to bee handled A point wel worth our enquiring after A good Conscience is the most precious thing that a ChristiaÌ„ can haue a thing of that esteeme that where it is wanting we account a man without a conscience So of a man that hath an ill CoÌ„science we vse to say he is a man of no CoÌ„science Not that he hath no Conscience the Diuels themselues haue a Conscience and happy it were for them they had none but when a man hath not a good one we esteeme of him as hauing none at all There is no greater good we can seeke after then a good conscience Let vs enquire then how we may get and keepe this so great a good A good Conscience then consisting in Peace and Integrity these two being gotten and kept we shall get and keepe a good Conscience First then to make the Conscience peaceably good these things are required 1. Faith in Christ and his blood The Conscience cannot be at peace til it be purged from its guilt An impure Conscience cannot but be an vnquiet Conscience and every guilty Conscience is impure Guilt is the same to the conscience that the winds are to the seas Isa 27. 20. 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast vp mire and dirt There is no peace to the wicked Now that which makes the Sea so troublesome and ragingly restlesse is the violence of the blustering winds that trouble and tosse it to and fro The winds are not so troublesome to the sea as guilt is to the Conscience Therfore as the way to calme the Sea is to calme the windes so the way to quiet and calme the Conscience is to purge and take away the guilt Guilt is in the Conscience as Ionas in the Ship out with him and Sea and ship are both quiet But how then shall the guilt be purged out of the Conscience That we find Heb. 9. 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ purge our coÌ„sciences froÌ„ dead works We cannot haue a good conscience till we be freed from an euill one The way to be freed from an euill conscience is to haue our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience Heb. 10. 22. But what is that wherwith the CoÌ„science must be sprinckled to be made good with peace quietnes The same which we finde 1 Pet. 1. 2. The sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ and Heb. 12. 24. The blood of sprinkling which speakes better things then that of Abel So then the Conscience sprinckled with Christs blood ceases to be evill becomes good and peaceable The same Christ that calmed the rage of the Sea by stilling the winds Mark 4. 39. He arose rebuked the wind said vnto the Sea Peace be stil and the wind ceased and there was a great calme The same Christ it is that stils the rage of the conscience by taking and purging away the guilt therof with the sprinkling on of his blood His blood speakes Heb. 12. 24. And speakes not onely to God but speaks to the conscience The voyce which it speakes is Peace and be still the same voyce which to his Disciples after his resurrection Peace be with you then follows a great calme and peace makes the conscience good But here the conscience will inquire how it may come to get this blood sprinkled vpoÌ„ it to make it thus peaceably good and what is it that applies this calming blood of Christ I answer therefore That it is the grace of faith therefore it was sayd before that faith in Christs blood makes peace in the coÌ„science Faith is the hand of the soule and as the hyssop sprinckle by which Christs blood is sprinkled vpon our coÌ„sciences Heb. 10. 22. Let vs draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience And being iustified by faith we haue peace towards God Rom. 5. 1. Hence that coniunction of faith and a good conscience 1. Tim. 1. 5. of a good conscience of faith vnfained v. 19. Holding faith and a good conscience For faith it is that makes a good coÌ„science by making a quiet conscience Faith is not only a purifying grace Act. 15. 9. but it is also a pacifying grace Rom. 5. 1 It not onely purges our corruption by applying the efficacy of Christs blood but specially purges out guilt by applying the merit of his blood So that no faith no peace no peace no good conscience A defiled conscience can be no good conscience and what defiles the conscience See Tit. 1. 15. Vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing nothing is pure but even their minde and conscience is defiled They that be defiled haue their consciences defiled but how come they and their consciences so To them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing Therefore an vnbeleeuing conscience is a defiled conscience a defiled conscience is no good coÌ„science because it can haue no peace so long as it is clogged with defiling guilt But contrarily faith purifying not onely from corruption but from guilt by the application of Christs blood makes the conscience pure and peaceable both There can be no peace of conscience but where there is the righteousnâ—sse of the person There is no peace to the wicked Isa 57. 21. as if he should say an evil vnrighteous person caÌ„not haue a good conscience where the person is evill there the conscience cannot bee good Now faith in Christs blood makes a mans person good and so the coÌ„science becomes good It makes the person righteous and the person being righteous the conscience is at peace for the worke of righteousnes is peace and the effect of righteousnes quietnes and assurance for ever Isa 32. 