the Word of God 5. Libertie from former fears horror and troubles of Conscience Heb. 2. 15. Christ Jesus came to deliver and set free them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage And if the Son make us thus free then are we free indeed Joh. 8. 36. But this libertie to be free from the yoke of dutie and from the fear and grief and sense of sin is the libertie of Hell which the devils contend and suffer for not the libertie of Heaven which the Angels enjoy in the most perfect measure Their Libertie is a Libertie from sin and fear and wrath and bell not a Libertie from Grace and Dutie and They could as Tertullian saith Salvâ fide peccare Salvâ castitate matrimonia violare and he tels them how they shall speed Salva venia in Gehennam detrudentur dum salvo metu peccant Law and Obedience and Subjection but a holy obedient and dutifull Libertie This was the abominable broth of the Gnosticks boiling mentioned before who thought no man could come to be a perfect Christian till he had worn out his Conscience To them all filthy works of darkness were lawful This St Paul and St Peter both do caution us against and tell us how we should understand and use our Libertie Gal. 5. 13. Brethren ye have been called unto Libertie onely use not Libertie for an occasion to the flesh but by Love serve one another As free saith the other 1 Pet. 2. 16. and not using your Libertie for a cloak of maliciousness but as the servant of God Both tell us we must take heed wee eat not too much of this honey least we surfet Both tell us this Libertie sets us not free from the Condition and Dutie of servants unto God or unto righteousness While we were free from Righteousness Paul tels us we were servants of sin Rom. 6. 20. But when we are truly free we yet continue servants to another master being made free from sin ye became the servants of Righteousness ver 18. See Rom. 6. 16 17 18 19 20. There are two masters that divide the world Sin and Righteousness No servant can serve them both none so much a freeman as to bee free from them both The more thou art freed from sin the faster thou art bound unto righteousness and if free from righteousness then the servant of sin CHAP. XIX The Positive Truths arising hence asserted THe one part of the Use of Information was to discover some mistakes and to seek to remove them which was done in the foregoing Chapter The other part remains which is to discover sundry Truths and to assert them which is the subject of this Chapter And first it tels us that whether we look on Timothie as a Christian or as a Minister here are Inferences from it First if we look on Timothie as a Christian and finde him thus charged by S. Paul This charge I commit to thee Son Timothie that thou war a good warfare Holding faith and a good Conscience That a good Conscience is the Christians greatest Charge that he goes withall Whatever thou takest charge of be carefull of this This is the charge of God look to it if thou lose it thy life must go for it What Solomon saith of Wisdom I may say of good Conscience the truest Wisdom Get wisdom get understanding above all thy getting Prov. 4. 5 6 7. So say I Get a good Conscience keep a good Conscience above all getting get it above all keeping keep it forsake not her she shall preserve thee love her she shall keep thee She is a tree of life to them that Prov. 3. 18. lay hold on her happie he that retaineth her But lose this and lose thy soul hate this
and love death Good Conscience is the Prov. 8. 39. charge we travell with whatever danger we may meet with in our way we must run or fight or die or fly for it rather then deliver up such a charge Good Conscience is the Ship in which we embarque and adventure all we have Credit State Libertie Life and Soul too as Noab put all into one Bottome all his Familie all the Catholike Church and the Reserve of the whole world and all was safe This Vessel or Man of war must never be yeelded up but rather we must sink and perish in the defense of it Good Conscience is our strong Fort which we must upon no terms capitulate to deliver up to the enemie but chuse rather to die upon the ground Secondly look upon Timothie as a Minister and this doth further inform us That a good Conscience is the good Ministers great Charge This charge I commit to thee Son Timothie to hold Faith and a good Conscience These are Arma Ministri The Ministers weapons The Minister must be a man of Conscience and for Conscience wholly This is the floore he must daily purge This the garden which he must dress and keep The living stone which he must hew and polish to make Temples for Christ of This the Sanctum Sanctorum into which the Gospel-Minister must daily enter Faith and good Conscience are his principall weapons he must be most expert in and exercising at both in Person and Pulpit This is to preach the whole counsell of God to preach Faith in God and Conscience in men To say that Conscience is a Dutie is too little it is the Summe of all Duties To call good Conscience a Grace is too little it is the Summe of all Graces It is Totum Dei The whole Command of God It is Totum homi is The whole Dutie of man Good Conscience is the Contents of the whole Bible and all the Scripture bound up in a small Volume Will you hear in one word the summe of all Keep Faith and a good Conscience This is the whole dutie of man The summe of the first Table is Epitomized in one word Love God with all thy heart Of the second in another word Love thy Neighbour as thy self But the summe of both Tables of the Law and all duties of the Gospel is reduced to this one word Conscience Hast thou Conscience Thou dost fulfill the first hast thou Conscience Thou wilt fulfill the second Thou O man of God look well to thy Charge thy own and thy Peoples Conscience Herein must thou daily exercise thy self as a workman who needeth not to bee ashamed to keep thy self pure and to keep thy peoples Conscience without offense to God and man warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus Col. 1. 28. The Heathen Priests and Aruspices were to be skilfull in the Entrails of the beasts and by inspection into the Sacrifices they were wont to make their observations The Gospel Minister his Inspection must be into the inwards of his flock The best Christian is he who is most versed in his own Conscience and the best Minister is he who is best acquainted and hath most to do in his peoples Consciences Bernard hath an excellent saying of Conscience Vnicuique suus est Libellus Conscientia propter hunc Libellum omnes alii libri inventi sunt Every mans Conscience is his own Book and Bible and for this little Books sake all the good Books in the world yea the Bible it self were written All Divines Sermons All Divines writings treat of this Book And whatsoever Books are in the world if they no way tend to this end to inform or direct or satisfie or better Conscience it were better that the world wanted all those books How happie were it in these times if Conscience was preached more and Controversies less Whatever is the man that preacheth Conscience would be the matter preached and spoken off whatever be the Auditorie Conscience would be the Argument whatever the Occasion Conscience the Subject of the Discourse whatever be the Text Conscience would be the Doctrine handled whatever the Doctrine Conscience would be the Vse whatever the Companie Conscience would bee the Conference Else I am bold to say whatever be the Preacher or Hearer or Text or Doctrine or Reason or Vse or Conference nothing is spoken fit for the Preacher or pertinent to the Matter or Auditorie or Occasion or Text or Doctrine or Vse or Companie Conscience is the Lay-mans onely Book he can read no other It is the Ministers Concordance which he must peruse and studie most He is not a Preacher that is not well verst in this This little Book is like that little Book given to the two Prophets Ezekiel in the third of Ezek. v. 3. and St John Revel 10. 9 10. which both are commanded to eat and to receive inwardly into their bellie not into their mouth or head or hand Son of man cause thy bellie to eat and fill thy Qui legem Dei recte interpretantur referunt eam ad rectum finem seu scopum qui est charitas ex puro coâ—de conscientia bona fide non simulata at isti doctores non referunt legem ad hunc sinem sed ab istis commemoratis rebus tanquam à sâ—â—po aberrant ergo non rectè legem interpretantur sed ad vaniloquentiam deflectunt bowels with this Roll which I give thee But with this difference that to the godly and faithfull Minister it is like Ezekiels Roll as Honey for sweetness but to an unsound and man-pleaâ—ing Minister it is like John's Book Sweet in the mouth to discourse of Bitter in the bellie displeasing when it comes to practise This is the mark we should aim at saith Piscator upon that place 1 Tim. 1. 5 6. The end of the commandment is charitie out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of faith unfained which some having swerved from have turned a side unto vain jangling That is the right interpreting of the Scripture when we referre all to this end to promote Charitie and Puritie and Faith and Conscience to leave these is to miss the mark and to become Janglers not Preachers Thirdly this informes us in particular how it comes that so many daily break in Citie and Countrey making shipwrack of Credit of States and Families the matter is they were broken at home first in their Consciences then they must needs break abroad Break Conscience and thou art broken none thrive after it This makes the worst bankrupts it makes a man to be out of Credit with God and in his own heart A moth or worm in Conscience is commonly followed with a moth and worm in the estate The inheritance hastily gotten is as soon wasted From the hire of an harlot if it came to the hire of an harlot it returns Micah 1. 7.
deluded and inchanted with Endoxius an Arrian Bishop he soon cooled in his affections and so staggered in his judgement that they could not tell what to make of him he was neither Fish nor Flesh neither Arrian not Christian But after he fell wholly from his Religion and gave toleration to all manner of Religions to every Nation his own Religion Judaism Paganism all Idolatrous and whatsoever wicked practises were permitted freely onely to preach and professe the Apostolick doctrine prohibited a bitter Persecutor he proved and at last renouncing God to the Oracle he went to enquire of the Devil who should be his Successor 2. To draw to an end The other part of the Exhortation concerns the Minister particularly The Text being a charge or exhortation from a Minister to a Minister from Paul to Timothy to hold Faith and a good Conscience Which the Minister must make good 1. Personally 2. Doctrinally He must be a man of Conscience for his person a man for Conscience in his doctrine 1. In his personal carriage he must be Conscientious that he may be an exemplary pattern to his flock If he be thus a Burning light he shall also be a Shining light to others The Minister must strive to excel others in every spiritual gift in this especially A City set on a hill cannot be hid He must so walk that they may see the law in his steps as well as in his lips He is to be as the Sun the light of the inferiour world is therefore to move regularly steadily uniformly that the Dials and Clocks below may be set right when they go along with this Sun It is said that nothing cuts the Diamond but the Diamond I am sure none is so fit to work upon the Conscience of a man as the man of Conscience The ministers lips then must disperse knowledge to the People but his heart must retain Conscience to himself This little volume Conscience he must be exactly read in whatsoever other volumes he be a stranger to whatsoever language he be defective in he must be well acquainted with that of Conscience It was an excellent speech that of Jerome Discamus in terra quorum Ad Paulin. scientiá nobis perseveret in Caelo Those things are worth learning on Earth the knowledge whereof will be of use in Heaven A saying which famous Paraeus ever had in his mouth and caused to be written in the publike Schooles where he read his Divinity Lectures Learned Beza tels us what was Calvins counsell Cum te 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non vulgari donatum esse videam quâ saepe ad moximos decipiendos viros abusus est Satanas velim te diligenter cavere nè te ullis inanibus arguti is irretias usually to younger Divines in whom he saw any pregnancy of parts to take heed of abstruse Questions and unnecessary controversies lest they should be catched and insnared in the Toyles of wit and so prove unhappy instruments of Satan to pervert others And he further reports he had given the same counsell to himself which he had observed to his dying day and did exceedingly blesse God for The want of observing this counsel was the utter undoing of that Conradus Vorstius a man otherwise of much acumen who carried away with the fleetnesse of his wit and the nicenesse of his spirit after he had read Socinus and such other corrupt writings became a pernicious corrupter of the younger Students who were his hearers and an occasion of much mischief to the Church And since that I am speaking to the Minister I desire to speak two words apart to two sorts of persons that are now in the Ministery The first is to our younger Timothies who as they are to be the Successors of our 1 A particular Exhortation to Timothy elder Pauls when they die so are they their hopes and delights while they are alive To these we can say nothing but good Watch you in all things stand fast quit you like men be strong despise afflictions for the Gospel Look well to the Charge of God the Charge of Faith and of a good Conscience Take heed to your selves and your doctrine Avoid prophane jangling vain bablings oppositions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 6. 21. 1 Pet. 2. ult 1 Pet. 5. 4. of science Pseudo science Study to shew your selves men of God approved workmen that need not to be ashamed Your work and charge is great but your promised assistance greater your reward and crown is greatest I mean not from men but from the hand of the Arch-bishop and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he is called in the day of his great visitation Remember that famous Apophthegm of Mr. Perkins which he wrote in the frontis-piece of all his books Minister verbi es hoc age Thou art a Minister of the word mind thy businesse well Be sure to hold fast the form of sound words as being wel nourished up in the words of faith and good doctrine wherin you have made so great a pro-proficiency Read over over your Directory Pauls Epistles to Timothy and Titus It is the Jesuites instruction to their younger Preachers when they have to do with some persons as Princes and great ones to instill Principles into them quae liberiorem reddunt Conscientiam Abominate ye such policie and compliance as greatest impiety In freer and looser times let your principles be the stricter not the slacker It is the reproach of some Lawyers that it may be said of them they have venalem linguam a tongue to set to sale Take heed that it be not said of any Divine that he hath linguam mercinariam animam venalem a tongue to be hired and a soul to be sold Though you may be younger men for Cum ad edificium arbusta succidimus ut prius viriditatis humor exsiccari debeat expectamus ne si eis recentibus fabricae pondus imponatur ea ipsa curvarentur confracta citius corruant quae immaturè in altum levata videbantur Cur non in hominibus ad animarum curas admitiendis custoditur quod in Lignis Greg. l. 4. ep 95. yeares seek to grow past Neophytes and younger plants which may be easily plucked up by the roots from the ground they stand upon or be bent and bowed by any hand as they stand Gregory very elegantly warneth concerning such as are young and tender Plants That they be not like green unseasoned Timber which if put into a piece of building will warp and bow and break that no weight may be laid upon them Secondly here I must crave leave to give 2. To Hymenaeus and Alexander an Item to Hymenaeus and Alexander who of late Disciples are now become all on the sudden above their Masters more than ordinary Ministers who not sent yet run not being called yet they go and having Jer. 23. 21. left the Anvile and the Forge have taken the sacred Hammer in hand Is
A GOOD CONSCIENCE THE Strongest Hold. A Treatise of Conscience handling The Nature Acts Offices Use of Conscience The Description Qualifications Properties Severall sorts of good Conscience The Excellency Necessity Utility Happiness of such a Conscience The Markes to know Motives to get Meanes to keep it By JOHN SHEFFEILD Minister of Swythins LONDON Acts 24. 16. And herein do I exercise my self to have a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Discamus in terrâ quorum scientia perseveret in Caelo Hierom. ad Paul Scientia inflat charitas aedificat Conscientia verò maximâ cum Religione est aedificanda Ames LONDON Printed by J. B. for SAMUEL GELLIBRAND at the BALL in Pauls Church-yard 1650. To the Right Honourable EDMUND Earle of Mulgrave Lord Sheffeild of Butterwike Right Honourable IT was an excellent saying of Lewis of Bavyer Emperour of Germany Hujusmodi comparandae sunt opes quae cum naufragio simul enatent such goods are worth getting and owning as will not sinke or wash away if a shipwrack happen but will wade and swim out with us A meditation never more needful to be studied and practised then in such Naufragious times as these wherein we have seen the Greatest States in the world the Greatest Families in those States and the Greatest Persons in those Families to have suffered the most fatall and Tragicall shipwracks The windes and Sea were never more high and rough nor the ship more Tossed the earth never more rent with Earthquakes nor the world lesse setled What is to be done There is a Fort that standeth firme when the earth is Removed There is an Arke that swims aloft when the whole world is drowned and the highest mountaines thrown into the midst of the Sea This Fort is Faith This Arke is Conscience These are the goods to be gotten and made store of in these dayes These make one truly rich and safe and happy All other goods whatsoever without a man be they Inheritances of houses lands and honours are but bare Moveables uncertaine and unconsiderable Moveables one may have them but he cannot say how long he shall hold them These whoso hath shall hold Other goods are put into the worlds Inventory these never which therefore saith but falsly such a one dyed rich for he dyed worth so many thousands valuing the man by his estate They are mistaken They might say so much he had or at most he lived worth so much but when he died he might die worse then nothing what is the state to the soule One living Dog is better then many dead Lions But Faith and good Conscience are the onely goods to be put in the Christians Inventory the man that had them we may say he died rich dyed rich though he lived poor and which is best of all his riches he carryed with him He lived and dyed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rich toward Lu. 12. 21. God for such a one dies worth as much as both Christ is worth and heaven is worth as Christ for Grace as heaven for Glory as Christ for Promise and security as heaven for performance and satisfaction For good Conscience departs not dyes possessed of them both And it is infinitely more for one to be able to say one of these two is mine then to say a thousand mines of gold are mine He that hath these hath all Rev. 21. 7. He shall inherit all things for God will be his God he shall be his son And as long as God hath any thing to give he shall not want A good Conscience then if had and kept all is safe all depends upon it Grace and Comfort here Glory Blisse hereafter But this if lost or neglected all goes to wrack and is but losse and dung and worse if worse may be and the man a lost man for ever Take this take all as one said well Tolle Caelum Tolle animam so I may add Tolle Christum Tolle Caelum Tolle Fidem Tolle Christum Tolle Conscientiam Tolle Fidem Yea Tolle Conscientiam Tolle omnia Take away Heaven said he and take my Soul too so say I Take away Christ take away Heaven take away Faith and take away Christ and take away Conscience you take away Faith yea take away Conscience and you make short work and take away all For what were my Soul worth if it were not for He â—â—n what were Heaven worth if it were not for Christs what were Christ worth to me if it were not for Faith and what were all Faith worth if it were not for Conscience Therefore as dying Gardiner said truely Open that window once assert Justification and deny merit and farewel all together farewel Popish Religion So say I Assert Liberty and deny Conscience open that window once and farewel all together farewell all true Religion Yea take but away part of Conscience and you take away all take but away one syllable and what is simple science good for without Con to shew that it is not science but Conscience that makes the Christian and no Conscience but that which is entire and kept whole that maketh the happy Christian Your Lordship is descended of Noble and truly Honorable Progenitors highly Honoured for their Greatnesse highly Beloved for their Goodnesse their Goodnesse shining eminently in the discoveries of their Religion Loyalty Valour and Activenesse to serve their Country in the greatest perils They were to Truth Patrons to Religion Ornaments to Peace Champions fighting her Battels when she was in danger both by sea and land and to their Country Dear and Cordial Patriots some of them not loving their lives to the Death have sacrificed them to the service of their Country Their persons through the lustre of their Virtues and Heroick actions shone out in their higher and greater Orbs while they lived and their precious Names and memory though themselves withdrawn leaving a splendor and brightnesse behind as the Sun when set continue immortalized in our English History and Chronicles to all Posterity Your Lordship is the head of a great Family and the highest Branch of a numerous name all whose sheaves do willingly bow to your Lordships sheaf as gladly and willingly as Josephs Brethren did to him accounting themselves Honoured not so much in your Lordships Honour as Honourablenesse and honouring you not so much for your Great and Honer est honorantis Honorabilitas honorati High Birth as Greater and Higher worth and aprroved sincerity in these trying times My Lord Hold fast that you have received secure your Faith and you secure your soul Secure your Conscience and you secure your Honour yea your Crowne Then you shall not be shaken Rev. 3. 11. with any shakings nor afraid of any amazement That your Lordship may do worthily in Ephratah and your name and Family be famous in Israel as it is all the aime and ambition of this ensuing Treatise so it is and shall be the Prayer of the Author who craving your