17. with which that of the Apostle sweetly sutes Reu. 7. 2. First King of righteousnes and after that King of peace Our persoÌ„s must first find Christ a King of righteousnes by iustifying them from their guilt before our consciences can finde him King of Salem pacifying them from their vnquietnes Our persons once iustified by Christs blood froÌ„ their guilt and vnrighteousnes our consciences are pacified and freed from their vnquietnesse Wouldst thou then haue a good conscience Get the peace of Conscience Wouldst thou haue peace in thy conscience Get faith in thy soule Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and get thy soule sprinkled with his blood and then Heb. 10. 2. Thou shalt haue no more conscience of sin thy conscience shall be at quiet no more accusing thee nor threatning thee condemnation for thy sinne 2. Repentance from dead workes Though Christs blood be that which purges the conscience froÌ„ dead works and so workes peace yet that peace is not wrought in our apprehension neither do we get the feeling of this faith without some further thing Therefore to our faith must be ioyned our repentance though not in the making of our peace yet for the feeling of it Many are ready to catch at Christs
his riches will not yeeld him a iot of comfort Pro. 11. 4. Riches avayle not in the day of wrath No that will no whit cheere a man at such a time They shall cast their silver in the streets and their gold shall be remooued c. Ezek. 7. 19. This shall be the miserable pickle a man shall bee in at such a time that wants a good Conscience But now looke vpon a man with a good Conscience in such times and how fares it with him Let evil tydings times come how is he affected therwithall He will not be afraid of evill tydings for his heart is fixed Psal 112. 7. feare he may but yet his Heart shall be free from those restlesse perplexing distractions wherewith all others are vexed Luke 21. 9. When yee shall heare of warres and commotions bee not terrified And Prou. 3. 25. Be not afraid of sudden feare There is nothing so armes and resolues the heart against feares and evill tydings as doth the peace and integrity of a good Conscience For let there be outward peace abroad in the world and freedome from all feares of warrs and combustions yet little ioy and cōfort can a man haue therein whilest his conscience proclaimes warre against him and as Gods Herald summons him to battell Those inward warres and rumors of warres wofully distract him in the midst of his outward peace So cōtrarily let there be peace within in the Conscience and all warres and feares of warres husht there and then what ever feares and troubles are like to bee without yet there will bee a calme a serenitie and a sweet security within Becarefull and so fearefull for nothing Phil. 4. 6. To be fearefull in nothing is indeede an excellent happinesse of a well composed minde How might one attain thereto How might a man bring his heart to that fixed and stablisht temper See verse 7. The peace of God that passes all vnderstanding shall guarde your hearts and mindes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall keepe with a guard as Kings haue their guards about them to saue their persons from violence shall guard your hearts that is your affections that they run not into extremitie of impatience distraction desperation when feares and terrours shal come ye shall not be transported with such distracting thoughts as shall depriue you of the freedome of your mindes but that you shall haue them to attend vpon God in the greatest of your dangers So that a man with a good conscience in the middest of all feares and combustions can sing with Dauid Psa 116. 7. Returne vnto thy rest O my soule The peace of a good Conscience is like the ballast of a Ship Let a Ship goe to Sea without ballast in the bottome and euery blast of winde is ready to ouerturne it but being wel balasted though the windes blow strong yet it sayles steddily and safely Every blast of ill newes and tydings of feare how full of terrible apprehensitions it filles an ill conscience it miserably vnsettles and distracts it whilest a good Conscience what blasts soeuer blows hath its heart steddy and at good command Methinkes when I consider Noab in his Cabine or nest in the Arke with what security and quiet of heart he sits there notwithstanding the clattering of the raines vpon the Ark the roaring of the waters and the hideous howlings and out-cries of those that were drowned in the flood I see th◠Embleme of a good conscience Tubalcain Lamech Iabal Iubal with what horrid perplexities are their soules distraught Some climbe vp this house top some this high tree others flee to some high mountaine and there in what horror and amazement are they whilest one sees his children sprawling another his wise strugling for life vpon the face of the mercilesse waters but especially whilest they behold the waters rising by little and little and pursuing them to the house tops and threatning to sweepe them off from the heads of the Mountaines to which they had betaken themselues These feares and amazements were worse then an hundreth deathes But now all this while how is it with Noah hee sits dry in his cabbin and litterally was the saying of the Psalme verified of him Surely in the floods of great waters they came not nigh vnto him Psa 32. 