Lordships pardon for this boldnesse and Prolixity and a favourable acceptance and perusal of this homely Treatise shall continue to efflagitate and importune God that as he hath made you high in Place and Honour and Dignity So you may be made much more high in Name and Praise and Grace and Glory Your Lordships humble servant in every Christian service Jo SHEFFEILD To the Conscientious Reader CHristian and Consciencious Reader for such I desire to find at least to leave thee the World is now full of Books so full that it cannot contain all that is written and of how many may it be said that they do but proclaim the vanity of the Writer and procure wearinesse if not vexation to the Reader As for the subject and matter of this Discourse it cannot but receive thy Approbation Howsoever the homely and plain language in it the unelegancy and untakingness of the composure and composer in this now so knowing but more censorious Age may cause it to be laid aside with neglect by some who as in hearing they hear not Sermons but names so in reading use not to read Treatises but Titles O my Lord I am not Eloquent Vir verbâ—rum Ex. 4. 10. but of a slow Speech and of a slow Tongue yet if the Lord say I will go with thee and be with thy mouth and with this Rod and Pen in thy Hand how much may a stammerring and discouraged Moses undertake and go through with Jerom said he did diligere Christum in Augustino Love Austin the better for Christs sake our times invert it and we do onely diligere Augustinum in Christo we love Christ the better for St. Austins sake and it may be should not like Christ at all if it were not in Austins mouth and parts The preaching of Christ in a crucified stile now is accounted foolishnesse as heretofore in a crucified state But as of all Divinity it may be said Ornari res tanta negaâ— contenta doceri so especially a discourse of Conscience needs least the dresse of humane Ornaments requires most the strength of Divine Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit It is a subject wherein many of eminent worth have travelled some more antiently many more of latter times and among our selves All which will have their deserved praise in the Churches of Christ unto succeeding Ages And yet it were much to be wished that either more were written in these dayes by those who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of more leisure and abilities or that what is already written were more read studied perused and practised As for me although I cannot but be so far at least Conscious to my own weaknesses and insufficiencies as to say with Gideon Is not my thousand the least in the Tribe and is not some others Gleanings better than my whole Vintage yet having expected that some of more dayes and name and parts should have spoken in Abners language to Joab calling for a Cessation 2 Sam. 2. 26. or a Retreat How long shall it be ere thou bid the People return from pursuing their Brethren that our Swords of Contention may he beaten into Plough-shares of more use and fruitfulnesse for the Lords field and our Spears of difference into Pruning-hooks to prune and dresse the Lords Vineyard least all practicall Divinity be eaten up of controversal which being exhaled first from more specious utrums shortly congeales into more gross dubious neutrums at last dissolves into irreligious nihilums and settles in scepticism at last or foulest Atheism and fearing least our smal Coal or Spark which is yet remaining our sacred Coal of Israel of Religion Faith and good Conscience should be quite put out which to me seems to be struck at and in great danger I have with Craesus Son who had never spoken before till he saw his Fathers life in that danger broken that silence and broke out from that privacy which I could gladly have enjoyed But if Religion be in danger as clearly it is I concluded that if Dumb men should not cry out the very stones would cry out against them Conscience is the Book of Books the ancientest piece of Scripture in the World the first Tables of Gods own hewing and Hand-writing in the heart of man for whose sake all other Books since yea the Scripture was after purposely written to Comment upon it Unicuique suus liber Conscientia propter hunc libellum omnes alii libri inventi sunt if Bernard say true This is thy Book which thou must be well versed in or all thy other reading will be unprofitable To study other Books may make thee a Scholler but to study this makes thee a Christian Conscience is a little Map or volume of Divinity there is more of God to be seen in Conscience than in any other piece It is the rarest piece that God ever made Of all Creatures there is more of God to be seene in Man than in them all in Man most in the Soul in the Soul most in the Conscience This smelleth more of God saith one than the Heavens the Sun the Stars or all the glorious things of the Earth Gold precious Stones Rubies or the sweetest Herbs Roses or Lillyes Conscience is the Art of Arts and Science of Sciences which every one of whatsoever Degree Quality Science is of absolute necessity bound to be skilled and exercised in A Book it is which neither the Learned when it is delivered to him with this Charge Read this I pray may refuse put away as he Esa 29. 11 12. and say I cannot for it is sealed It is an open Book Or when to the unlearned with the same Charge Read this now he may not say I cannot for I am not Book-learned It is â—n easie Book the Lay-mans Book or Primmer Multae sunt Scientiae hominum sed nulla melior illa quâ homo cognoscit seipsum Many Sciences there are but none like that whereby a man knowes himself The Tree of Knowledge hath often proved to the sons of men the Tree of Evill the fruit though delightful to the eye and pleasant to the taste often proving bitter Apples of contention God hath justly hedged it in and set an Angel to keep man from approaching it But the Tree of Conscience is ever the Tree of Life his fruit is meat his leaves medicine and his very shade comfortâ—ble And truly if a man have but so much Knowledge as to get and keep a good Conscience though he can never attain to those high Speculations which the world admires it is enough I would have you saith the Apostle to the Ro. 16. 19. Romanes as simple to evill as wise to good And our Saviour to those of Thyatira whose parts could not reach the bottome of those strange and deep notions which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 depths though depths of Satan counting their doctrines of licentiousnesse depths and the old plain sincerity and conscientiousnesse but
16. Take heed to thy selfe and to thy Doctrine And you may see the Apostle through this Epistle doth frequently inculcate both and doth straightly charge both upon his Conscience As for that part of his charge ad extra you may see it pressed upon him Chap. 1. ver 3. 4. and Chapter 5. ver 21. Chap. 6. 13 17 20. Strict charges all and so in the second Epistle Passim Whereby it appeares that the Minister besides those things concerning himselfe stands charged with the care of the whole Churches businesse for what concernes both Persons and Doctrines and Truths and Errors and Opinions and Practices Then for that other part That ad intra for what concernes himselfe and his owne Personall Demeanour He hath his Directions Chapter 4. 12 Be thou an example of the Beleevers in word and in Conversation in Charity in Spirit in Faith and Purity And Chap. 6. 11 12. But thou O man of God fly these things and follow after Righteousnesse Godlinesse Faith Love Patience Meekenesse Fight the Good Fight of Faith c. The Text is part of a Charge as you see v. 18. Yea it is a compendious summe of his whole double charge Tam ad intraquam ad extra Both as to himselfe and to his Doctrine Verse 18. A straight charge is laid upon Timothy This charge I commit to thee that thou war a good warfare the Ministers employment is no other then a warfare neither better nor worse A warfare no better A good warefare no worse This weighty charge is carryed home and Pursued 1. With the affections of a Father 2. With the arguments of an Apostle 1. With the affections of a Father Sonne Timothy 2. With the arguments of an Apostle Here are two arguments urged 1. The first is more Comfortable and respecteth Timothy himselfe according to the Prophecies which went before of thee There were some in those dayes who had the gift of Prophecy and could foretell things to come some such had given out great hopes of Timothy when he was young and of his instrumentallnesse to the Church when he should come to be put in employment Now gracious and hopefull young men in the Ministery especially must see to it that what hopes expectations and good opinions others have had of them and what Prayers Promises and Engagements have beene made for them may be all made good not void by them in the whole course of their life Therefore Timothy thou must war a good warfare 2 The other argument is more sad But respecteth others who had fearefully miscarryed He instanceth in two viz. Hymeneus and Alexander It is the same Hymeneus spoken of 2 Timothy 2. 17. There joyned with Philetus alwayes unhappy in his company and Alexander the same in all Probability with That Alexander Act. 19. 33. lived at Ephesus this also did therefore Timothy residing Pastor at Ephesus is warned of him 2 Tim. 4. 15. him mentioned Acts 19. 33. There you finde him in his best but mentioned also 2 Timothy 4. 14 15. There a man much altered a deadly enemy to Paul and his Doctrine for whom before he had so much appeared a friend and Champion both were formerly faire Professors but now degenerated into foule Apostates both of forward and then hopefull Disciples now flown so high as to become too forward but Dangerous Teachers even denying common received Doctrines as for instance that Article of our faith concerning the Resurrection 2 Tim. 2. 17 18 And broaching new loose and pernicious Doctrines whereby they blew up the 2 Tim. 2. 17 18. faith of such as hearkned to them 2 Timothy 2. 18. Whose black fowle and Tragick story is here compendiously set downe in two verses 19 20. and holds forth foure remarkable passages as touching them Being the foure steps to their utter ruine and eternall predition The two first of which set out their sinâ—e the two last their punishment Their sinne is set out First in the Originall and beginning of it They put away good Conscience the worst beginning à quo Principio provenit omne malum 2. In the Perfection and Conclusion of it They came at last to Blasphem The worst end and conclusion that could be Here is nothing but sin in these 2 passages and sin upon sin In the two remaining there is nothing but judgement judgement upon sinne and judgement upon judgement a double judgement upon their double sinne The one Divine and secret for their secret sinne they had put away good Conscience And they are shattered and ship-wracked in their faith for their punishment They having repudiated Conscience and given her a bill of divorce presently commit Adultery with prodigious Errors and Opinions The late English Annotation upon the place is very good That God doth punish men for giving raines to a licentious course of life against the dictates of their owne Consciences By taking away the light of his Spirit from them that in the midst of their course they should lose their most precious spirituall Merchandise and be drowned in Error and Heresie after the manner of those who in a Sea Tempest suffer shipwrack The other judgement that befell them was Humane and Open for their open sinne in publishing Blasphemous assertions It was the judgement of the Church watching over their Members who observing some to become so Putrid and infectious as to endanger the whole body of the joyning Congregation deliver these over judicially in a way of Church Censures to Sathan They are now cut off by excommunication which is the plaine meaning of that Phrase delivered up to Sathan which Phrase is also used 1 Cor. 5. 5. Here you see their sinne and punishment They put away and reprobate Conscience They never thrive after in their soule either for Grace or Peace for Knowledge or Comfort They become reprobate concerning the Faith They excommunicate Conscience out of themselves and themselves are excommunicated out of the Church They first deliver up Faith and good Conscience to Sathan voluntarily And are now by the Church Officers delivered up to Sathan judicially The end of which Church censure is set downe in these words That they may learne not to Blaspheme that is to say that they may if God see good to give Repentance recover themselves out of the 2 Tim 2. 26. Ne impune ferant suas blasphemias sed ut suo malo discant quid sit blasphemare Beza snare of the Devill or otherwise that they may be restrained that others may not be leavened and infected and consequently the like blasphemies for the future may be prevented Where by the way as we goe along the Gleaner may fill his hand with some Observations before we come to the standing Shock where he that bindeth Sheaves may fill his Bosome 1. How dangerous it is for professed Christians to grow wanton in matters of Faith and carelesse of their Conscience 2. How dangerous is it to the Church and Alexander was a Coppersmith it
to get keepe use two weapons especially Faith and a good Conscience get both or neither faith in the one hand good Conscience in the other thou hast many enemies to resist and fight with thou must use both hands not faith alone without good Conscience nor good conscience alone without Faith Both make thee compleately armed and will make thee more then a Conqueror But hold them fast throw down neither but should thy weapons be beaten through violence of persecution to thy head never suffer them through cowardize to be beaten out of thy hands The latter especially he giveth charge abovt viz. a good conscience without this if thou shouldest be all faith all faith cannot save thee nor save it selfe without this second good conscience But faith either stands or swims with a good Conscience or falls and sinkes with a bad Conscience Hence the point intended is In the most Perillous tempests of corrupt and dangerous Obs times wherein we often see others losing their Lives their Graces their Comforts their former Peace their future hopes that our selves may not eternally miscarry and loose all we have on earth for Grace and comfort and all we look for in heaven for glory and happiness Our continuall care must be to get and keepe to have and hold faith and a good conscience If thou lose not these two thou shalt never have cause to complaine of losing times keepe these they will keepe thee In times of common Naufrage and Shipwracke when we see abroad Church-wracks State-wracks Faith-wracks Truth-wracks take heed then of the worst Ship-wrack of all at home Conscience-wrack Our life here is set out by a double Metaphor 1. Of a warfaring condition v. 18. 2. Of a Seafaring condition v. 19. Is our life a warfare These are our principal weapons Faith and good Conscience if faith be the Shield good Conscience is the Brestplate of Righteousnesse Ephe. 6. 14. or the golden Eph. 6. 14. 16. Girdle of truth and sincerity v. 16. Is our condition a Land fight and not of a single combate but of common interest These two Faith and a good Conscience are the two strong holds we must secure our selves in and hold out to the last drop of blood and gaspe of life These two like Jonathan 1 Sam. 14. 13. and his armour bearer will disco mfit an hoast of Enemies and carry all before them and break through the most insuperable difficulties 1 Pet. 3. 16. Having a good conscience 1 Pet. 3. 16 saith the Apostle that whereas they speake evill of you as of evill doers they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ q. d. Though they encampe against you beset your houses shoot their arrowes and bullets bitter words and as bad deeds yea should they discharge their murdering Peeces upon you and thinke by firing and storming to carry all before them stand you your ground quit your selves like men retire you like the Cony to this Rock like the Bird to this Hill your Brazen walls of Faith which indeed without any Hyperbole as Jerichoes walls reach up to heaven and that Adamantine Inworke of a good Conscience founded on a Rock no Gates or engines of Hell shall prevaile against But they shall be ashamed when they behold your good and unblameable conversation They shall draw off with dishonour and infamy as Abimeleck when he attempted to fire the Tower of Thebez to which they fled for safety a woman threw a Jud. 9. 51. 52. piece of a Milstone upon his head and sent him packing These indeed shall never be ashamed Ps 127. 5. when they speake with any Enemies in the Gate Is our life a Seafaring condition A good Conscience is the Arke not like that wherein Moses was exposed to drowning and danger Ex. 2. 3. an Arke of Bulrushes daubed with slime and pitch But like that of Noah Pitched Gen. 6. 14. Et Seq within and without with pitch made by Gods own direction wherein thou mayst adventure as he did the whole world both Church and State thereinto God bad him enter therein God shut him and kept him safe it preserved that second Adam and all the reserve of the Creation from that universall Deluge A window it had in the top to let in the light of Heaven not the lest Crevise below to let in a drop of water to endanger it It did shoot off all the Showers that fel downwards and all the Floods that raged upwards The like figure whereunto even Baptisme doth now save us not the putting away the filth of the flesh 1 Pet. 3. 20 21. but the answer of a good Conscience towards God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ 1 Peter 3. 20. 21. Is our Life a Sea-fight These two Faith and good Conscience are our men of warre which we must never yeeld up to any Enemy but chuse rather to perish and sinke in defending them and maintaining our Trust See what Trophees a Christian brings home by making good these two above all Trophees of honour a Conqueror can get from a spoiled Enemy 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is this 2 Cor. 1. 12 the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world but more abundantly to you-wards It had been now an ill time with the Apostle his sufferings did abound v. 5. He was pressed above measure and above humane strength Even to dispaire of life yet even under the sentence and stroke of death He had consolations abounding as much as his afflictions and joyes running over above measure if afflictions above measure And all from this Magazine and Treasury of a good Conscience In pursuite of this point I shall first shew The five particulars to be handled what Conscience is 2 What this good Conscience is 3. Give the particular kinds and sorts of good Consciences 4. Give the reasons of the point and duty 5. Deduce the inferences arising hence by way of Application CHAP. I. Chap. 1. What Conscience is What conscience is TO the first What conscience is This I shall shew in two particulars 1. Explaining what the word Conscience signifies 2. What the thing Conscience is 1. What the word conscience signifies Notatio nominis praemittenda notationi Rei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word in Greeke and Conscientia in Latine and Conscience in English are all compound words and signifie a knowing together and imply two things 1. Some competent measure of knowledge or there can be no conscience Hence the word so translated 1 Cor. 4. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know Nullius rei mihi conscius sum Beza So. Nil conscire sibi Horat. nothing by my selfe Prov. 8. 12. Wisdome saith Ego sapientia cum Prudentia cohabito I Wisdome dwell with Prudence So Ego Conscientia cum scientia I Conscience dwell with
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
joynes faith and the good conscience together viz. cap. 1. v. 5. v. 19. cap. 3. 9. Indeed they cannot be parted The life of faith is ever bound up in the life and bundle of good conscience There is no good faith where not good conscience nor yet good conscience where true faith wanting where you see the one looke and you shall finde the other These two are like the Churches two breastes Cant. 7. 3. compared to two young Roes that are twins that are bred and fed and grow and thrive and decay and live and dye together The best Gold and this Bdellyum of a good conscience is no where to be found but in the Havilah of Faith Faith it is which purifyes the Gen. 2. 12. heart Act. 15. 9. and mends the conscience The Tree of Life only grows in Paradise good conscience onely in Faiths Garden Faith is the grace and sheafe To which all other graces and sheafs must bow and do their obeysance This casts her crown at the feet of Christ therefore they all set their crowns on the head of this Faith mends and commends every thing Faith gives being denomination and acceptation to every Gospel Graee and comfort and duty No love without Faith Gal. 5. 6. Phil. v. 5. No obedience but obedience of Faith Rom. 1. 5. 16. 26. No Repentance without Faith Mar. 1. 15. so faith and patience Heb. 6. 12. Faith and hope 1 Pe. 1. 21. No joy but joy of Faith Phil. 1. 25. No works but works of Faith 1 Thes 1. 3. No duties without faith The prayer of Faith Iam. 5. 15. Hearing of Faith Gal. 3. 2. No life but the life of Faith Gal. 2 20. This is the salt that seasons every sacrifice So look first for Faith when thou imaginest thou hast a good conscience Let us draw neer saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 22. with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an ill conscience c. No true heart no assurance nay no Faith where no good conscience yet Nor good conscience to be looked for where Faith is not first to be found Among the Heathen Sages and Philosophers you may read good Sentences hear good expressions finde some good Actions but no good consciences because without Christ and without Faith Among a thousand Civilized morall persons not one good conscience because no Faith For it is the Apostles Rule Tit. 1. 15. To the unbeleeving and impure is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled None were found among the ordinary sons of men men of better tempers sweeter natures lovely and praise-worthy Deportments for Personall and Heroick vertues for sundry memorable sayings and generous actions then were Titus Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Antoninus Verus his Brother yea Valerian and that so much detested Julian yet nothing of good conscience in any of them all strangers to the knowledge and Theory of it All Enemies to the Practise and Power of it All Persecutors of the truth in their severall times and reignes Titus is called Amor deliciae generis humani Trajanus alioqui civiliter bonus laudatus princeps ob justitiam humanitatem adeo clarus ut postea laetae acclamationis quoties Crearetur Caesar praebuerit formulam sis faelicior Augusto Melior Trajano dixisse fertur praefecto praetorij gladium ei tradens Hoc Ense contra hostes utere si justa mandavero contra me si me videris injuste agere c. Hadrianus ingenio excelluit omnium doctrimarum capacissimus Dixisse fertur Imperatorem erga unumquemque debere esse talem qualem si privatus esset sibi vellet esse imperatorem at in Reguâ— Christi nullas portas regi gloriae aperuit sed inter milites est qui Christum crucifigunt Cent. Magd. Cent. 2. cap. 3. De persecut sub Traiano Hadriano Antoninus Pius solitus est dicere se malle unum civem servare quam mille hostes Occidere M. Antoninus Verus ingenio eruditione valuit Philosophi nomen adeptus est A Philosophiae studijs nec imperij negocijs nec Bellicis occupationibus unquam se avocari aut distrâ—hi passus est ex illis optimus imperator formatus multa in Remp. Rom. contulit praeclarissima merita Talem se omnibus praestitit ut ab omnibus amatetur At quo in suos commodior eo in Christianos gravior hic Antoninus Cent. Magd. cent 2. cap. 3. Valerian a most bloudy and Raging perecutor was princeps laudatus de quo scribit Trebellius cum senatus authoritate Censor crearetur in senatusconsulto has fuisse voces Valeriant vita censura est ille de omnibus judicet qui est omnibus melior Ille de senatu judicet qui nullum habet erimen ille cui nihil potest obijci de vita nostra sententiam ferat hunc censorem omnes accipimus hunc omnes imitari volumus cent 3. cap. 3. Julian equall to any of them scientia Philosophia Graecarum litterarum in eo magna fuit Iâ— studijs tanta assiduitate usus est ut semnum defraudans suum totas noctes interdum illis daret similis Tito existimatus bellorum successibus Trajano comparatus clementia Antonino Pio moderatione M. Aurelio Antonino litteratum scientia magnis Philosophis Magd. Cent. 4 Cap. 3. Hold faith and a good conscience saith the Text Hold the mystery of faIth in a pure conscience 1 Tim. 3. 9. Good conscience is the Ring faith the Gemme and Jewell enriching and adorning this Ring Good conscience is the Cabinet faith the Pearle lockt up in it Good conscience the Ship faith the Merchandize that the Field this the Treasure hid in it faith the Apples of Gold this the Pictures or Tables of Silver in which it is set Faith is the Christians eye good conscience is the Christians eye-lid with the eye-lid men cannot see at all no sight at all in conscience where faith is not nor can the best eye see long without the eye-lid to cover and defend and guard it from dust and other injuries faith without conscience keeping it will soone decay Faith is the wise virgins Lamp good conscience is the Oyle that feeds it or make faith the Oyle good conscience is the Vessell that containes it what can the Lampe do without Oyle or Oyle without a Vessell So what 's Faith without good conscience or this without that But to conclude this correlation and agreement between faith and conscience or the relation and preheminence of faith to conscience with that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 8 9. 11 12. speaking of the relation between man and wife made to be meet helpers each for other So is faith to conscience so is Gen. 2. 18. conscience to be to faith it is not good nor safe for either to be alone The man is the glory of God the woman is the glory of the man saith he ver 7. So say I faith setteth the Crowne on
a carnall legall abject and low spirit and boldnesse loosenesse frollicknesse accounted Gospell-like walking and the onely proofe of our Redemption and the best Plerophory But know the grace of God teacheth us another Lesson It Tit. 2. 12 13. teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world The righteous God loveth righteousnesse Psal 11. 7. And with the pure God the Holy One of Israel nothing is approved but purity This is his Image this his Superscription Nothing but this is Gods and to be rendered to God The Kings Coyne hath his Image within as well as his Superscription without the Ring the Christian must have his Image within or it is in vaine to subscribe our selves and to be surnamed by the Es 41. 5. name of Israel The right faith of the Gospell is purifying faith Acts 15. 9. Gospel hope is purifying hope 1 Joh. 3. 3 True love pure love 1 Pet. 1. 23. Our Religion must be pure Jam. 1. 27. Hearts pure Jam. 4. 8. Mindes pure 2 Pet. 3. 1. Wayes pure Psal 119. 1. Hands pure Psal 24. 4. Prayer pure Job 16. 7. Incense pure Malac. 1. 11. Indeed all must be pure King Soloâ—â—â— had not a Vessell in either of his houses that at Jerusalem or that of the Forrest of Lebanon but was all of pure Gold he would be served in no other 1 Kin. 10. 21. God will have no other Vessell in either of his Houses that of Jerusalem the Church Triumphant or this Countrey-house as I may call it in the Forrest of Lebanon the Church Militant but what is of pure Gold of beaten tryed and refined Gold Silver was nothing esteemed in the dayes of Solomon Civility and externall Morality is too meane for God too base to enter Heaven The Kings Coyne I said before hath his Image on it it hath first his Image on the one side and then the Kings Armes or the Kingdomes Armes on the other Such is the right Christian he hath this Image and Effigies of God Purity and Righteousnesse stamped on the one side of his conscience and the Kings Armes or the Kingdom of Heavens Armes on the other Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost The Kingdome of God saith the Apostle or if I may so call them the Effigies and Armes of the Kingdom is Righteousnesse and Peace Joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. It is observed that the floore of Solomons 1 Ki. 6. 30. Temple was overlaid with Gold both within and without that is to say both the Sanctum Sanctorum and the Atrium sacerdotum the Court of the Priests as it is called 2 Chron. 4. 9. Although the Great Court called the Atrium Populi were not so So it is the minde and will of God that not onely those holy glorified Saints that are within the Vayle of the Sanctum Sanctorum and the Church Triumphant but all those within his true Church distinguished from the world should have the same purity and holinesse although not the same measure Purity is the floore and paving of both Militant and Triumphant Church CHAP. VII Of the sincere Conscience NExt to pure conscience comes the sincere being much alike often taken promiscuously one for the other but though they may never be divided and parted may thus be distinguished Pure is opposed to what is filthy defiled uncleane profane impure Sincere Purity and integrity how they differ is opposed to false deceitfull counterfeit hypocriticall imaginary Every sincere man is really pure and endeavours so to be found but every pure-seeming person is not sincere nor doth intend so to be Sincerity is the glory of purity and of conscience and of every person grace or action It must be sincere faith if any 1 Tim. 1. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith unfaigned Sincere love if any 1. to Christ Eph. 6. 24. Grace to all them that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. If to men Rom. 12. 9. Let love be without dissimulation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Good Hezekiah whatever he did he did in his integrity and with all his heart and so he prospered 2 Chron. 31. 21. The sincere is ever a good conscience no sooner sincere but presently good no longer good then can be called sincere Sincerity is the soundnesse health and right constitution of conscience Sincerity here is all our Gen. 6. 9. Job 1. 1. perfection Noah Job and others were called perfect in their generations onely because upright and sincere Sincerity is Earths highest perfection we cannot go higher Innocency was Paradises purity is Heavens Of this conscience Paul speaks 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world c. In which words foure things are very remarkable 1. What is the best temper and complexion of conscience 2. What the clearest markes and best proofes to evidence it 3. What is the worst disease and most destructive enemy to it 4. What is the fruit and benefit of it 1. The temper of the best conscience is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 godly sincerity or as the words are The sincerity of God in all our conversings with men 2. The clearest markes of this sincerity are naked and downright simplicity simplicity of God as it is called and the grace of God 3. The most common but dangerous enemy to conscience which is ever the bane and death of sincerity is fleshly wisdome in sincerity not in fleshly wisdome the more of that the lesse of this Not in fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God nothing so opposite to Gods grace as humane and carnall wisdom if the one increaseth the other ever decreaseth 4. But the fourth thing is the benefit of such a constitution and freedome from this distemper which is above all expression It maintaines the soule in a plight of rejoycing and in a state of glory as it were amidst many pressures when the outward man was ouerburdened sentenced to death and despairing of life and of all outward reliefe vers 8. Wee were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired even of life but we had the sentence of death in our selves c. yet there as in another place 2 Cor. 6. 10. he saith As sorrowing yet alway rejoycing As dying yet behold we live Blessed be a good God and well fare a good conscience for it It makes such an alteration that like the night starres when all day light is off the Heaven Quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leigh Crit. Sacr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Illae res proprie dicuntur quae suum duntaxat nativum colorem praesertim album retinent nullo alio admisto ut lilia lana candida farina sincera est quae non est fermento corrupta Zanch. then do these appeare so
follow the example of all sufferings Jesus Christ who being 1 Pet. 2. 21 22 23. reviled reviled not again when he suffered be threatened not but committed his cause to him who judgeth righteously yet had he done no evil neither was any guile found in his mouth 6. Lastly be sure thou commit thy self to God when thou art suffering according to the will of God in well doing so is the Apostles rule 1 Pet. 4. 19. Suffering times had not need bee sinning times he will never make good Martyr that is not a good Saint first The Israelites were warned not to go Ex. 2. 22. out of their doors but to be within at their Sacrifice when the Destroyer was abroad Daniel was within at his Prayers when the Inquisitors came to apprehend him Many cautions are to be kept in suffering times and many ingredients must be in our sufferings that they may be comfortable sufferings 1. It is not poena but causa was said of old Cum boni malique pariter afflicti sunt non ideo ipsi distincti non sunt quia distinctum non est quod utrique perpessi sunt manet enim dissimilitudo passorum etiam in similitudine passionum licet sub eodem tormento non est idem virtus vitium Aug. de Civit. Dei l. 1. c. 8. that is true but not enough 2. I may say it is not poena and causa too that makes a Martyr but conscientia 3. Nor is it every conscientia but conscientia Dei 4. Nor is it poena causa conscientia but vita that makes the Martyr 5. But poena causa conscientia vita patientia aut modus patiendi makes the compleat Martyr A good cause a good conscience a good life a good death a good matter to suffer for a good manner to suffer in make the happie sufferer and the honourable Martyr Thus much of the Passive or suffering Conscience CHAP. XIIII Of the last Good Conscience the Conscience of Charitie THus are we come to speak of the last of Of the conscience of charity those ten particular good Consciences which we propounded at first that is the Conscience of Charity which I have reserved this last place for not because it is of the last or least worth but because the world hath put it in the last place if so be yet it hath left it any place at all This is that which the Apostle speaks of 1 Tim. 1. 5. As the end and perfection of the Law and Gospel too Charity out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and faith unfaigned Whereever you see truth of Charity question not there the truth of Conscience The more of Charity the more of Conscience And the now totall want almost of this in the world argues the generall want of good Conscience in this Iron Age of the world These are the daies foretold by our Saviour wherein all iniquity doth abound Mat. 24. 12 and vice increase because Conscience doth decrease and Charity wax cold The world was never more full of knowledg nor emptie of Charitie 1 Cor. 8. 1. All have that knowledg which puffs up few that charity which should build up and while Conscience in most men calls for freedom Charity is by all left bound But it is by this badge of Charity that you may know a Disciple of Christ better then by the Joh. 13. 35 Language of a Galilean Now this Charity is twofold Charity of two kinds Externall or Civill Ecclesiasticall or Spirituall and Christian And this Externall Charity is threefold respecting three sorts of persons 1 Poore 2 Neighbours 3 Enemies 1. To the poore is to be shewed the love or Outward or civil and that first to the poor charity of beneficence To the neighbour and friend a love of benevolence and to the enemie a love of forgiveness Tranquilla Conscientia est omnibus dulcis nulli gravis utens amico ad gratiam inimico ad patientiam cunctis ad benevolentiam quibus potest ad beneficentiam Bernard de Consc 1. To the poore is to be shewed the charity of beneficence and well-doing This kinde of charity is the worlds grand Benefactor the poores great Almoner the widows Treasurer the Orphans Guardian the oppressed mans Patron This lendeth eyes to the blinde feet to the lame deals out bread to the hungry clothing to the naked maketh the widows heart sing for joy and brings upon the Donour the blessing of him who was ready to perish How did Zacheus shew the truth of the work of grace upon his Conscience but by those first-fruits of his charity Behold Lord the half of my goods I give to the poor Luk. 19. 8. How did Job vindicate his conscientiousness and sincerity against all his friends detracting calumnies Job 30. 12 13 14 15 16. but by such unquestionable demonstrations of his charity I delivered the poor that cried the fatherless and him that had no helper The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me and I made the widows heart to sing for joy I was eyes to the blinde and feet was I to the lame I was a father to the poor c. Religious Obadiah left it to Elias to judge of his sincerity and whether he truly feared God or no 1 Kin. 18. 13. Was it not told my Lord what I did when Jezabel slew the Prophets of the Lord how I hid an hundred men of the Lords Prophets and sed them by fifty in a cave with bread and water Nehemiah that matchlesse pattern of a self-denying Magistrate had much comfort in relating what oppressions he had removed and what ease he had procured to his Country how chargeable others had been how charitable he not so much as ever requiring the Governours bread nor his ordinary allowance but had at his own charge redeemed many Captives relieved many impoverished and when he hath done concludeth to the comfort of his Conscience Nehem. 5. 19. Think upon me my God for good according to all that I have done for this people To be short it is one of the good mans Characters Psal 112. 5. That he is mercifull and giveth and of the good womans That she stretcheth out her hand to the poor and in her heart and mouth is the law of kindness Prov. 31. 20 26. Abraham and Lot so famous of old for faith and piety were persons as eminent for their charity liberality and hospitality What should I speak of the Alms of Cornelius who hath a compleat description of a godâ—y man applied to him That he was a devout man one that feared God with all his house who gave much Almes to the People and prayed to God alway These Alms of his are said to come into remembrance with God Acts 10. 2 4. Yea Every liberall soul deviseth liberall things and by liberall things shall he stand Isai 32. 8. When the Instruments of the Churle are evil he deviseth wicked devices
second Temple of our latter Reformation And that we should finde that observation of Austin made good who moving the question Whether Peace or War devoured more Christians resolved Peace Pax cum bellâ— de crudelitate certavit vicit Peace and War once strove saith he who should do most mischief in the Church and Peace carried it Thus have I given the Description of these ten Good Consciences and shall name no more There are more I confess then these ten to bee found in the Word But this I am bold to say If these ten were to be found in the world in this age in this Nation God would deal with us yet as he had done with Sodom had hee found ten Gen. 18. 32 Righteous men there wee should not bee destroied but this whole Nation spared for these Tens sakes yea doubtless had not the Lord reserved a very small Remnant in whom these ten properties of Good Conscience have been found wee had alreadie been made as Sodom and should have Isai 1. 9. been as Gomorrah before this time CHAP. XV. Of the Excellencie of a good Conscience and the benefits thereof HAving hitherto spoken of the nature of good Conscience in generall and of these severall kinds of good Conscience in particular I shall now proceed to give such reasons and use those arguments which may provoke us to get and keep such a good conscience Which reasons are drawn from three generall heads 1. From the excellency in and beneâ—â—t gotten by a good Conscience 2. From the danger and mischief of an evil Conscience 3. From the difficultie of getting and keeping a good and escaping a bad Conscience This Chapter shall speak of those excellencies which are in and the benefits gotten by a good Conscience Which appears in five particulars 1. The excellency of good Conscience appears The excellencie of good Conscience both in the Honourable Title given it above all other graces and the reall Preheminence it hath if compared with all other things 1. It hath this proper Epithite and denomination given it ordinarily of good Conscience Act. 23. 1. 1 Tim. 1. 5. 19. 1 Pet. 3. 16. 21. whereas other graces excellent in their place and kinde seldom called thus When do you reade of good faith good repentance or love or holiness or obedience but still conscience is called good Conscience There is surely some eminent and superlative goodness yea much communicative goodness in it It is good it self and makes the good faith and good love and repentance and obedience c. which all cease to be good when separated from good Conscience Then compare it with all other good things and it hath the better of them What Quid prodest plena bonis Arca si inanis sit Conscien tia good is there in a chest full of goods when the Conscience is empty of goodness said Austin What is a man better if he have all goods and want this one good what if he have good ware in the Shop good stock in the ground houshold in the house clothes on his back and good credit abroad and have not a good Conscience in his heart all this were like a rich suit on an ulcerous body This man is like Naaman a rich man 2 Kin. 5. 1. but a Leper a great and honourable man but a foule man What are all great Parts and excellent Gifts and Abilities of minde without good Conscience but as so many sweet flowers upon a dead man wrapt up in fair linen He is a drest man but a dead man outwardly sweet inwardly smelling or like a sounding brasse and tinkling Cymball This is above knowledge alone Adde Con to Science and you have the compleat Christian Omnibus numeris perfectum Take away Con and leave all Science you leave nothing but Cyphers Though saith Bernard many seek Knowledge and desire Science few care for Multi scientiam quaerunt pauci Conscientiam Conscientia autem quam scientia citius apprehenditur utilius retinetur Bern. Conscience yet is Conscience gotten with more case and kept with more advantage then all your Knowledge This is above All Faith alone therefore they oft go together in Scripture 1 Tim. 1. 5. and 19. and 3. 9. when Conscience is put away the text saith Faith is cast away and shipwrackt Nothing profits alone without this not Baptisme 1 Pet. 3. 21. not coming to the Lords Supper Heb. 10. 22. not Charitie 1 Tim. 1. 5. not any serving of God 2 Tim. 1. 3. not our subjection and obedience to men or Magistracie Rom. 13. 5. not all our sufferings 1 Pet. 2. 19 20. Take any man with all endowments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dirt kneaded with bloud as they call'd Tiberius Nero. without Conscience you have but the carcaese of a man without the soul What is the learned Philosopher and eloquent Orator without Conscience but a rational brute or a speaking beast who may like Balaams Ass open his mouth to rebuke another more mad yet is beaten himself What is a Magistrate without Conscience but as the Gyant without his eye or the eye without his sight Let all Duties be performed and Conscience not regarded you have but an Hypocrite let all gifts remain and Profession stay if Conscience go you have but an Apostate Bernhard saith excellently to this purpose It is better running to Conscience then to all your wisdom unless you mean by your Vtilius est currere ad conscientiam quam ad sapientiam nisi cadem sit sapientia quae conscientia wisdom nothing but Conscience The unlearned man with his good Conscience saith Austin will get the start of thee and be in Heaven before thee when thou with all thy learning and abilities wilt be cast into hell Surgunt indocti rapiunt regnum Coelorum c. 2. Consider the absolute Necessitie of a Good Conscience to the very esse and being of a Christian when many other things serve onely to the melius esse better being And this will shew you a higher Excellencie in Good Conscience which should set us upon getting it This constitutes the Christian and is that sine quâ non To suppose a Christian without Conscience were to suppose the Sun without Light or fire without heat this is of the very same consequence to spiritual life as the sense of feeling is to natural life which compared with the rest of the senses hath the preheminence in sundrie particulars as the Philosopher laies down in his Axiomes all applicable to Conscience 1. Tactus Origine primus they say Feeling Conscience to the soul is as sense of feeling to the bodie in four respects is the first sense in being So is Conscience the primum vivens and ultimum moriens in the new Creature Life discovers it self in the soul first in his sensibleness and tenderness as in the childes feeling appears the first of natural life the childe beginneth to feel when it