6. He hath his Ark pitcht within pitcht without neither can the raines from aboue beate in nor the waters from beneath leake in let all fountaines of the great deepe bee broken vp and the flood-gates of heaven bee opened yet not one drop of water comes at him and though the waters prevaile fifteene cubites aboue the high hills and mountaines so that they be covered yet Noah hee is out of all feare let them rise as high as they will yet shall hee keepe aboue them still Iust such is the condition and happinesse of a man with a good Conscience in sad times Whilest the high hils and mountaines are covered the great and braue spirits of the world are overwhelmed with feare are possest with dreadfull apprehensions so as they know not which way to look nor which way to take even then a man with a good conscience hath a strange quiet of heart is full of sweet security and resolution amids all the shrikes howlings and wringing of hands of earthly men by patience possesses his soule is master of himselfe and composes his soule to rest His Ark is pitcht within without The peace of God and the peace of a good Conscience keeps the waterfloods from comming into his soule The raine the waues they beat vpon the Arke but yet they pierced it not A man with a good Cōscience may fall into may be swept away with cōmon calamities yet how euer it fare with his outward man yet his soule is free from that horrour and those madding perplexities wherwithall wicked ones are overtaken The peace of a good Conscience shall keep off these distracting feares from his minde Though he cannot be free happily from the common destructions yet shall he be free from the common distractions of the world There be two things in common calamities The sword without and terror within Deut. 32. 25. the latter of the two is the worse by farre Now here is the benefit of a good Cōscience though it doe not saue alwayes from the sword without yet it deliuers alwaies from the terror within which giues a terrible edge to the sword and which being remoued the sword is nothing so terrible When the Canaanites were destroyed by Israel there was a double sorrow and smart vpon them The sword of the Israelites and Gods Hornet Iosh 24. 12. What was that Hornet Nothing else but that distracting and perplexing feare and terror wherewith God filled their hearts as appeares Exodus 23. 27. 28. There is no Hornet can so vexe with his sting as these terrors vexe evill Consciences in evill dayes Now here is the priviledge of good Consciences though they may smart with
you scorned the feast of a good Conscience and therefore now the feast and guests of heauen scorne you here is no roome for such to feast here who haue made their consciences fast heretofore CHAP. XIIII A third and a fourth motiue to a good Conscience COme wee now to a third motiue The third motiue to a good Conscience that may yet helpe to stirre vp our mindes to this necessary dutie of getting and keeping of a good conscience Besides what hath been sayd it is worthy of our consideration that without a good Conscience all our actions yea our very best services to God are â—o farre from goodnes and acceptance that they are abominable and distatefull vnto the Lord. The formall goodnesse of every mans actions is to bee iudged and esteemed by the goodnes of his Conscience which being evill and defiled makes all a mans actions to be such 1 Tim. 1. 5. The ende of the commandement is loue But what kinde of love doth the commandement require will any shewes or shadowes of obedience serue the turne will the bare dutie doing passe for currant No but such loue to God and man and such performance of obedience as proceedes from a pure heart and a good Conscience So that let a man doe all outward actions of obedience yet iâ— a good Conscience bee wanting all is nothing For the ende of the Commandement is loue out of a good Conscience As is a mans consciencâ— so are all his workes and therefore nothing acceptable that a wicked man doth be cause he doth it with an ill conscience To the pure all things are pure but to the defiled their Conscience is defiled and that being defiled it defiles all it meddles with as vnder the Law the Leper defiled all he touched The best meate disht and dressed with defiled dirty hands is loâ—n some to vs. The honest workes of a mans calling are good workes in themselues but no good workes to him that doth them without a good conscience Pro â—1 4. An high looke and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is sinne The calling of husbandry is counted the most honest calling of all others yet where a good conscience is wanting a mans very plowing is sinne Come to holy duties of Religian and Gods seruice and how is it with a man wanting a good Conscience in them That curse of Davidss Psal 109. 8. Let his prayer be turned into sinne lies vpon the seruices of all evil consciences See Pro. 15. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked that is of him that hath an evill Conscience is an abomination but the prayer of the vp right that is of a man that hath a good and vpright Conscience is his delight Obserue the opposition Hee sayes not the prayer of the wicked and the praier of the vpright nor the sacrifice of the wicked and the sacrifice of the vpright but the sacrifice of the wicked and the prayer of the vpright A sacrifice had prayer with it but yet it was more sumptuous and more solemne then fingle prayer Now who would not thinke but such cost should make a man welcome yet the single prayer of the vpright is accepted whilest this sacrifice is an abomination yea and that a vile abomination Isa 66. 3. A man of evill Conscience delighting in his abominations makes his holiest seruices such Let such an one come to the Sacraments and how will it be with him there even as in the former To the impure even the pure Sacraments are impure Simon Magus rather defiles the waters of baptisme then they clense him and it is not carnall baptisme that avayles any thing without the answere and stipulation of a good Conscience 1 Pet. 3. 21. And for the Sacrament of the Supper whether doth it profit an vncleance Conscience or such a Conscience pollute it It may be iudged by a like case resolued Hag. 2. 11. 14. The vncleane pâ—â—son by a dead body touching the Bread or Wine or Oyle makes these to be vncleane The ceremoniall vncleannesse by the touch of a dead body typified the morall vncleannesse of an euill conscience vnpurged from dead workes God lookes specially at the Conscience in all our seruices and if hee findes that foule and filthy hee throwes the dung of mens sacrifices in their faces that come with the dung of their filthy Consciences before his face See therefore how Paul serues God 2 Tim. 1. 3. Whom I serue from my forefathers with pure Conscience It is an impure seruice that is not performed with a pure Conscience as slight as the world makes of purity How much more shall the blood of Christ purge your Consciences from dead workes Heb. 9. 14. But to what end are they purged To serue the liuing God Therefore mark that till the Conscience bee purged and made good there is no seruing of God So Heb. 10. 22. Let ve draw neere that is in prayer and the like duties But how Hauing our hearts sprinckled fâ—om an euill Conscience Otherwise it is but a folly for vs to draw neere for God will not be neer when a good conscience is far off And therefore we are bid to purifie our hearts when we are bid draw nigh to God Iam. 4. 8. Behold here then a speciall motiue to make a good Conscience beautifull in our eye As we would be loath our services of God our prayers holy performances should bee abominable in Gods eye so labor for good consciences As we would haue comfort in all our duties of obedience so labour to make our conscience good It is a great deale of confidence that silly ignorant ones haue in their good prayers their good seruing of God as they call it yea it is all the ground of their hope of saluation when they are demanded an account of their hope Now alas your good prayers your good seruing of God! Why what doe you talking of these things Hath Christ purged your Consciences from dead workes Haue you by faith got your Consciences sprinkled and wrinced in Christs bloud and so haue ye made them good If not neuer talke of good prayers and good seruing of God your prayers cannot bee good whilest your Consciences are naught An euill Conscience before God and a good seruice to God cannot stand together But would you haue your prayers good indeed and your seruice acceptable indeed Then let your first care be to make your Consciences good Fourthly let this worke with vs as a The fourth motiue to a good Conscience maine motiue to a good Conscience That is the Ship and the Arke wherein the faith is preserued The faith is a rich commodity a precious fraight and a good Conscience is the bottome and the vessel wherein it is carried So long as the Ship is safe and good so long the goods therein are safe but if the Ship split vpon the Rockes or haue but a leake therein then are all the goods therein in danger of being lost
GOOD Conscience OR A TREATISE SHEWING THE Nature Meanes Marks Benefit and Necessitie thereof By IER DYKE Minister of Gods Word at Epping in Essex The second Edition Corrected Luke 10. 42. One thing is necessary August de verb. dom serm 18. Vniversa inutiliter habet qui vnum illud quo vniversis vtatur non habet LONDON Printed for ROBERT MILBOVRNE and are to be sold at his Shop at the great South-dore of Pauls 1626. TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVL Sr. FRANCIS BARRINGTON Knight and Baronet a Patron and patterne of Pietie and Good Conscience RIGHT WORSIPFVâ—L THat which the Apostle Paul speakes of a mans desire of the office of a Bishop may bee truely spoken of euery one who desires to gaine men to the loue of a good CoÌ„science that he desires a worthy work Yea it is the work which is ought to be made the scope drift of the worthy worke of the Ministry And therefore it is that he that desires the calling of the Ministry desires a worthy work because of this worthy worke of bringing men to good Conscience A worke at which all worke and bookes should specially ayme Conscience is a Vnicuique liber est pro pria conscientia et ad hunc libruÌ„ discutienduÌ„ et emendaÌ„dum omnes alii inventi sunt Bern. de Cons booke one of those