Conscience doth not onely bear up the Spirit with invincible Patience under all Pressures but it anoints the head with oile and causeth the cup to run over with Joy and Consolation His excellencie herein is beyond all expression Good Consciences Peace is the Peace that passeth understanding It makes a Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tam sunt Dies ejus jucundi quam si quotidiè lautissimè aleretur Junius in Ioc. on earth a continual feast Prov. 15. 15. The merry heart our late Translation readeth it hath a continual feast Bonus corde Ar. Montanus Laeti corde Junius He hath Benjamin's Mess before him his fare is far above the ordinarie The bread he hath to eat others know not of nor doth the stranger intermeddle in his joy He hath Jehojakim's Provision Every day a rate from the Kings Pro. 14. 10. Table all the dayes of his life even to the day of his death Jer. 52. 34. His feast is beyond Ahasuerus Royall feast which lasted the longest of any feast we read of an hundred and fourscore dayes Esth 1. 4. but then ended This maintains the heart as Salomon did his subjects with continuall undisturbed peace all the dayes of his life not by force and sword but by Prudence and Counsell This makes thee live Halcyon-dayes in life and sing the Swan-like note at death and leades thee into a new year of Jubile after the expiring of the former year of Sabbath The Good Conscience is it self the Conscientia bona titulus est Religionis Templum Solomonis Ager Benedictionis Hortus Deliciarum Aureum Reclinatorium Gaudium Angelorum Arca Foederis Thesaurus Regis Aula Dei Habitaculum Spiritus Sancti Liber signatus clausus in die Judicii aperiendus Nihil jucundius tutius ditius bona Conscientia Bern. de in t domo greatest Good a man can have and is the Procurer and Entertainer of all that Highest good that man is here possibly capable of It is the onely Paradise which God loves to walk in the onely Throne which Christ sits in the onely Temple which the holy Ghost dwels in it is the golden Pot which the bidden Manna is kept in the white Stone which the new Name is written in the Ark which the Tables of the Covenant are laid up in the earthen Pot where all our writings and Evidences are preserved in it 's Gideon's fleece which all the dew of Heaven falls on it is the soft bed which the wearie soul sleeps in it is the Top of Jacob's Ladder reaching unto Heaven Stevens Perspective looking into Hic est Lectus Animae in hoc requiem capit Bern. Par. Sermon Heaven Moses Nebo where first a view is taken of all the promised Inheritance and thence a few steps higher and he was in heaven it is indeed our Penuel God face to face 5. The Good Conscience is so extensive and communicative a good that it is not onely a real Good it self but makes all other things better where it hath to do whence it deserveth that denomination of good Conscience which it commonly is honored with Other things are called Good as Riches Honors Learning Eloquence c. which are not so really but onely in opinion nor do they make any man the better This makes all Good and Good better where it comes Your Riches Honours Great Parts you call them good but who is made good by them if Good Conscience be not there to do it Bad men may have them and bad they finde them and as bad or worse they leave them But this is that which is inconsistent with any badness no bad man can have a Good Conscience This makes all good it meets with and leaves them good whom it found evil It findes some sinful but leaves them holy findes some proud leaves them humble unmerciful it findes some leaves them charitable covetous it findes some leaves them content unjust and dishonest it findes men but makes them just and honest ere it hath done with them it findeth men unprofitable and good for nothing it leaves them profitable it findes some sad leaves them merry poor and leaveth rich dead and leaveth alive What a change doth this one thing make in the world It mends a Magistrate it mends a Minister it mends rich it mends poor for it mends all This alone would mend ill times mend ill Officers mend ill Lawes mend ill execution of good Lawes mend Church mend State and mend all What Plato said long ago of Common-wealths Tum demum fore beatas res publicas cum aut reges philosopharentur aut philosophi regnarent It would never be well in the world till either Philosophers were Kings or Kings Philosophers we may certainly say It will then be well with Common-wealths and not till then when they that are most conscientious are put in publike place and made Magistrates Rulers Commanders Officers Ministers c. or when they that are in such place be most conscientious Good Conscience is the Treasurie of good which therefore brings forth nothing but what is so Good Communication to edifie the hearer Good Conversation to edifie the Beholder yea Conscientiae ea est vis c. saith Dr Ames that it alters the nature of things it makes Actions in their own nature indifferent become good and Actions good become better as Conscience when not good makes lawfull and indifferent actions sinful and displeasing yea the most holy Action is turned into sin the sacrifice is abomination offered with a wicked heart Prov. 21. 27. How mightily doth it concern us to get this Good Conscience which hath so much of Good Epitomized in it which maketh Learning Parts Riches Honour Good yea makes Faith Repentance Praier Alms Holiness Obedience all Good when Good Conscience there which all cease to bee good if it were not for good Conscience commending them Therefore did Irenaeus well to resemble the Good Conscience to the Altar which sanctifieth the gift that is upon it Non sacrificia sunt quae sanctificant hominem sed conscientia ejus qui offert sanctifiâ—at sacrificium pura existens It is not sacrifice which can sanctifie a man and commend him to God but it is Good Conscience which sanctifieth and commendeth the sacrifice it self CHAP. XVI Of the danger and mischief of an evil Conscience THe Excellencie and Benefit of the Good The danger and mischief of an evil conscience Conscience is not so great but the evil and mischief of the evil Conscience is as great which is our second consideration and this will appear in three particulars 1. Here commonly is the first decay as in the Text you see Hymeneus and Alexander no sooner had put away their Conscience but they sink their faith when once Conscience is tainted and become corrupt then presently the Judgement then the Affections then the Life and what not Corruption in the Conscience is as poison in the spring head this fountain corrupted all the streams run muddie
Therefore Satan commonly begins here and seeks Entrance for less sins upon the Conscience as House-robbers put in their less boies into the windowes to set open all the doors of the house for all the companie to enter Nemo repente fuit Turpissimus No man arrives at the height of impietie at once And this is commonly the first step One unclean spirit entertained makes room Mat. 12. 45. for seven worse to follow When Conscience likes not to retain the knowledge of God God gives up to vile affections at length to a reprobate minde at last to be filled with all manner of unrighteousness Rom. 1. 26 28 29. The hopefull Professour by this meanes soon becomes a dangerous Apostate and at last a down-right Atheist in life as the Apostle saith Titus 1. 15 16. when once the minde and Conscience is defiled they may profess still to know but in works they denie God being abominable disobedient and to every good work as any reprobate When the wormwood star falls into the fountain of Conscience all the rivers become bitter the sun beginning to set in Conscience night hastens on in the affections Then farewell Grace And when the sun goes back in the heaven of Conscience the shadow must needs go back as many degrees in the Diall of Comfort Then farewell Peace 2. As the first decay is here commonly begun so it proves the worst decay and danger that can befall a man a breach in Conscience is like a breach in the Sea banks proves desperate or like the Leake sprung in the ship drowns men in utter perdition after a crack in Conscience a man proves an utter Bankrupt after other shipwracks one may recover and get up again there are post naufragium Tabulâ— but this is a fatall and commonly irrecoverable shipwrack Some sins and slips are like breaking of a Leg or an Arm which may be set again this is like breaking the Neck few recover to take hold of the paths of life after this Judas brake his Conscience Neck and that brake his Neck Enquire as oft as you will by what degrees any is come up to the highest sins As for instance how some came to give themselves over to lasciviousness to the committing of all uncleanness even with greediness Ephes 4. 19. The Apostle tells us they had been practising upon their Conscience first they had first blinded their mindes and had stunted their Conscience to bring them to that dedolencie that they might bee past feeling Again do you wonder and enquire how it is that in these last daies so many do depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits yea to the very doctrines of devils as was foretold 1 Tim. 4. 1. the answer is at hand in the next verse They had first seared and stupified their Conscience Do you enquire again how it comes that some most hopefull Professours become at last most violent and enraged Persecutors and as bold broachers of accursed errours you have the answer in the Text Hymeneus and Alexander laid down their Old-Testament weapons Faith and a good Conscience then became filled with new wine then grew corrupt themselves then vented blasphemies then were delivered up to Satan as fitter for Hell then the Church They fell into prodigious opinions and conceits making a fable of the Resurrection 2 Tim. 2. 17. At last this Alexander came to be an open enemie to Paul and Persecutor of his doctrine whom he praieth against more then he doth against any other 2 Tim. 4. 14. This is indeed the readie way nay the onely way to sin that unpardonable sin the sin against the holy Ghost which never hath forgiveness because it never hath Repentance A man that hath lost his Conscience is like a Bee that hath lost his sting becomes a Droan ever after and is at last expelled the Hive The beginning of the Decaie of Conscience is like the beginning of the Hectick feaver which at first as the Phisitian saith were easily cured but that it is hardly known but at last it is easily known but hardly cured 3. The third danger and mischief is that either thou must resolve to make this Good warfare required in the Text for a Good Conscience or to suffer an ill warfare made upon thee from an ill Conscience either thou must make this Tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt but Mat. 12. 33. know that this war is the worst war which can bee made All wars are bad and end in bitterness but of all wars civil wars are the most dreadfull worse when it is between Citie and Citie then if it were Nation with Nation and of all civil wars domestical in the same Familie when divided is worse then when a Kingdom divided And in the same familie again Matrimonial war when in the same bed is worse then any other war in the same house between father and son for where the Relation is nearest division there is unkindest But there is one war yet worse then all these the personal division is worse then any division between man and wife This is to speak properly the onely Intestine war when two are divided against three and three against two Vnderstanding and Conscience joyning together to keep in order Will Affections and Practises but these joyntly rise up to suppress their Legall and Rightfull Superiours Vnderstanding and Conscience It is a sad Storie to read that of the father and his two sons who separating from our Churches in England kept together a while but ere long the two brothers divided among themselves again and when the father could not reconcile them he left the one childe to adhere to the other but after that differences grew between the father and this one son and they must Anathematize each other Here was a lamentable Example to see in three persons of nearest naturall Relation such an Enmitie each stood aloof from the rest all three stood excommunicated and accursed by each other But this separation and difference I speak of is beyond that when a man doth separate from his Conscience and excommunicate it first then after doth Conscience separate from him and accurse him yea and he shall be cursed Many have thought that they have been able to make offensive war against Conscience none have ever been able to make the defensive To fight aginst Conscience is to fight against God and who hath ever hardened himself Job 9. 4. against him and prospered Pharoab would begin with God and make an offensive war Who is the Lord I know him not I will not let Israel go but he was wearie of the defensive Exod. 5. 2. Let us flie for the Lord fighteth against us So if thou thinkest it a light thing to Exod. 14. 25. challenge and provoke Conscience while it would be at peace with thee know thou wilt finde it next God himself the heaviest adversarie that thou couldst have had If Conscience
as they did Moses Acts 7. for an intruder or busie usurper or an imperious Commander 3. Concerning faith made shipwrack see what followed upon it They did not perfect and mend their faith as they might be ready to pretend or affirm but weaken it not weaken but shake it not shake but sunk it and lost it 4. Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander Consider who these were even great Professors a great while and stout Champions somewhile that had adventured far and ingaged much for the truth and the Preachers of it Alexander especially who had shewed so much zeal to truth and love to Paul Acts 19. that to secure Paul's person he had exposed his own to the danger of an unruly tumult he could have laid down his own life to have saved Paul's and would have parted with his right eye to do Paul service Yet see what is become of these now where will he stay that hath lost his Conscience 5. For they having put away their former good Conscience become now branded Apostates and open enemies of the same Preachers they had before so loved and honoured nay they themselves become Preachers but blasphemous Preachers 6. Lastly after all this the Church that formerly had joined with them now spues them out gives warning to the godly to avoid them and to their grief denie them any more Church-fellowship and gives them over to Satan that no more mischief may be done by their impure Doctrines The Church in her direfull Censures saith Write these men childlesse let no more of their seed rise up after them to bear more gall and wormwood CHAP. XVIII The Application of the Doctrine and first by way of Information THis point admits a sevenfold Application The Application as containing matter 1. For Information 2. Lamentation 3. Reproof 4 Terror 5. Consolation 6 Examination 7. Exhortation with some Directions The Information hath two parts 1. It gives 1. By way of information notice of certain errors and mistakes to remove them 2. Of certain Truths and Duties to assert them 1. It meets full in the face with that too And that first in removing mistakes common and plausible opinion but most dangerous error That to preach Conscience and press Duties in this nature is but legall teaching not preaching Jesus Christ and the Gospell But sure we have more cause to complain of the world for too little of legall living and Christian doing then the world to complain of too much legall preaching When men call us legall Teachers we may with too much truth and as much grief call them illegall ill-Evangelicall and ill-Christian livers Hymeneus and Alexander are alive again and by many Professors counted better Preachers then Paul and Timothy These counted Good-Conscience-Doctrine to be legall strictness and old Leaven of the Pharisees faith was enough faith was all But when Conscience ceased faith deceased they put away Conscience faith suffered shipwrack So that we may more rightly call this an old-new-Testament-error to crie down strictness then you our preaching it an old-Testament Truth and Doctrine This opinion broke out almost as soon as the preaching of the Gospel Paul had preached That where sin had abounded and reigned grace did much more abound and reign Rom. 5. 20. Others inferred hence as good Doctrine and the right knowledg of the Gospel and walking by a spirit of libertie Then may we continue in sin that grace may abound Rom. 6. 1. Paul had said sin shall not have dominion over regenerate believers For we are not under the law but grace Hence others concluded We may sin because we are no longer under the Law but under grace Rom. 6. 14 15. Paul refutes the impietie of both Assertions with the same answer detesting both God forbid Rom. 6. 2. 15. These Tares we see sprung up as soon as the good Seed began to appear We wonder the less if among us there be some that say Believe once and away with Conscience and Dutie and Works and have no more Conscience of sin The truth is once believe and thou hast no more Conscience of sin as to the guilt and punishment of it But once believe and ever make conscience of sin to avoid resist and mortifie it that it reign not in your mortall bodie The other were to overthrow the true grace of God by the name of the grace of God and to set up an imaginary faith and Gospel to beat down reall faith and Gospel while they cry down Sanctification and Conscience of dutie not as to the resting in them but as to the very having and seeking them But let the minde that hath wisdom judge can one grace in God be contrary to another his justifying grace to his sanctifying or sanctifying to justifying 2. Is one Attribute of God opposite to another his grace love and mercie to his holiness justice and puritie 3. Must Christ needs be divided and by redemption and justification drive out wisdom and sanctification two of his benefits destroying other two when he is all or none 1 Cor. 1. 30. 4. Or must two ends of Christs death be opposite to two other ends set down all together Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquitie and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Must Christ his dying for us and redeeming of us make his people less pure or less zealous of good works 5. Can any imagine that one grace of the same Spirit should cross another the Spirits consolation evacuate the Spirits sanctification and by his obsignation mortifie mortification 6. Can one grace in the Christian be imagined to weaken and destroy another Is faith the enemy of holiness Doth Conscience extinguish confidence 7. Is the Law now against the Promise or Gal. 3. 21. the Promise against the Law did grace then fulfill the Law and est ablish it and doth it now Rom. 3. 31. make it void All these would have been accounted strange Divinitie in the Apostles ears This bewitching errour doth not onely set earth into disorders neighbour against neighbour professor against professor some people against their Ministers and some Ministers though they are not many who are so grosse against other Ministers but it sets earth in rebellion against heaven yea would attempt to put heaven into a combustion and make heaven at variance within it self while it would set Gods Decrees against Gods Decrees Promises against Promises Grace against Grace Saints against Sanctitie And again Decrees against Promises Promises against Commands Commands against Duties and all against Holiness This hellish Doctrine came from the Gnosticks of old and their followers They thought it their perfection to set Conscience at libertie and to discharge it from all puritie Epiphanius and Irenaeus say that the Gnosticks did purposely resolve to live a loose and base life that they might reproach the stricter Christians and wear out that legall Doctrine and as some
of later times have had the boldness to call it that Idoll of Sanctification That no regard was to be had to any scandall taken by others That all things Studiosè sibi iurpem vitam elegerunt ut infamiam opprobrium Ecclesiae conciliarent Basilides vesci jussit Idolothytis seu victimis rebus illis quae simulachris immolatae essent indifferenter sine respectu Conscientiae etiam in casu scandali Fidem perjurio negare tempore persecutionis Carpocrates omnibus operationibus libidinibus indifferenter uti necessarium dâ—â—it ut sine Turpitudine nemo perfectionem mystagogtae consequi posset Alli se Jesu similes alii se Petro Paulo praestantiores ob excellentiam cognitionis dixerunt Vide Plura Mag. Cent. 2. cap. 5. were lawfull That they might converse with any Idolaters and Idolothytes That the onely way to perfection in their mysterious Religion was to give themselves to any libidinous and obscene actions That some of theirs were equall to Christ Jesus himself and nothing inferiour to him And as for Peter Paul and the other Apostles they were far their superiours and their Doctrine more perfect then any of theirs That to denie and forswear their faith in case of danger was lawfull c. These are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Text speaks of who deal with Conscience as Amnon did with Thamar first ravish and abuse 2 Sam. 13. 17. it then put it out of doors And like those Sons of Sodom who will no longer endure any more reproofs but assault the reproover in his own house This is he who came to Gen. 19. 9. sojourn and he will now be a judge therefore will we deal worse with thee c. These give the Harlot erronious or seared Conscience the living childe from the right mother pure and tender Conscience laying the dead child at her doors But while these give Conscience a Bill of divorce God gives them a Bill of divorce And while they would make Conscience a reprobate themselves become reprobates A shame it is these things should be said or suffered among Christians What would those ignorant Heathens now say if they should see these things who when once they saw the Spirit carriage and Acts of the Apostles cried out The Gods are come down to Act. 14. 11. us in the likeness of men But changing their voice say that rather Devils are come up to us in the likeness and under the name of Saints But to conclude This particular conscience is that which doth constitute and commend the Christian and all that belongs to the Christian The Christian is no more a Christian if he have not and keep not a good Conscience Our Baptism is no Gospel Baptism but without efficacie if there want a good Conscience 1 Pet. 3. 21. Knowledg not right Gospel Knowledg if not according to godliness Tit. 1. 1. Faith no more Gospel Faith if not joined with Conscience 1 Tim. 3. 9. Love no more Love if separated from good Conscience 1 Tim. 1. 5. nor assurance good assurance if not joined with good Conscience Heb. 10. 22. nor Obedience acceptable except for Conscience Rom. 13. 5. nor Sufferings thank-worthy if not for Conscience 1 Pet. 2. 19. You may do much in vain and suffer and expend much in vain and all be in vain if not for Conscience sake Yea the blood of Christ it self profits not if not sprinkled upon pure Conscience Heb. 9. 14. 2. The second mistake is a practicall mistake of those who reckon not Conscience a Fort or Tower but a Snare and a Prison rather and think in evil times to abandon and desert it is the onely safetie He that looks overmuch to Conscience must die a begger is a chief Article of the worlds Creed Better protection is to be had in policie and a safer refuge in lies and falshood and to make an agreement with hell and covenant with death or to break the Covenant with God and agreement with Heaven is the onely way to securitie But shall not an overflowing Isai 28. 17 18. scourge come and sweep away the refuge of lies as the Prophet saith And shall not men at last be forced to say That the effect of righteousness is onely quietness and assurance for ever Isai 32. 17. When the sinners in Sion shall be afraid and the hypocrites surprized with fear crying out Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Isa 33. 14 15. Then shall he that walketh uprightly be set up on high and have his defence in the munition of rocks c. 3. There be others who will easily yeeld that good Conscience is worth making of but are mightily mistaken in judging what good Conscience is And there be many mistakes in this respect First some and those very many do conceive if they live according to their Conscience they doe well although their Conscience bee but a naturall Conscience Now the nature of Conscience is very good but the Conscience of Nature is very bad Some good naturall Conscience may have in it but good it cannot be called 1. It may make a man cum seipso scire Rom. 2. 15. And so become a law unto himself 2. Such an one may cum aliis scire and so far is good as Adrian said to do that to others which he would exspect from others 3. Such an one may be exact in matters of the second Table he may answer all the duties of naturall and civill Relations observe the Lawes of humanitie and friendship religiously be true to his trust interest countrey friend promise engagement to his Oath taken as Regulus To the salt of the Palace Ezra 4. 14. as those Idolaters were 4. He may make scruple of many sins such as the light of nature condemnes gross sins commonly Abimelech abhors adulterie Gen. 205. Pilate's Conscience grudges and relucts Joh. 18. 31 38. 19. 4 8. Act. 25. 27 to condemn an innocent man to death Festus holds it unreasonable to send a Prisoner bound without matter of weight charged upon him to be inserted in the Mittimus 5. He may have some sense of the Deitie of God and of the force of Religion Rom. 1. 20. and 2. 14 15. 6. May in that respect tremble sometimes and be terrified in Conscience for sin and hell as Felix Act. 24. 25. 7. He may sometimes and ever and anon when he seriously reflects on himself have a dislike of his own state and wayes and know and confess his sinfull doings yea he may have store and plentie of teares and make shew of much passion and compunction for sin so did Saul 1 Sam. 24. 16. and 26. 21. Hee was under great and frequent fits of horror of this naturall Conscience 8. Or he may on the other side have much inward and pleasing naturall Peace while he observes the rules and dictates of his naturall Conscience Rom. 2. 15. They have their
a good When quiet Conscience good Haec est bona tranquilla Conscientia eorum qui carnem spiâ—â—â—ui subdiderunt qui cum his qui oderunt pacem sunt Pacifici Bern. Par. Serm. Conscience when it is purified as well as pacified as was said before when it hath done all his four Offices and speaketh peace that is a happy peace and when it hath those ten properties of good Conscience before spoke of viz of faith of puritie of sinceritie of inoffensiveness and of charitie and when it is a well sighted well spoken and an honest dealing Conscience when it is rightly tender and rightly hardy and after all these speaketh peace This is the onely right peace of Conscience the peace that passeth understanding 5 Vse The fift use is to discover another ordinarie mistake in men who are apt to judge a troubled Conscience a good Conscience and for no other reason but because troubled These are the third sort of men who are mistaken in judging of Conscience these are as much out as the former they judged Conscience good because quiet these on the other side say I have a good Conscience because I have had troubles in Conscience therefore I hope the worst is past bitterness of death and hell is over But so had Cain and Ahab and Judas and Simon Magus There is Conscientia mala turbata as well as mala pacata Thou maist have had great horrour and a dreadful sound in thy ears yet onely felt Job 15. 21. the beginning of sorrows Eccles 9. 3. The wise man saith that there are they whose heart is full of rage and madness while they live yet after that they go to the dead and damned out of one hell they go into another and out of one Ex inferno ad inferuum Eze. 15. 7. fire into another Then is Death and Hell cast into the Lake of fire Now there is a troubled Conscience which is not the better for it And there is a Conscience troubled again then which there is no better The ill troubled Conscience is known by 3 Marks of an ill troubled conscience these three marks When those troubles have an ill originall or rise whence they take their beginning 2. When there is an ill carriage and frame of spirit under them 3. When an ill course is taken to remove them Then from first to last these troubles are evil troubles 1. Troubles are then evil when the root is 1. When proceed from an evil root and cause evil whence they spring Ahab is much troubled till he is sick again not because his covetous lust is unmortified but becaus unsatisfied Amnon is sick because his brutish lust is nor satisfied Herod was troubled in his minde Mat. 2. 3. when he heard Christ was born But no good trouble this it had no good spring but came from hence that he feared he should be disturbed in his Dominion and his usurped power should be abolished So Prov. 4. 16. There be they that cannot sleep if they have done no mischief all day These troubles are not from sin but for it that they may effect it Hell is full of such troubled spirits This is indeed the Devils trouble The unclean spirit going thorow places where there is no good to be done for his purpose seeketh rest but findeth none This is cum diabolo conscire or consentire and may be called the Devils Conscience 2. When if it be at all for sin it is not so much for the intrinsecal evil and sinfulness that is in sin as in regard of the eventuall and consequential evils that attend sin and the punishment that follows Thus Ahab after his sin is troubled walks heavily puts on sackcloth and is humbled and fasts and lies in sackcloth 1 King 21. 27. But all this ado is not for grief of the sin committed but for fear of the punishment threatened So did Cain crie out because of his punishment Judas because he must be damned Magus desires praiers that none of those evils told him of by Peter should come upon him and Act. 8. 24. there was all his trouble This is to be troubled for Hell not for sin Hell it self is full of such troubled Consciences where there is continuall weeping wailing and gnashing of teetb for their pains but not the least Repentance for their sins 2. When the Carriage under the troubles 2. When attended with an ill carriage under it is evil then it is an evil trouble as 1. when the man doth rage and swell and storm under the stroke of God but his uncircumcised heart is never a whit broken to accept of the punishment of his iniquitie Cain was troubled enough at his sentence pronounced by God he was not troubled aright it was not at all for his sin nor did he at all humble himself under the just sentence of God but rageth and stormeth at his punishment My punishment is greater then I can bear So those Isai 8. 21 22. who fret themselves curse God and King and all that comes in their way And they look upward and downwand upon the earth and behold trouble and darkness and they are driven to darkness 2. When you see a man go on in sin under his Troubles these are ill troubles Eelix sometime trembled while Paul was at work upon his Conscience but all this trembling did no good upon his Conscience Paul left Felix as he found him an incorrigible sinner sinning against checks of his own Conscience And Felix left Paul as he found him He could not be moved ere the more to do Act. 24. 27. 1 King 12. 33. 2 Chron. 28. 22. him Justice Felix left Paul bound Jeroboam was as ill and that wicked Ahaz much worse after judgements upon them Simon Magis waxed worse and worse after that warning given him by Peter Hell is likewise full of such troubled Consciences there is continuall sorrowing but yet continuall sinning Rev. 16. 11. 9. 20 21. They gnaw their tongues because of their pains yet blaspheme God with their tongues and repent not to give him glorie as they Revel 16. 11. It is not the thorn in the hand throbbing and burning which makes the hand well but the pulling of it out 3. Those are ill troubles whose cure is 3. When an ill cure sought evil or when an evil course is taken for their removal as 1. When men go to outward means to remove an inward grief and go not to God Cain goes and travels first leaves his Countrey to see if he can leave his sting of Conscience he afterwards settles himself to emploiment in building but Cain carries his hell with him Saul while his ill fit is on him sends for David and seekes to still his distempered spirit by his musick An ill Diversion doth but Prorogue not end the disease It is like the casting of water upon the outside of the house when it is all of a flame within or
They ever who take more care to get great States then good Consciences do but consult shame to their Honours and ruine to their Houses They are like the foolish woman who puls down her house with her own hands Wo to him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by wrong That vâ—eth his neighbours work without wages That saith I will build me a wide house and large chambers and cutteth him out windows and Jer. 22. 13 14 15 16. it is ceiled with Cedar and painted with Vermilion Shalt thou reign because thou closest thy self in Cedar Did not thy father eat and drink and do Judgement and Justice and then it was well with him Was not this to know me saith the Lord How many Examples do we see continually before our eyes of them who gather riches and not by right who are taken from them in the midst of their dayes and in the end die like fooles Jer. 17. 11. Jeroboam would never be beholden to Conscience or Pietie to secure his State and Crown Policie should do it but did not his State-designes become a sin and a curse to the whole house of Jeroboam to root them out of the Land Ahab must not scruple the way of getting Naboths Vineyard to get it was the thing but did he joy it The Prophet meets him with a cold Gratulation Hast thou killd and also taken possession where the dogs licked the bloud of Naboth the dogs shall lick thy bloud also Did Achan thrive any better with his stolne wedge of gold Or Gehazi with his two bags of silver of two Talents The Consumption in Conscience breeds ordinarily a consumption in the state This maketh the furrowes in the field cry out and the stone in the wall and the beam out of the timber answer Wo to him who addeth house to house field to field and pound to pound till they are alone Doth not this leave great houses without inhabitant and fair houses without any to dwell in them This makes all fly at last the beam from the timber the timber from the wall the wall from the house the house from the name and the name it self from the face of the earth His sentence is Write this man childless a man that shall not prosper all his dayes for his heart and Jer. 22. 30. his eyes are onely for covetousness and oppression and violence to do it Whoâ—e Grand-childe doth the third Generation call happie in that Patrimonie dearly purchased by the expense of his Ancestors good Conscience what house stands long that is founded on the ruines of integritie and righteousness whoso gathereth by labour increaseth whoso by indirect courses undoeth himself It is godliness which is the great gain it is the name and memoriall of the godly which shall be blessed it is the posteritie of the righteous which alone is happie Godliness hath the Promise of this life also as well as of that to come Noahs Ark we know was not onely the Preserver of the Church but of the whole Universe So shall we finde good Conscience not onely the best Keeper of the Soul but of the State Trust this thou maist with all that thou â—rt worth 4. This discovers yet a worse decaie then that of temporall States the Ground of that Decaie in Grace whence it is that there are so many broken Professours bankrupts in Religion and decaied Apostates in the Church Hymeneus and Alexander this broke their backs They were men sometimes of as good account and great esteem as any other men in all that rich and mightie Citie Ephesus forward men very likely to make eminent Ones in time They let fall puritie and strictness of Conscience then were corrupted then corrupt others then denie Fundamentals then broach blasphemies then turn Persecutors then were as a Pest and Gangrene to the Church then out of Communion thereof they are cast and at last miserably they ended When good Conscience once departs the unclean spirit comes in and takes possession brings in seven unclean spirits into a house formerly emptie swept and garnished they dwell and stay there till the last state of that man is worse then the first Break once these Old Bottles of good Conscience and all the wine of Grace and Comfort runs out all is marred the man is a lost man From prophane and vain babbling men proceed at last to Highest ungodliness as the Apostles Advertisement is uâ—on the lapse and downfall of these miserable seducers 2 Tim. 2 16 17. 5. This doth also clearly demonstrate That by Apostolical Rules and the Primitive Discipline Toleration is not to be granted nor Church-Fellowship allowed to men who are of loose and profligate Consciences and corrupt opinions they who cease to be members of Christ and act for Satan are to have no longer Com-membership with the Church but are to be delivered up to Satan as we see in the Text. Notice is to be given of them and of their Errors to the Church their mouthes to be stopped their Companie to be avoided and the godly warned to beware of them 2 Tim. 4. 15. 6. This resolves us how the world comes to swarm with foul and pestilent opinions this chief stone is laid aside by the most of unskilfull builders Wood hay and stubble is brought in to litter the Church in stead of gold silver and precious stones 1 Cor. 3. The first decaie is commonly here still Hymeneus and Alexander laying aside Conscience as legal and servile and Old-Testament ware become soon tainted with noisom opinions at last come up to open blasphemies and professed detestation of Paul God doth expose unconscionable Christians to errors in Faith Dr Twisse Zech. 11. 10 14 15. and all such like sound Teachers God in his just judgement smites such Teachers in their right eye and in their right hand they are corrupt both in judgement and practice and become no better then idol-Teachers coming before God with the idols of their hearts and laying stumbling blocks of iniquitie before the peoples face And indeed whensoever the Teacher layes by the Staffe of Beautie Faith and breaketh the Staffe of Bands Good Conscience what hath he left to take but the instruments of a foolish shepherd some absurd and dangerous opinions which drown men in perdition and errour while they speak high sounding swelling words of vanitie 2 Pet. 2. 18 19. and promise others Libertie themselves are the captive servants of all corruption 7. This informs us whence it ordinarily ariseth that many have lost that former Peace and those sweet Soul-Comforts they have sometimes had they have lost or wounded their Conscience The Lamp being broken the Oile is lost and the light goes out of it self Men little minde this but here is the common bane of all They are excellent Observations of Learned Ames Med. Theol. lib. 1. cap. 30. Prouâ— fides Conscientia vigent aut languent in hominibus si◠〈◊〉 certituâ—o augâ—tuâ— aut dimiâ—â—â—â—ur