bookes that shall bee opened at the last day and to which men shall bee put and by which they shall be iudged Therefore to the directing informing and amending of this booke should all other bookes specially tend Yea Salomon seems to call men off from all other bookes and studies to the study of this so necessary a point the keeping of a good Conscience Eccl. 1212 13. Of making many bookes saith hee ther is no end much study is a wearines of the flesh Let vs heare the coÌ„clusioÌ„ of the whole matter Feare God and keep his CoÌ„mandements for this is the whole duty of man As if his advise tended to this to neglect all studies in coÌ„parison of that study which aymes at the getting and keeping of a good Conscience It would be exceeding happy with vs if this study were more in request amongst vs. Wee seeme to liue in those dayes fore-told by the Prophet wherein the earth Isa 11. 9. should be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. We are blessed that liue in so cleare a Sun-shine of Gods truth but yet the griefe is that through our owne default our Sun-shine is but like the winter light all light little or no heate and we make no other vse of our light but onely to see by not to walke and worke by In the first re-entrance of the Gospell amongst Antiqua sapientia nihil aliud quaÌ„ facienda vitâ—da praecepit et tunc longe meliores erant viri Postquam docti prodierunt bons desunt Sim plex enim illa et aperta virtue tâ— obscuram et solerteÌ„ scientiaÌ„ versa est docemurque disputare non vivire Sence epist. 96. vs how devout holy zealous and men renowned for Conscience were our Martyres and our first Planters Preachers and professors of Religion They had not generally the knowledge and learning the world now hath nor the world now the Conscience they then had There be now better Schollars there were then better Men they were as excellent for Devotion as our Times are for Disputation It is an excellent sight to see such Christians as were the Romans Full of goodnesse filled Rom. 15. 14 with all Knowledge It is pitty that ever so louely a payre should bee sundred Yet if they be parted it is best being without that which with most safetie may be spared A good Conscience is sure to doe well though it want the accomplishment of Learning and greater measures of Knowledge and Vnderstanding But take Learning from a good Conscience and it is but a Ring of gold in a Swines snout or that which is worse A thorne in a Drunkards Prou. 26. 9 hand Learning is to bee highly apprized Riches Honours and all other earthly blessings are vile to it But yet though it take place of all other things yet must it giue good Conscience the wall and vpper-hand as that which is farre before it in worth vse and necessity As Salomon of wisdom so may it be said of good Conscience Shee is more precious then Prou. 3 15. Rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her Gold and Rubies cannot so enrich a man as good Conscience doth and yet alas the blindnesse of men how willing are they in this case with a wilfull pouertie Not Rubies but handfulls of Barley morsels of Bread and Crusts are preferred before the invaluable treasure of a good Conscience After the many worthy endeavours therefore of so many as haue bin before me in this work of laboring men to a good Conscience I haue adventured also to lend my weak strength to the same worke If one or two witnesses prevaile not yet who knowes what an whole clowd may doe Though Eliah and Elisha be the Horsemen and Chariots of Israel yet the Footmen doe their seruice in the Battell and Apollos may without offence water where Paul hath planted Now these my poore endeavours such as they are I am bold to publish vnder your Worshipfull name and to put them forth vnder your Patronage entreating you to countenance that in a Treatise which you haue so long countenanced in the practise None so fit to bee a Patron of a Treatise of good conscience as he that hath beene a religious both professor and protector of the Practise thereof To haue a Naile fastned in a sure place the Antiquitie Isa 22. 23. of a long standing Name and Family to bee hewen out of the Quarry of the best Stocks of Parentage to haue faire Lines a faire lot in outward possessioÌ„s to bee blessed with a fruitefull Vine and Oliue plants fairely growne planted round about a man all these are to bee helde high honours and great fauours from the God of heauen And with all these hath the Lord honoured your selfe But yet your greatest honour that hath given lustre to all the rest hath beene your loue to the Truth Religion and a good Conscience Augustine repented him that hee attributed more to Mallius Theodorus Dâ—splicit autem illic quod Mallio Theodoro ad quem librum ipsum scripsi quaÌ„vis docto et Christiano viro plus tribui quam deberem Aug. Retrlib 1. cap. 2. to whom he wrot a booke then he should haue done though otherwise he were a Learned and Christian man A man may easily ouershoote himselfe in the commendation of a good man especially if a great man It shall suffice therefore to haue said so little and that to this ende that hereby the World may knowe the reason of my choice of your Patronage of this Treatise It would haue beene an incongruity to haue had the