Ceâ—titudo Salâ—tis non eâ—t ab aliis neque alias perâ—ipitur niâ— ab iis qui unaâ—um fide â—â—tinent boâ—am Conscientiâ—m idque dwn eam retinent sine graviore aliquo vulnere quod à peccatis iis infertur quae vastare solent Conscientiam Dr Ames in this respect Look saith he how much thy Faith and good Conscience do rise or fall so is thy Comfort and Assurance of Salvation more or less Therefore saith he Assurance of Salvation is neither had by other men nor by any other manner then by those who together with Faith do keep a goâ—d Conscience and that onely while they keep Conscience from any greater wound which is usually given by those sins which do waste and make havock of Conscience And at last he concludes Qui igitur sine ulla fidei Resipiscentiae sensu aut cuâ—â certò sperant Salutem praesumendo sperant sperando pereunt Whosoever without care had of Faith Repentance and good Conscience persuade themselves they have Assurance of Salvation that Perswasion is their Presumption and that Presumption will be their Perdition Conscience doth not use to collogue and flatter any man it will tell every man his own If you make it sad it will make you as sad And if you be found to it what you should not wonder not if you finde that to you what you would not who can make me glad but the same who was made sorrie by me said the Apostle in another case 2 Cor. 2. 2. When thou hast put away Puritie of Conscience wonder not if thou wantest Peace of Conscience The Bell when cracked loseth not onely his former soundness but the pleasantness of his former sound The crackt Conscience makes but harsh musick What man could exspect a song of the Lord in a Babylon of sin There was no voice of Bridegroom or Bride or sound of Harp to be heard any more Revel 18. 23. But the Harpers and Singers are onely to be found upon Mount Sion Revel 14. 1 2. 8. This informs us whence it is that many come to die so Tragically despairingly and to make such fearfull ends They have like Zimri set their own house of Conscience afire and now must perish in it Some have attempted to make away themselves some have done it as Saul Judas and Abithophel some have accursed themselves as Spira some have blasphemed God as Cain and they mentioned Revel 16. 11. All fruits of this shipwrack of Conscience All these fierie and devouring flames break out of the AEtna of a sulphurie and hellish Conscience Maxima violatio Conscientiae maximum peccatum Ames The more thou doest wound another mans Conscience thou dost offend against Charitie and therefore dost the more wound Christ 1 Cor. 8. 12. The more thou woundest and grievest thy own Conscience thou offendest against Pietie and therefore thou sinnest against and grievest the holy Ghost Paul while a Pharisee had done worse acts then Judas he had been a raging Persecutor a desperate blasphemer of Christ a compeller of others to blaspheme he had his hand in the bloud of holy Martyrs Judas did none of these hideous Acts yet Paul saved Judas damned Paul found mercie because what he did he did ignorantly in unbelief he had never gone 1 Tim. 1. 13 against the light of his own Conscience Therefore he said Act. 23. 1. he had walked in all good Conscience before God to that day The like 2 Tim. 1. 3. I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure Conscience But as for Judas he could have no cloak for his sin he went fully against the clear light of his own Conscience therefore he had the more sin and the more horrour The consumption of Conscience doth not onely bring the outward state into a consumption that such die beggers or bankrupts but it as usually brings the inward man into fits of Convulsions which are hardly cured and at last they die in one of those fits in great horrour When Conscience hath been often fretted and grated upon by known and allowed sins at length it breeds an Vlcer in Conscience which is the most tormenting disease in the world beyond any Vlcer in Bowels or Bladder These live and die in great extremities of Miserie The stroke at Conscience is the stroke at the fift Rib the fatall and deadly stroke 9. Lastly it informs us whence it is that some have arrived at the highest pitch of impietie to commit that sin of sins that sin against the holy Ghost It is ever first by muzzling and snubbing their Conscience and afterwards intreating it worse wasting worrying and stabbing of it No other way of coming up to this incurable disease and unpardonable state but by violation of Conscience Keep this fierie sword in thy hand The Word of God turning every way in the door of Conscience and the Tree of Life is guarded The Gate of Paradise kept no danger of committing the sin against the holy Ghost But on the other side when thou dost cross the Line and swim through and over and beyond thy Conscience then is the Gulf fixed and the Gate of Hell shut that there is no coming thence for them that would as no coming thither but over this Gulf. CHAP. XX. Of the second Application of the Point by way of Lamentation THe second Use is of Lamentation And it may 1. Be a Generall Lamentation carrying a Wo in the mouth of it for the Generall want of Good Consciences in this age And I may justly make it as large as that of our Saviour Matth. 18. 7. Wo to the world saith he because of offences All the world is faultie in this kinde more or less So may we say Wo to the world because of ill Consciences All the world in generall and most called Christians in particular herein being blame-worthy Run to and fro into the Cities of Israel and in the streets of Jerusalem Jer. 5. 1. and enquire and see if you can finde a man of Conscience in this Generation We may change Job's Quaere Vbinam invenienda est sapientia Job 28. 12 20. ubinam est locus Intelligentiae Where is wisdom to be found and where is the place of understanding into ubinam invenienda est Conscientia ubinam est Locus Integritatis where is Conscience to be found and what is the Place of Integritie The best of men that make Enquirie after her complain that shee is not seen so much abroad as she was wont to be The most of men say that shee is either departed or drawing on toward her departure And prophane ones say that Conscience was hanged many a day ago indeed my Text tells us that shee was drowned long ago and perished in shipwrack but they are much mistaken to say it was good Conscience for it was the ill Conscience that perished The Good Conscience fears neither the Gallowes nor Hell it is the best Preservative against both But sad it
is that there is so little reckoning made of Conscience now adaies Bernards old complaint may be renewed Multi Scientiam pauci Conscientiam quaerunt Many are for Science few for Conscience In stead of that Double Knowledge of which we spake at first for such is Conscience we have only single which is Speculation and therefore in stead of single dealing such is Sinceritie we have too much of double which is Dissimulation In former time we were wont to call the Godly man The conscientious man The man of conscience Now we commend the man of Parts and the able man whereas when all is done the Conscionable man will be found the able man And this better part is the best Parts The man of wisdom is the Prov. 24. 5. man of strength said the wise man though now we call the proud happie and the bold and daring man we call wise judicious prudent But did not our fathers hearts and Lives and Dealings excell ours much more then our knowledge gifts and light exceed theirs They might desire to see our daies for Libertie of Profession and Puritie of Ordinances and we may desire to see their dayes again for strictness of life singleness of heart and uprightness in their dealing They had more Conscience though less Knowledge we have more Knowledge but less Conscience we have greater Scholars they had better men they were more for Devotion we are more for Disputation As Seneca commended former times when men strove rather to do well and virtuously then to speak well and eloquently but blamed the following times when men had got the art of speaking accurately but lost the Habit of doing worthily Vbi docti prodierunt boni esse desierunt So may we say of our times compared with those of late before us We have all learnt to speak the Language of Canaan yet live the life of Canaanites We have yeelded up our two Forts Faith and Good Conscience the Bulwarks of Christendom as I may call them of Christianitie they are unto the enemie That of Faith into the hands of infidelitie errour and heresie and that of Good Conscience into the hands of hypocrisie impietie Libertinisme Where is our old English Sinceritie to be found Our first Love to old truths Our zeal for God Contending for the Faith Our Humilitie of life Our strictness and exact walking It was a great reproach to Israel that there was more faith found in one Centurion him an Heathen then in all of Luke 7. 9. them again and what a dishonor is it unto us that there was more of singleness of heart more of Faith of Love of all Pietie to be found in our fathers in the daies of begun Reformation then is to be found in a Land professing righteousness and by Covenant engaged to Personall and Exemplarie Reformation We may say Surgunt indocti rapiunt Regnum Coelorum c. They went into the Kingdom of Heaven before us and we may fear to be shut out after them They might well be saved though more ignorant we may fear to perish though more knowing They were as it were in the night but had the Pillar of fire among them in which was heat more then light we are indeed in the Sinite ergo finite sapientes hujus saeculi de spiritu hujus mundi â—umentes alta sapientes terram lingentes sapienter descendere in infernum de Vit. Sol. day but have onely a cloud in which is more coolness and shade then light and beautie Bernard speaks of some that were much wiser and more skilfull then others yet all the use they made of their wisdom was to go to Hell in a more neat and handsom manner And let them go thither saith he with all their wisdom and fine Parts How much is it to be lamented that all the use that many make of the present light of the Gospel is but to light them into the chambers of death and this onely benefit they have by it that they do not go to Hell in the dark as others have done These when they come at death to reflect on themselves may take up Nero's words and cry out Quantus Artifex pereo How great an Artist was I to undo my self and how great skill had I to go to Hell 2. And here have we not just cause to proceed in our Lamentation further when we take notice not onely of the want of Conscience in the most and of the decay of Conscience in the best but when we have been beholders of the fatall and frequent shipwracks of good Conscience that have been made in these tempestuous and Faith-trying times to the hazarding of the loss both of Church and State both of Truth and Peace Wracks and Losses at Sea if many together and frequent whether the Vessels be taken by Pyrates or cast away by Tempests tend to the decaying and impoverishing of the greatest States and Kingdomes All being concerned in such a Loss Commodities thereupon growing more scarce and dear Though the Loss be greatest to the Adventurers and Owners who are usually undone thereby and their backs broken as we say How sad and dismall a sight is it to behold a ship now neer her sinking in the depth of the Sea whether it happen through the Pilots carelesness splitting against a rock or the Mariners slackness to do their dutie at the Pump and stopping Leaks or through the badness of the Vessell But what a lamentable Exoritur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum spectacle is it exceeding all Expression what hideous noise is then made what crying out what taking on what running up and down what catching hold But whether can they run what can they catch hold of They are all at their wits end they perish both young and old all together buried all alive in one vast and insatiable grave What a sudden what a horrid what a Totall what an irrecoverable Loss is there all at once A sudden Loss of all their goods a horrid Loss of all their Persons and Lives a totall Loss of the ship and all in her An irrecoverable Loss of All. In one shipwrack a thousand may be concerned and very many utterly undone A shipwrack is more dreadfull then the Calamitie of fire ordinarily The water being the more merciless and masterless Element of the two though both dreadfull and in many things alike amazing and undoing Yet 1. Fire doth not usually break out on such a sudden This may be in an instant 2. From the Fire somewhat ordinarily may be reserved by carrying away the goods off the Ground What can be preserved here 3. From the Fire the man whose house is consuming may escape and save himself and his little ones though he have not opportunitie to remove his goods Here is no flying here 4. In a dangerous Fire the Neighbours come neer offering their common contributions to help to stay it Here who can come neer to rescue 5. In the fire one part
who shall therefore walk in white for they are worthy these we may call the Phaenixes of the World The good Conscience saith Bernard is Rara Avis in Terris sed quò rarior apud homines eò charior apud Deum These men are the Noahs Lots Calebs and Joshuahs of their Generations for whom the World fares the better and of whom God takes special care when times are worst These are indeed the Chariots and Horsmen of Israel How happy is he that can say with Hezekiah Remember O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart 2. Kin. 20. 3. and have done that which was good in thy sight Or with Paul My rejoycing is this the Testimony 2. Cor. 1. 12. of my Conscience that in simplicity and godly sineerity I have had all my Conversation in the World I can stand up and say I have corrupted no man defrauded no man circumvented no man Let all the world stand up and say whose Oxe or Asse I have taken Premat corpus Secura cum corpus morie ur Secura cum anima coram Deo praesentabitur Secura cum utrumque in die judicij ante terrisicâ—m judicis Tribunal statuitur De Consc c. 3. Bern tremat mundus fremat Diabolus illa semper erit secura This man hath his house built on a Rock he remains secure whatsoever winds blow and when the rain falls and the flouds arise He is secure in Sicknesse and secure in Death when body and soul are dissolved He is secure in Judgement when Heaven and Earth shall be dissolved and secure to Eternity when the wicked are destroyed He hath the Ark pitcht within and without he hath the Hid Manna and the white Stone He hath bread to eat others know not of His Candle goâ—s not out by night His Gleanings better than the Worldlings Vintage His dry morsel sweeter than a house full of Sacrifices with strife and contenton His Corner of the house top or Wildernesse more delightfull than the fair and large house where that clamourous and contentious Shrew the unquiet scolding Conscience is continually dropping or scalding rather This man his walks are in the wood dropping with Hony his dwellings upon the mountains of Myrrhe his lodging upon beds of Spices This man hath the best fare and merriest life in the 〈◊〉 1â— 15 16. World A continual Feast Feasting yoâ— know is not ordinary fare it is for no manâ— ease to Feast every day Some great meâ— have Feasâ—ed may be once a year as rich Nabal Kings and Princes on their Birth-dayes as Pharaoh and Herod Job had a great State to set out his Children withal they Feasted often but not every day at the same house but took their turns Ahasuerus had a Feast of an hundred and fourscore dayes lasting the longest that we read of yet he was King of an hundred twenty and seven Provinces God appointed his People should Feast of old yet but three times in the year except it were the Sabbatical year and the Jubile then all was Festival the whole year throughout and in the Jubile for two years one after another No man ever Feasted alway but that Glutton Luk. 16. 19. This man exceeds them all he hath not one great Dinner as at a Christmas Feast or one good Supper as at an Vniversity Commencement and away But every day is Festival with him his whole life is a Sabatical or Jubile life He is ever either Feasting or Feasted at home or abroad Either he is Feasted abroad and Supping with Christ or Feasting at home Christ Supping with him Yea this good Conscience is to Jesus Christ and to the Soul too both the feasting room and the feasting fare it is the Chamber and it is the Chear Christ will come into no other room but this This Sit Conscientia pura ut Deum perducat aâ— hospitium nostrum Bern. de iu. domo is his Vpper Chamber furnished and made ready where Christ will sit down with his Disciples and Servants and this the fare Give me thy heart saith he The Purity of Conscience is our best Dishwhich we can Feast him withal and the Peace of Conscience is Christs best Dish which he Feasts us withal Thus you see what a good House-keeper the good Conscience-keeper is He hath a continuall Feast saith Solomon Pro. 15. 15. And in the two following verses he answereth two Objections of the worldly mans making First they ask Hath he so much feasting I pray you what is his State first And secondly What good Chear hath he at his Table To the first he answereth ver 16. He may be but a poor man to see to yet he keepeth such a good house for Better is his little with the Fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith And for his good Chear on his Table it may be it is but homely yet his Dinner of Herbs where Love is the Love of God is is better than a stalled Oxe and Hatred therewith So that Solomons meaning in those three verses is that a Good Conscience is a Feast alone and Riches alone and Mirth alone and that all good is contained in a good Conscience which is a most comprehensive good CHAP. XXIV Of the Vse of Examination HAving already shewed what good Conscience is in general what his Nature what his Offices what is the Excellency Necessity Utility Benefit Comfort and Happinesse of it what the several kinds of good Conscience in particular are and what their Marks and Characters and what is the Mischief and Misery of an ill Conscience and what the Difficulties of getting and keeping the good and escaping the bad Let it now be every mans care to Try and Examine himself how much of Consciis in him and what the constitution of his Conscience is How much of Faith Purity Sincerity Tendernesse Quick-sightednesse Well-spokenness Honesty Inoffencivenesse Passivenesse and Charity is in his Conscience that he may take his part in the Promises Comfort Happinesse and Priviledges belonging to the good Conscience or whether he never had yet any good Conscience at all or have lost what he had or whether that he takes for good be not bad whether he be not the man that hath onely a natural Conscience or an ill troubled or an ill quiet whether his Conscience be not an erroneus or scrupulous or stupid or Lethargick or seared Conscience And so whether those former Reproofs Terrors Threats and miseries are not like to pursue and overtake him I shall not need here to come to any more new marks of discovery if you have well attended what was spoken all along in handling those particular good Consciences with their properties whereto I now refer you Only let every one remember that of the Prophet Malachie Therefore take heed to Mal. 2. 15. your Spirit saith he let evey one be well versed in himself There are three Books well studied and compared one with
the other which make the able Divine or eminent Christian 1. The Book of Scripture 2. The Book of Providence or Experience 3. The Book of Conscience These three I say must be studied diligently and compared Read any of the three alone it profits not Read any two of them without the third thou wilt be imperfect 1. Scripture knowledge alone without Experience and Conscience makes not a Christian 2 ly Providence and Experience alone without Scripture and Conscience 3 ly Conscience alone without the other two No nor yet as I said any two of them without the third 1. Not Scripture and Experience without Conscience 2. Not Experience and Conscience without Scripture 3. Not Scripture and Conscience without Experience Conscience is one of the chiefest volumes thou must read then and self Examination is a Christians great Task Therefore saith Bernard Seek to be well acquainted with thy self Enter into thy self Run through thy self yet stay in thy self Begin with thy self end with thy self but Nulla scientia melior illa quâ homo novit seipsum relinque ergo caetera teipsum aiscute per te curre in te consiste A te incipiat cogitatio tua in te finiatur nec frustra in alia distendaris te neglecto postea Si nondum dignus es intrare Tabernaculum primum quâ fronte praesumis ingredi secundum id est Sanctum Sanctorum Ber. de Int. domo cap. 65. Enter into this first Tabernacle every day if thou wouldest enter the Sanctum Sanctorum once in the end of the year that is of thy life leave not thy self As therefore the Orator said of Tully I may say of Conscience Ille se plurimum profecisse sciat cui Conscientia valde placuerit That man may know he hath made a good proficiency who is more and more delighted in Conscience Let each Christian therefore try and consider what an one he is for Conscience I say not for knowledge and profession All have knowledge all make profession But how far doth a little Conscience go among a great many Professours The number of the Rom. 9. 27. Children of Israel is as the sand on the Sea shore yet how small a remnant saved There are threescore Queens fourscore Concubines Virgins without number yet my Dove my Vndefiled is but one the onely one of her Mother she is the choise one of her that bare her The Daughters saw and blessed her the Queens and Concubines and they praised her Cant. 6. 8 9. There were never more Saints and never fewer Saints said one truly Never more Nominal and fewer Real Never more Saints and lesse Sanctity And never more talk of Conscience heard and lesse of Conscience seen We can discourse and dispute better than our Fathers they could and did live better Liberty hath like Reuben climbed up into his Mother Conscience's bed and there hath defiled it therefore loseth the Preheminence and Birth-right and shall not excell And as for Purity Charity Tendernesse Inoffensivenesse Sincerity and the like we have sent them afar off as Abraham did the Children of the Concubines But if these things were in us and did abound we should not be so barren and frigid and unfruitfull in the knowledge of Christ as we are whereas for lack of these things men are blind and doting about questions to no profit but to the corrupting of the Speaker and subverting of the Hearers As we are wont to say of a Scholler going to the Vniversitie if he do not as well profit Qui proficit in Dectina deficit in moribus non profitit seâ deficit in his Ethicks in his Behaviour and Morals as he doth in his Logick or in Arts and Tongues he doth not profit but lose So may we well say of the Professor if he profit not as much in Conscience as in bare Science and Opinions his Proficiency is but a Deficiency Who doth not look upon the Toad as a hatefull creature although it have a Pearle in his head because it is full of Poyson within and all speckled without what is that man to be valued who hath a Pearle of knowledge in his brain if another had it but his inward parts are very wickednesse he swels with poysonous Pride within and his life spotted abroad But here is the difference you shall alway find between the knowledg of an Hyppocrite and the true Christian The Hypocrites knowledge is like the light of the increasing Moon which increaseth in Light and bignesse onely not at all in Heat But the light of the true Christian is like the rising Sun in the morning or the Vernal Sunne in the Spring where light and heat are conjoyned the darknesse and coldnesse of the night is lessened the heat of the day is increased The Moon grows lighter and lighter and bigger and bigger but not hotter and hotter Her Plenilunium or full is as cold as her Wane But the rising Sun we all see doth not onely go higher and higher but growes hotter and hotter The Hypocrite hath onely an increase in knowledge in his Plenilunium and full he hath no heat in Conscience and affections to be discerned the true Christian hath both light and heat increasing alike together There is a four-fold knowledge in the world a knowledge of Speculation which is the hypocrites knowledge a knowledge joined with dislike and disobedience which is the knowledge of the Devils a knowledg joyned with delectation and complacency which is the Angels knowledge And the knowledge joyned with Conscience and good affections which is the Christians The hypocrite with all his swelling knowledge is like those children which have the Rickets whose head indeed growes bigger than another childs but their strength lesse they fall into an Atrophy they thrive not but pine away and die So the hypocrites head is unproportionable to his other parts he is swollen big with notions and opinions but thrives not in substantial graces and grows not strong in Faith and Conscience Look therefore every one to his Conscience and hereby know thy state look well that if thou hast not yet got a good Conscience thou mayest seek to get one if thou hast then seek to hold and keep it if thou hast lost it seek to recover it if it be evil get it amended if ignorant get it informed if erring get it rectified if dead quickened if hard softened if asleep awakened if corrupt purified if unquiet pacified CHAP. XXV The Vse of Exhortation NOw are we come to the last use which is Hortatory which I might make twofold First for Dehortation Secondly of Exhortation But I would now hasten to an end First for Dehortation let me charge thee in the Name of God and upon thy Soul to take heed of an ill Conscience what ever other evils thou mayest lie under Pray with Austin Deliver me Lord from the evill man I mean my self and deliver me from an evill Conscience I mean my own With Agur pray Remove
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 head this is the day it hath longed for and the place where it desires to be heard 1 Joh. 3. 20 21. Hereby we know saith the Apostle that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him for if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence or boldnesse before God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Libertatem aut audaciam quid vis dicendi This will make the Godly man in that great Audit to give up his account with joy and not with grief 4. To all Eternity Conscientia bona perfectè tranquilla et laeâ—a est formalis essentialis beatitudo sanctorum in vita futura Ames de Cons l. 1. c. 15. Lastly which is above all it leads him the way ad Gloriosè Regnandum aeternùmque Triumphandum It is the step to the highest glory and is the state of highest Beatitude To be feasted with the fruits of a good Conscience this is Angels food and one of the sweet-meats of Heaven As the evil accusing and tormenting Conscience is one of the greatest miseries in Hell causing the fire never to be quenched because their worm never dieth So the good Conscience is one principal Delicate in Heaven Therefore in that day Christ will not onely tell the Godly how much he hath done and suffered for them but he will tell his Father what they have done and suffered for him I was hungry these have fed me thirsty these gave me drink These have kept the word of my Patience These were not ashamed of my Name where Satan had his Throne These have kept their Garments unspotted therefore they shall walk with me in white Hence it is that the Crown of Glory is not onely called a Crown of Grace because the gift of God But the Crown of Righteousnesse because the Reward of this warfare for faith and good Conscience Then shall the Godly be satisfied from himself and the fruit of his hands shall be given him Then shall flow Pro. 12. 14 forth from the belly of each Beleever Riverâ— of living water rivers of Peace Joy Comfort to all Eternity where Repentance and Faith and Hope and Patience and Knowledge and Tongues and Prophecying shall cease there shall good Conscience continue and in it Life and Joy and Glory Consider on the other side the miseries of an ill Conscience in every condition both in Mot. 4 life death and after both First in life In midst of prosperity he can have no security Job 20. per totum read especially ver 16 17 22 23 24. He shall suck the poyson of Asps the Vipers tongue shall slay him He shall not see the Rivers the Flouds the Brooks of Honey and Butter In the fulnesse of his sufficiency he shall be in straights Every hand of the wicked shall come upon him when he is about to fill his belly God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him and shall rain it upon him while he is yet eating c. and so Job 15. 21. A dreadful sound is in his ears in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him As Adonijah in the day of his Coronation riseth from the table he and all his Guests fly and shift for themselves a short Reign a mourning Feast Or as Belshazzar in his Banquet when he sees the Hand-writing dread and horrour seizeth on him And as the Syrians upon a secret noise God caused 2 Kin. 7. 6. them to hear fled disorderly from their Tents leaving all their wealth and good chear a booty to the hunger-famished Israelites What torment like that of an ill Conscience of which that forenamed Authour Dr. Stoughton ubi supra excellently speaks All outward blessings saith he cannot make that man happy that hath an ill Conscience no more than warm cloathes can produce heat in a dead carkasse if you would heap never so many upon it There is no peace to the wicked Aut si pax bello pax ea deterior For this man in his greatest fortunes is but like him who is worshipt in the street with cap and knee but as soon as he is stept within doors is cursed and rated by a scolding wife Like him that is lodged in a Bed of Ivory covered with cloth of Gold but all his bones within are broken Like a book of Tragedies bound up in Velvet all fair without but black within the leaves are Gold but the lines are bloud O the rack O the torment O the horrour of a guilty mind There is no hell so dark as an evill conscience Secondly but much more in adversity ill Conscience that hath long lien silent and quiet is apt to cry out and fly in the face as Josephs Brethren in their distresse were forced to cry out Gods hand was just upon them Their sin which was before Peccatum susurrans is now Peccatum clamans such cry out as Saul in his distresse I am sore distressed the Philistims make war upon 1 Sam. 28. 15. me and the Lord hath forsaken me and answers me no more then poor soul he goes to hell for comfort and accordingly he sped Such have neither Joy in Life nor Hope in death Vtrinque timidi as Eusebius Euseb l 6. cap. 42. speaks of some in the time of the Persecution under Decius Cowardly and unsound Christians who were timidi cum ad moriendum â—um ad sacrifiâ—andum A lamentable case neither would their Conscience serve to let them Sacrifice to the Heathen Idols nor would their heart serve them to die for refusing So were they in a miserable strait between two dangers of losing Life and wounding Conscience and could no way satisfy themselves whereas good Conscience had seen in such a case what was presently to be chosen Ill Conscience never made good Martyr yet But there are three times especially wherein ill Conscience proclaimeth Terror and Rev. 8. 13. as the Angell in the Revelation flies over the head of a sinner crying Woe Woe Woe First One Woe in life Secondly Two Woes at death Thirdly But Three Woes at the day of Judgement 1 Woe in this life The first woe is in this life But this how dreadfull soever is the least because the shortest and hath an end in a little space of a few dayes or years therefore it is said the first woe is passed but behold two worse woes come shortly upon it Rev. 9. 12. The Second woe is at death This is a great 2. Woe at death woe double to the former the furnace is heated seven times hotter than it could be in this Life And as the Apostle saith of the Godlies afflictions all the sufferings of this present time are not to be compared to that Glory that is to follow so may we say all the sufferings of this life to the wicked whether in Body or in Spirit are nothing to be compared to those that follow This is a long lasting woe But yet of the second woe it is also said
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
to dissert the faith of Christ yet afterwards by his wives means she being an Arrian he was perverted and being Co-Emperour with his Godly Brother Valentinian he grew a Pseudo-Christian first nec Arrianus nec Christianus propemodum visus est He was neither perfect Arrian nor a perfect Christian afterwards grew a Persecutor at last he went to enquire of the Devill who should be his successor and upon the Ambiguous answer of the Diabolicall Oracle that his successours name should begin with Theod He put to death many a man all such whose name began with those letters as Theodorus Mag Cent. 4. cap. 3. Theodotus Theodoulus Theodosiolus and the like The third kind of Faith necessary to good 3. A particular warranting Faith Conscience is that particular warranting saith as I may call it to legitimate our actions which particular warranting faith may be also called a kind of Justifying faith in a certain sense I mean not justifying the person from all guilt but that action from sin Every action that is good in it self hereby becomes sanctified to the use of Conscience by the word of God the word of faith as it is called Of this particular warranting faith the Apostle speaks when in things of an indifferent and doubtfull nature he saith Let Every Rom. 14. 5. one be fully perswaded in his own mind that is let him be fully satisfied in his Conscience concerning his wayes whether for practising or forbearing this or that Whatsoever is not of this faith is sin that is whatsoever a man doth practise Conscientià fluctuante or much more Conscientiâ reclamante his Conscience wavering or gain-saying must needs be sinful in him though it be not sinful to another Of this that Aphorism also in the same Chapter is to be understood He that Rom. 14. 23. doubteth is damned if he eat he meaneth not that in what ever faith laying hold on Gospel and saving promises there is not full assurance but many doubts yet arising and fears yet remaining that soul hath no true faith and therefore is in the state of Damnation but his meaning is that he who is bold in practising what he yet sees no warrant for in the word doth wound his Conscience having not that sincerity and tendernesse of Conscience which he ought to look after and therefore is justly condemned and blamed Secondly Repentance and the daily renewing 2. Means Repentance thereof is the next means to get and keep the good Conscience This ever goes along with true faith Mar. 1. 15. Repent and beleeve the Gospel Repentance is as necessary to be taught and practised as Remission of sins to be preached and beleeved Luk. 24. 47. Paul where he came taught both this was the total sum of all he taught Act. 20. 21. They who would set your Conscience free to the commission of sin and yet keep it free from confession and contrition for sin while they promise you liberty they proclaim themselves the very servants of all corruption The Scripture rule is Job 11. 14 15. If Iniquity be in thy hand put it far away and let not wickednesse dwell in thy Tabernacles For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot yea thou shalt be stedfast and thou shalt not fear But if thou do evil sin will lie at the doors not to be driven away but by repentance and there it will lie to keep in Terror to keep out Comfort If sin and guilt have not yet come in they lie at the door when thou steppest out at death they will fly at thy face and tear out thy throat therefore if thou lovest thy own peace and safety put it far away from thy Tabernacle saith Zophar Conscience must shut all known sin out of doors or sin will soon thrust Conscience out of doors Conscience well maintained resists and disarmes sin sin once entertained and a while maintained grows too hard for Conscience Take heed then of harbouring this Guest or turning in to this Host sin it will Jael-like after soft language sugred entertainment in thy sleep assault thee and fasten thee to the ground Take not in this Jonah at a venture though he pay his fare when he comes in he will raise a storm ere he be gotten out Revive this discontinued duty and work of repentance Dream not of lodging sin and peace together in the same heart or at most with a small partition to have Peace within doors and Sin without doors David once thought without the labour of repentance to have secured himself from the trouble and infamy of his foul Adultery what doth he he sends for Vriah pretends businesse with him and after discourses past dismisseth him home to his house Vriah would not be gotten from Davids door To prevent the shame that David would have smothered sin must be added to sin next day Vriah is made drunk yet at the door he lies again Then must he be made away to send the shame packing But did not Davids sin find him out break in upon him and at last made his bed too hot to hold him and too we◠for him to sleep in He may now too late swim in tears and wash his defiled bed with weeping ere he recover his Peace So dangerous it is to play neer this Cockatrices Den and to put the finger upon the hole of the Asp See the like again in Amnon the son of David who having committed that villanous act of an incestuous rape upon his Sister Tamar thought it was but driving her down stairs and shutting the door upon her and the sin and danger was over But did not his sin lie at the door and after two years come up and stab him Conscience may be unkindly dealt withall and turned out of doors as the Levite did his Concubine and then forced ravished abused yet it will come home to thee again and though it cannot get in will lie at thy door and be at thy Threshold if it cannot go it will creep and if it cannot cry out Jud. 19. 27. there it will lie and in the morning when thou art to go out there thou shalt find it lying to accuse thy unkindnesse and to terrifie thee for thy ill usage of such a bosome friend Zophar tels Job that sin though sweet in Youth will lie downe with thee when old and sick and will not be beaten away This makes a miserable sicknesse and death when sin is in thy bed This is an unquiet bed-fellow Sin and guilt is the worst bed-fellow better death should be thy bed-fellow than sin Sicknesse poverty yea death it self may lie with thee in the same bed and thou take no hurt so that sin and an ill Conscience lie not in the middest between thee and Sicknesse or Death an ordinary bed may hold these two but what bed can hold these three Observe if thou wouldest have a good The third Means Conscience what hints at any time thou hast from
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
shallows and simplicities I will lay upon you no other burthen but what you have already hold fast till I come Rev. 2. 24 25. The truth is Heaven and Glory are not for the learned Scribe and the Scholler-like Disputant for Seraphical parts and Serpentine pates but for the poor and simple the Babes and children who attend the knowledge of God and Conscience and are Ignoramusses in the Worlds Sciences and grand Mysteries He that receiveth not the Kingdome of God as a little child shall not enter therein These times of ours have been too fruitful in disputes and controversies in dealing with which as there is no end so in the end no satisfaction at all or benefit To which therefore that of the wise man may be applyed Better is the End than the Beginning though Both are Vanity and better than them both is a total abstinence from them and an harmlesse nescience of them But how barren are we and unfruitfull in the right knowledge of God and faith in Jesus Christ and that conscientiousnesse which doth adorn the Christian. Never was there more Knowledge in the World and never lesse Never so many Saints never so few Never so much of Conscience in the world and never so little Notionall Knowledge never more Substantiall and Obedientiall never lesse Titular Saints never so many their number as the sand of the Sea their nature as the stones or myre in the streets Reall Saints never so few their nature as the Stars in the Skie but their number lesse than of the most precious Stones and Rubies fewer than the gates of Jerusalem or the precious Stones in Aarons Brest-plate for each Tribe one Never so much of Conscience heard never so little of it seen Every man propounding doubtful Queries about it but one plain man in a family or two in a Tribe busying themselves about the exercise of it But as Austin very excellently said of the Poor Gardiner who hath an excellent Fruit-tree in his Orchyard whereof he is the undoubted Owner he gathers and eats the Fruit he tastes the sweetnesse this man saith he hath much more benefit by this Tree though he be a mean Scholler can neither write or read nor can he tell you the name of his Tree in Greeke or Latine nor doth hee know any thing of the Antiquity of it or the Original roote whence it came He is no such Artist as to take the height of it nor ever busied he himselfe to measure the compasse and thicknesse of his Tree much lesse to tell the Twigs and number the Apples on it But he is sure he is the owner of it and it is all his with all Appurtenances He lookes to the fencing pruning dressing dunging of his Tree and gathering of the fruit He I say hath far more good by this Tree than he that can learnedly in any language discourse of it and tell you the Physical nature of the fruit and can exactly tell you his Age Descent and to an Inch give you his Thicknesse and Height and tell you how many Twigs and Leaves there are upon it and how much fruit to an Apple but all this while it is none of his So surely he is much the happier man who though he fall short in matter of parts yet is he the man that lookes to his Conscience and minds that Conscience is the summe of the whole matter it is the Totum Dei and the Totum Hominis too First it is the Totum Dei the whole charge of God and his chief Agent Conscience next to the Son and Spirit and Word of God is invested with the greatest Authority and by Divine Institution his Head is lifted above all his Fellowes and his Throne as Jehoiakims in the day of his Enlargement above all other Thrones and earthly Judicatories It is Gods greatest Officer and Vice-gerent set by him to be as it were thy Angell Keeper Monitor Remembrancer King Prophet Witnesse Examiner Judge yea thy lower Heaven Submit to Conscience it must command thee Be ruled by it it will not wrong thee Be not shie of it it will not betray or deceive thee Againe I say Beware of it provoke it not as the Lord said of his Angel Obey his voice for he will not spare thee If thou slight or flie it it is as the Angel in the way against Balaam to resist thee with a sword in his hand It will be an Adversarie to thee and an Informer against thee an Accuser Witnesse Judge Jaylor Tormentor a Worme Rack Dungeon to thee yea thy upper Hell Secondly Conscience is totum Hominis It is the worlds great Charge Art thou a Minister All that thou hast to doe is onely to look well to Conscience Tota cura animarum absolvitur in solâ curâ Conscientiarum Art thou a Christian this is thy Charge like his 1 King 20. 39. Look well to this see thy eye be never off it Let it not break loose and make escape from thee thy life shall go for it if it do To call Conscience a Grace is too little it is as Hegai the Kings Chamberlaine the Est 2. 3. Keeper of all the Royal Virgins those daughters of Beauty to whose charge they were committed he was to Minister to them all necessaryes he to furnish them with Vestments and Odours to purifie them Conscience is the Keeper of the Graces in whose Chamber they ly and from whose hand they receive whatever is requisite that they may be fit to appear in the presence of the King of Heaven To call Conscience a Duty is too little it is the Summe and Epitome of all duty it is not a Star but a Constellation of many stars It is like the via lactea in the Heavens all beset with stars it is like the Gates and Streets of the new Jerusalem Re. 21. 21. the one all Pearls the other all Gold In a word what ever thou art and what ever is thy work Conscience must be thy Charge and thy work Art thou a Merchant this is the Pearl thou must Trade and lay out for Art thou a Marriner Conscience is the Ship thou must sail in and except thou abide in this ship as Paul said to his Companions thou canst not be saved Art thou a Souldier a Garrison Souldier Conscience is thy Fort to fly to which thou must manfully defend and make good A Field-Souldier Conscience must be thy Word if the enemy get this from thee and thou once fight against Conscience thou shalt be certainly routed and ruined Art thou a Husbandman this thy field to till and Garden to dresse A Tradesman this must be thy Shop to worke in and attend upon A Chapman this thy weight and measure to buy and sell by Art thou a Scholler Conscience must be thy Library at least thy Vade mecum A Divine this must be thy Text or Doctrine at least thy Application must be to Conscience Art thou a Lawyer Conscience must be thy Principall Client
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.