qui iudicarent qui puniret consc quippe est accusatrix memoria testis ratio Iudex timor carnifex Ber. hom de villi iniq 22. Or else it lookes at the good or euill of things past present to come If thngs past or present seeme good it excuses if euill it accuses and bites Rom. 2. 15. If things to bee done seeme good it excites vrges and bindes to the doing thereof If euill it vrges and bindes there from Now according to these seuerall acts there follow in vs diuers affections ioy hope feare grief and the like The whole processe of the worke of Conscience falls within the frame of a practicall Syllogisme as for example Euery one that sinnes in betraying innocent ConscieÌ„tia Synteresis est qua victi voluptatib vel furore ipsaque interdum rationis decepti similitudine nos peccare sentimus Hieronym in Eccl. cap. 1. blood is worthy of Gods wrath But I saith Iudas haue sinned in betraying innocent blood therefore I am worthy of Gods wrath Here the Maior is knowledge practicall the rule and law by which Conscience keepes her Court This is Synteresis The Minor that is Syneidefis the proper Synteresis est promptuarium principâ—oruÌ„ seu regularum practicarum eius officiuÌ„ est regulas legis diuinae proferre coÌ„scien subministrare vt illarum ope possit censorem agere de propriis actionib Alsted Theol. Cas cap. 2. worke of conscience applying that knowledge and generall rule for a mans particular estate or action Here Conscience witnesses concerning the fact iudges of the quallity of it and accordingly accuses or excuses The Conclusion is the sentence of Conscience absoluing or condemning and accordingly cheering or stinging comforting or tormenting a man CHAP III. A good Conscience what it is false ones discouered VVHat Conscience is wee haue seene The second thing considerable is what a good Conscience is The Conscience that is good must bee good with a double goodnesse 1. With the goodnesse of Integrity 2. With the goodnes of Tranquility Vprightnesse and Peace these two are required to the constitution of a good Conscience First it is good with the goodnes of Integrity when it is an vpright conscience This is that which Paul cals A pure Conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. which phrase a man would almost thinke in his conscience that the holy Ghost vsed on set purpose to stop the mouth of the iniquity of the later times that should seeke to disgrace all good Conscience with the sarcasme of puritie Now the Conscience is good with this goodnesse of Integritie and puritie three wayes 1. When it being informed rightly principled by the word of God the only rule and binder of Conscience it doth truly sincerely Iudge and determine euill to be euill and good to be good As contrarily the conscience is sinfully euill when it doth not determine that to be euill which is euill nor that to be good which is good but cals euill good and good euill Such as are the Consciences of Ignorant persons who wanting the knowledge of Gods word and hauing their consciences blinded through ignorance are not able to iudge of good and euill nor to discerne determine which is which So that knowledge is necessarily required to the goodnesse of Conscience Rom. 15. 14. Ye also are full of goodnesse filled with all knowledge The conscience cannot be good where the soule is naught and that the soule bee without knowledge it is not good Prov. 19. 2. 2. When it doth excuse for that which is good and accuse for that which is euill being sanctified by the spirit of grace for the accusation of conscience though it follow vpon sin yet it is not sinfull and euill in it selfe but onely painefull and troublesome and so opposed to the goodnesse of peace not to the goodnes of vprightnes according to that trite distinction of Bernard of a good conscience and not quiet and a quiet conscience and not good It is the propertie of a Conscience vprightly good to accuse vpon any sinne committed As contrarily the conscience is sinfully euill when it doth not excuse for good nor accuse for euill The superstitious person omitting his fopperies should be excused by his conscience whereas he rather receiues blame from his conscience therefore his conscience is sinfully euill The secure persons conscience is naught because he hauing committed sinne his Conscience is silent lets him alone and brings in no accusation against him therefore it is sinfully euill It is a witnesse that hath seene and knowne euill and doth not vtter it therefore it shall beare its iniquitie Levit. 5 1. 3. When it doth incite and vrge vs to doe good and doth stay and hinder from euill It is vprightly good when it spurs to good bridles from euill Heb. 13. 18. For wee are assured that wee haue a good Conscience viz. A Conscience that is neither silent to perswade to that which is good or diswade from that which is euill If a man goe about or bee ready to yeeld to any thing that is sinfull how will it muster vp legions of Arguments how will it wrestle and struggle with a man It will say as Abner to Ioab 2 Sam 2 26. Knowest thou not that it will be bitternes in the latter end or as Abigail to Dauid 1 Sam. 25. 31. It shall be no griefe nor offence of heart vnto thee another time not to haue done this euill If a man be negligeÌ„t or carelesse and drowsie in good duties it comes to him with that voyce Ephes 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest or with that Isa 30. 21. This is the way walke in it When it doth thus it is vprightly good Contrarily it is sinfully euill when it doth not incite vs to that which is good nor hinder vs from doing euill This is a dead and a seared conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. Hauing their consciences seared with an hot yron 2. It is good with the goodnesse of Tranquility And that is when the conscience is at Peace and doth not accuse vs because it hath not wherewith to accuse vs either because not guilty of such or such a particular fact 1 Cor. 4. 4 I know nothing by my selfe or else because it is assured of pardon in the blood of Christ by which we come to haue no more Conscience of sins Heb. 10. 2 That is no more Conscience to accuse or condemne for sinne it being done away in the bloud of Christ And this is the purged Conscience Heb. 9. 14. which brings Hope Ioy Comfort and Confidence with it 2 Cor. 1. 12. This is our reioycing the testimony of our Conscience Then is the Conscience good when it is peaceable As contrarily then is it euill painefully euill when it is turbulent and troublesome in the accusations thereof and binds ouer to Iudgement and so leaues vs in shame feare perplexity and griefe 1 Ioh. 3. 20. If our heart coÌ„demne vs. This is a wounded a troubled
blood if that will make a good conscience they are then fafe enough But as thou must haue Christs blood so Christ wil haue thine heart also bleed by repentance ere he will vouchsafe the sense of peace A conscience therefore that would be a coÌ„science in hauing peace must not onely be a beleeuing but a repenting conscience Mat. 3. 2. Repent ye for the kingdome of heauen is at hand the kingdome of heauen shall be yours if you will repent ye shall haue it immediately vpon your repentance But wherein stands this kingdome offered to repentant consciences The kingdom of God stands in peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. Repent and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy Ghost Act. 3. 38. And what may that gift be The fruits of the spirit are loue ioy peace Gal. 5. 22. Which though it be to be vnderstood of peace between man man yet also that peace which is between God and man is the fruit of the Spirit the loue of God shed abroad into our hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5. 5. is the gift of the holy Ghost which he giues to all that by repentance seeke to get a good conscience Blessed are they that mourn that is which repent for they shal be comforted Mat. 5. they shall haue the peace of a good Conscience which is the greatest and sweetest comfort in the world Many doe trust all to their supposed faith as a short cut and a compendious way to a good coÌ„science but he whose faith doth not as well purifie the heart as pacifie it hath neither faith nor a good conscience It is idle to hope for peace by faith whilst thou livest impenitently in a sinfull course Thou canst haue no peace of conscience so long as thou hast peace with thy sinnes Peace with conscience will be had by warre with sin in the daily practise of repentance It is but a dreame to thinke of a good Conscience in peace whilest a man makes no conscience of sin They that haue a good coÌ„science by Christs blood may be indeed sayd to haue no Conscience of sinne as Hâ—b 10. 2. But yet there is a great difference between having no Conscience and making no Conscience of sinne To haue no Conscience of sinne is to haue a peaceable good conscience not accusing for sin being sprinkled with Christs blood To make no Conscience of sin is for a man impenitently to liue lye in any sin Now let any iudge whether these two can stand together that a man may liue as he list and make no Conscience of any sinne and yet haue such peace by faith as that he hath no Conscience of sin It is an vnconscionable thing in this sense to lay all vpon Christ an vnconscionable request to haue him take away our guiltines and yet wee would wallow in our filthines still How shall faith remooue the sting when repentance remooues not the sinne MeÌ„ seeking peace by faith in Christs blood and yet liuing and lying in their sinnes without repentance God will giue them Iehues answere to Iehoram 2 King 9. 22. What peace so long as the whoredomes of thy mother lezebel her witchcrafts are so many So what peace of Conscience so long as thine oaths Sabbath-breaches whordomes drunkennes c. do remaine remaine vnrepented of and vnreformed It is true of all sinne which is spoken of Romish Idolatry Apoc. 14. 11. They haue no rest day nor night that is no peace of Conscience to any of that religion so of all that liue in any sinne they haue no true rest day or night that is as Isaiah interprets it There is no peace to the wicked Peace and wickednes liue not together vnder one roofe Wouldst thou then haue a peaceable heart Get an humbled a mourning and a repentant heart for sin The lesse peace with sin the more peace with God and our own Consciences 3. The constant and conscionable exercise of prayer An excellent means to helpe vs to the sense of that peace which makes the Conscience good He that hath a good Conscience wil make Conscience of prayer And prayer will helpe to make a good Conscience better Philip. 