soul that was formerly as tender of sin as the mother of her childe with her own hands slaies and strangles it 14 Note This man again you shall finde him ever consulting rather with honesty justice and duty then with honour commodity and safety If he promiseth passeth his word giveth his hand bond or oath he changeth not though it be to his own prejudice and Psal 15. 4. damage That famous Regulus I now speak of having given his faithfull promise to return again being discharged upon his Paroll though he knew he should die if he did make it good returned again yeelded himself their prisoner again delivering this memorable Maxim to his eternall fame Fides hosti data est servanda Faith is to be kept with whatsoever enemy and upon whatsoever perill This also made Austin so much to extoll him as I said before as a man not altering with his fortunes greatnesse made him not swell nor affliction could make him shrink â—ad tanta exitia revertit Intrepidus Aug. ubi supra Mr. Latimer though he had notice before that the Pursevant would come for him would not absent himself yea when the Pursevant having delivered his Message was willing to have left him behind that he might have made an escape he made himself ready to go along with him Here was no consulting with flesh and blood but with conscience duty and the honour of the Gospel 15 Note Lastly this man alone in the cause of Christ and Religion dare stand it out against the whole world as Athanasius and Luther in their severall Generations sustained the rage and fury of the age they lived in yet were nothing discouraged The three most eminent of all David's valiant men purchased their honour by some singular exploit one of them did the work of many Adino the Eznite the first lift up his Spear against eight hundred at one time and slew them Eliazar the son of Dodo stood his ground and endured the shock of the Philistines Army when all his men had left him The like did Shammah the third of them 2 Sa. 23. 8 9 10. The Philistines were gathered together in a Troop where was a piece of ground full of Lentiles the people fled and left him he stood the charge and beat off the Philistines and made good his ground These things did those three mighty men So a man of conscience considers not so much the danger that lies before him as the duty and necessity that lies upon him to appear in such a time and cause A fiery Elias is the more jealous which is the greatest measure of tenderness and love of the cause truth and worship of God when the whole world is halting between a God and no God and when all his fellow Prophets were slain and butchered and he himself was left alone yea his life laid out for then was a fit time for him to shew his courage and fidelity or jealousie as he calls it 1 Kin. 19. 10. We finde by experience the fire to burn most scorchingly in the extreamest frosty weather and the most generous conscience is then most forward and fervent when he lives in a cold and freezing climate And so much of the tender Conscience CHAP. XIII Of the suffering Conscience THe last conscience we spoke of was the Of the Passive and suffering Conscience Tender Conscience here we are to speak of another Conscience as good as that but quite of a different nature that is the Passive and hardy Conscience which is to admit of no fear timorousness or tenderness at all in it as to suffering as the former was not to allow of any patience or boldnesse at all as to sinning Yet are they not so opposite neither as they may seem to be but both are to be found in the same persons gracious dispositions alway agreeing together and one helping and increasing another The more of that Tenderness we spoke of in the last Chapter the more of this Passiveness if need be will be found of which we speak here yea this hardiness proceeds from that tenderness and is inseparable from it therefore it is fitly handled next to it For as there is a bad base and sinfull tenderness that proceeds from as sinfull a hardness or hardness so is there a holy and honourable hardness that proceeds from the best tenderness There is a childish softness and effeminate tenderness of face and flesh which comes from hardness of heart and there is again a gallant and resolute hardness of face and back as unto men to indure all kinds of pains and tortures which comes from reall tenderness of heart and conscience before God Good Conscience then must not be bred so daintily and kept so tenderly but that it may digest the worlds hardest usage and coursest fare it must be Patiens famis frigoris ensis ignis Patient to all sufferings impatient onely of sin This puts within a man a heart of adamant and upon a man a face of brass or flint He is not dashed out of countenance with the fiery countenance of inraged Tyrants nor made to tremble at the sight of a seven-times-heated fiery furnace We are not carefull to answer thee O King in this matter This is that Conscience which St. Peter so highly commendeth 1 Peter 2. 19. This is thank-worthy saith he if a man for conscience toward God indure grief suffering wrongfully You have not such an expression in all the Bible again that any thing should be thank-worthy with God for our Saviour saith Luke 17. 9 10. Doth any Master thank his Servant when he doth what he commands I trow not So nor can we expect thanks but when we have done all we are to say unprofitable servants we have but done out duty But here St. Peter ver 19. saith This is thank-worthy c. and repeateth it again ver 20. If ye do well and suffer patiently this is acceptable or thank-worthy with God This is a mighty honour put upon this Conscience we must therefore get it Know that all is nothing if this be wanting Not thy Conscience of faith puritie and sinceritie not thy Quick-sighted well-spoken well-doing not thy Inoffensive or Tender Conscience if thou have not also this Propertie All is not worth a Thank As all thou canst do is not worth a Thank if not for Conscience sake so it seems Conscience it self is not worth a Thank if not for suffering sake This did commend the Christians in old times they had learned to suffer as much for Religion as we to dispute for it or rather against it They could be content to be bound that Truth might be at libertie and to die that Religion might not die and they chose rather to suffer for the Gospel then that the Gospel should suffer through them They were more willing that Religion should live upon them and their ruines then we are to live upon Religion and its ruine now adaies Any thing was easie for them
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
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
the Rev. 11. 14. second woe is past to make way for the third the greatest woe that cometh quickly i. e. immediately upon it Many wicked escape the first woe in life but as it befel them that scaped the sword of 1 King 19. 17. Hazael there were two other worse swords of Jehu and Elisha that should dispatch them after The sword of Hazael may spare the wicked in this life but then the sword of Jehu meets with them at death and again the sword of Elisha at the day of judgement He may flee from the iron sword but then Job 20. 22. the how of steel shal strike him thorough Or as Amos hath it He may fly from a Lion in life Am. 5. 19. and a Bear meet him at death and the Serpent bite him at the day of judgement This yet hath an end though it be long first at the day of judgement the second woe ends but a greater succeeds If a man live Eccl. 11. 8. many years saith Solomon and rejoice in them all yet let him remember the dayes of darknesse that they are many The dayes of darknesse that is in hell are many and long dayes they be from thy death to the end of the world is but one day and there are many more after which are longer a thousand years is but as one day and every one of those dayes are as a thousand years yet are there many of them more than ten thousands of such dayes there are for they are without number But the third woe payes for all which is at 3 Woe at the day of Judgment the day of judgement then shall all the Cataracts of wrath be set open and all the vials of wrath filled and emptied out upon the heads of the wicked Then shall the Lord rain fire and brimstone from the Lord out of Heaven Then shall the sealed book of Conscience be unclasped and out of thy own mouth and heart and book shalt thou be judged Then shall both Earth and Sea and Hell and Death deliver up all their dead but not to be annibilated that they would account an unspeakable mercy but only to be Arraigned tryed sentenced Then shall Death and Hell be cast again into the lake of fire which is the second and eternall death Then shall a Hell in Conscience be cast into a Hell of despair and an Hell of guilt into an Hell of pain But of this third woe it is no where said the third woe is past Life ends and with it the first woe The world ends and with it the second woe But Etermity ends not therefore the third woe never ends Hence the judgement of that day is called Eternal Judgement Heb. 6. 2. and the destruction of the wicked an everlasting Destruction 2. Thess 1. 9. The first woc may be a sad one yet it cannot be long because life is short The second woe is more sad because more long but though long it is it is not for ever The third is the sad and killing woe because it is both long and endlesse There is the great Gulfe fixed that there is no comming over As the first woe leaves a man the second woe finde him as the second leaves him the third finds him but the third never leaves Look how Life leaves Death finds as Death leaves Judgement finds as Judgement leaves Eternity finds But this Eternity leaves not his place to any other Eternity is a pit which hath no bottome it is a large bottome that can never be unravelled it is a Center which hath no circumference no measure of times or number of Ages can fathom or reckon the length of it It hath ever a beginning of his dayes hath never an end of his years when Time shall be no more Eternity is but beginning It is a long and perpetuall night which shall never have a morning to succeed it Now to all Eternity thy evill Conscience shall accompany thee and fill thy heart with new tortures of Grief and fear and wrath and bitternesse and despair But this third woe must never have an end Means The means to be used to the getting and keeping of good Conscience are Principal and they two Subservient and they many The Principal means and without which 1. The Blood of Christ all the rest are insufficient are two First to get the bloud of Christ sprinkled on the Conscience by the hand of faith As David said of Goliah's sword There is none to that give it 1 Sam. 21. 9. me So may we say of this bloud This purgeth the Conscience from all dead works that it may serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. All duties gifts observances Performances nothing to this Other things may make the out-side clean before men the bloud of Christ is that alone which maketh the Conscience clean before God that there is now no more Conscience of sin as to the guilt and spot of it So Heb. 10. 29. The bloud of the Covenant is that whereby the beleever is sanctified Whatsoever other means are used courses are taken as by confession contrition satisfaction reading praying fasting building Alms-houses or the like they are no more without this to the commending of the Conscience unto God or taking away sin from the Conscience than Adams Fig-leaves to take away the shame of his nakednesse or the washing of Pilates hands in fair water to cleanse his soul from the foul sin of Bioud-guiltinesse He should have washed his heart in the bloud of Christ than had he been free from all his sins and not his hands in water that he might be free from the bloud of Christ His bloud is that Zach. 13. 1. Fountain opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleannesse This bloud of Christ we should pray pathetically and fervently as the Jewes did passionately and furiously that it may be upon us and on our Children not on our heads but on our hearts not to be charged upon us but sprinkled on us not by Vulnera Christi eivitates refugii Sanguis Christi sons Bethlehemi Joh. 6. 53. 54. way of imputation but of expiation The wounds of Christ are our City of Refuge said one And the bloud of Christ is the well of Bethlehem which we should long for and break through an host of difficulties to come unto Except we drink this bloud we have no life in us But who so eateth his flesh and drinketh his bloud hath eternal life and Christ promiseth to raise him up at the last day Fly then to this City of refuge and escape the Avenger Sprinkle this blood on thy Door-posts and escape the Destroyer Look up to this Brazen Serpent and be cured of all stings of Conscience from the fiery Serpent Cast in this Jonah and the raging Sea is calmed both of Gods displeasure and Consciences disturbance Go to this Samaritan for his Wine and Oyle to thy wounded Conscience
But Conscience must not challenge an Arbitrary and illimited power to act or determine any thing without advice with his great Councel the Law and the Prophets The last of those means to be used is Prayer which is a great friend to good Conscience The good Conscience makes many a good Prayer There is the particular 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and demand of a good Conscience spoken of 1 Pet. 3. 21. which learned Beza understands of prayer Quo fit ut bona Conscientia interroget Deum he renders it The good Conscience never undertakes any thing saith he without prayer and asking counsel at the mouth of God Good Conscience hath ever one eye Conscientia sanctificata ab uno Deo pendet illum invocat nihil nisi eo consulto et ore ipsius interrogato aggreditur Beza in 1 Pet. 3. 21. Act. 10. 2. Job 27. 10 upon God to observe his precepts and the other to beg his direction Conscience cannot be kept sweet but in this perfume of Prayer Observe and you will find the man frequent in prayer ordinarily a man of Conscience But the man of Conscience ever a man of Prayer This was the Testimony given of Cornelius that he was a Devout man fearing God with all his house gave much alms to the People and prayed to God alwaies But the Hypocrites saith Job doth not delight himself in the Almighty nor pray alway to God There can no Conscience be made of any thing where Conscience is not made of Prayer They call not upon God saith David what is Psalm 14. he then lesse than a practical Athiest And Job again makes the highest pitch of impiety this to say to God depart from us we desire Job 21. 14 15. not the knowledge of thy wayes What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit shall we have if we pray unto him Dost thou then desire a good Conscience Pray with Salomon O Lord give me above 1 Kin. 3. 9. all givings a wise and understanding heart that I may know how to go in and out before thee And with David Lord Create in me Psal 51. a new and a clean heart and renew in me a right spirit Lord be thou still searching and keeping this my heart it is too much for me to keep it is too deep for me to search it is too subtil slippery and deceitfull for me to know Lord try my reins Lord make me know my self O Lord keep me and my Conscience with all keeping keep me as thou wouldest keep the apple of thine eye that thou keeping my Conscience my Conscience may keep faith that faith may keep Christ that Christ may keep my soul in perfect peace Without peace what is life worth Without Christ I can have no peace without faith no Christ without Conscience no faith and without thy keeping no Conscience and without prayer no hope of thy keeping O Lord set thy Angel with his flaming drawn two-edged sword turning every way before the door of my Conscience to keep and guard it from being either forced or defiled Prayer and Conscience make such another association as Judah and Simeon did Help me Jud. 1. 3. good Prayer saith Conscience to drive out the Canaanites out of my Coasts to expell Erroneousnesse deadnesse and hardnesse the three sons of Anak out of my Lot and Territory and I will help thee Prayer to drive out fear distrust and despondency out of thy Lot As those six already mentioned are to be practised to the getting or keeping of the Seven things to be avoided good Conscience so there be seven other things to be avoided 1. Beware even of committing smallest Non solum gravia sed et levia peccata sunt sins and of many things which go for lawfull Wink not at small faults in thy self for so saith Piety In others thou must often so commandeth Charity The least spark may consume the greatest house the least leak vitanda Bern. sink the greatest ship One unclean spirit makes way for seven worse Call not Faith and Troth small Oaths they are more then yea and nay Refrain idle words rash anger vain mirth foolish jeasting yea to say so much as Racha to thy brother that is saith Spanhemius Chrysostomus et illius abreviator Bulgaâ—orum Episcopus statuerunt Raca designare idem quod TU per contemptum Spanhem in Dub. Bern. to say so much as Thou to him in contempt Conscience must beware not onely of telling a malicious lie but of the officious also not onely the pernicious lie to be detested but even the joculatory to lie in jest to please thy companion to excuse thy friend to save thy self is to be refrained Every kind of lying is sinfull because no lie is of the truth Abhor not onely to calumniate and back-bite thy worst enemy but to flatter and sooth thy best friend The greatest spoil made in Conscience had at first but small beginnings Qui otiosum verbum non reprimit ad noxia citò transit et vanus sermo est vanae Conscientiae index Davids carelesse glance and roving eye corrupts his heart there the fire begins he is drawn away presently after and enticed then lust conceives and brings forth sin sin shortly becomes perfect and bringeth forth death A dart striketh through his liver death seizeth on his souls vitals and so low is he brought by this Consumption as to the dust of death Principiis obsta is a good rule How soon were all Peters good purposes promises Protestations forgotten and laid aside he being once ingaged among ill company They all speak against Christ he resolveth not to stand up one against so many to speak in his defence They deny him he denies him they swear he swears they curse he curseth as fast How soon doth the thief in the candle consume it How fast do lesse sins not thrown out vastare Conscientiam and make it flare out presently Peters faint denial first time fetcheth out an Oath next time to back it then he that hath once pawned his Faith to hell by a false oath may now sell his Master for nothing and himself for nought Pèter casts off fear he cuts off his own legs drinketh dammage Lie Swear Curse Lord it is time for the Cock to crow and for thee to look and for Peter to be gone Oh look to beginnings cast out as Pharaoh did the young Children motions to Exo. 1. 16 sin when they are first born Shun occasions Come not nigh unto her corner Stick at a thread and a latchet There are more ill husbands undone as I said before by losse of time neglecting their callings by a little sleep and a little slumber by slight expences now a penny and then a penny then by a hundred pound at a clap these sink suddenly none pittying them the other fall at length but by degrees none observing them Bernard tels us how insensibly by degrees sin grows