4. 7. In euery thing by prayer supplication with thanksgiuing let your requests be made knowne vnto God and marke what shall be the fruite thereof And the peace of God that passes al vnderstanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Iesus Christ See Iob 33. 26. Hee shall pray vnto God and he will be fauourable vnto him he shall see his face with ioy It is many times with mens Consciences as it was with Saul he was vexed and disquieted with an euill spirit but Davids Harpe gaue him ease Praier is a Davids Harpe the musicke whereof sweetly calmes composes a distempered and disquieted Conscience and puts it into frame againe As in other disquiets of the heart after prayer David bids his soule returne vnto her rest Psal 116. 4. 7. So may we in these disqâ—iets of Conscience doe no lesse The way to get a good peaceable conscience is to haue acquaintance with God and when we haue acquaintance with him then shall wee haue peace Iob 22. 21. Acquaint thy selfe now with him and be at peace Now acquaintance is gotten with God by prayer Zech. 13. 9. They shall call on my Name and I will heare them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God Loe how in prayer acquaintance is bred betweene God and his people and acquaintance breedes lone and peace and peace a good conscience Iudge then what pitious Consciences they must needs haue that make so little Conscience of seeking God in this duty of wicked ones the Psalm speaks They call not vpon God Psal 14. as much as Isaiah sayes There is no peace to the wicked they are vtterly voyd of good Conscience CHAP. V. Integritie of Conscience how procured ANd thus wee haue seene how the Conscience may bee good for peace It followes to consider how it may become vprightly good with the goodnes of Integritie The goodnesse of Integrity is gotten and kept by doing fiue things 1. Walke and liue as Paul in this text Before God Set thy selfe euer in all thy wayes as in the sight and presence of God who is the Iudge Lord of conscience Of Moses it is sayd that he saw him that was inuisible Heb. 11. 27. Therfore it is that men walk with such loose and evill Consciences because they thinke they walke invisibly And they thinke that God sees not them because they see not God An vpright Conscience is a good conscience and this is the way to get an vpright one Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be vpright To haue God alwaies in our eye wil make vs walke with vpright hearts So Psal 119. 168 I haue kept thy precepts and thy testimonies that is in effect I haue kept a good conscience but how came hee to
in this case are guilty of a double wickednesse Either they deale as the Iewes with the Apostles Act. 4. 18. and 1 Thes 2. 16. They either stop Consciences mouth and labour to silence this Preacher or else they deale with Conscience as the Iewes did with Stephen Acts 7. 57. They stopped their eares If they cannot stop Consciences mouth they will at least stoppe their owne eares 1. They labour to stoppe Consciences mouth If conscience beginne to take them aside and to say to them as Ehud to Eglon Iudg. 3. 19. I haue a secret errand vnto thee they answer but in another sense as hee did Keepe silence If conscience offer to be talking to them they shuffle it off as Felix did Paul they are not at leasure they will finde some other time when their leasure will better serue Yea many when their conscience reproaches them they againe reproach and reproove it and answere it as the Dauites did Micah Iudges 11. 23. What ayleth thee and are ready to giue reproachfull language to their owne Conscience that it cannot be quiet and let them alone 2 But yet conscience will not oftentimes bee thus posted and shuffled off she wil not be gagged or suffer her lips to be sown vp but wil deale with a man as the woman of Canaan did with our Saviour Math. 15. She would not be put off with neglect or crosse answers but she still presies vpon our Sauiour growes so much the more importunate So ofteÌ„times conscience wheÌ„ she sees men shuffle growes the more importunate and will dog and haunt men so much the more Yea it deales like the blind men Math. 20. 31. who when the multitude rebuked them they cryed the more Now then when Conscience growes thus clamorous and will not be silenced then they will stoppe their owne eares that if it will needs be prating it shall but tell a tale to a deafe man To this end men put a double tricke vpon their Consciences 1. Sauls tricke Saul is vexed with an evill spirit What must be the cure seeke him out a minstrell Thus many when the cry of Conscience is vp betake them to their merriments iollities They try whether the noyse of the Harps and Viols and the roarings of good fellowes will not drowne the voyce and noyse of Conscience They will try whether the dinne of an Ale-house or the ratling and clattering of the Dice and Tables cannot deaf their cares against the clamours of Conscience Thus do many in the accusations of Conscience giue themselues wholly vp to all manner of pleasures delights that so their minds beeing taken vp with them there might be no leisure to giue conscience any the least audience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in 1. ed Cor. hom 7. 2. Cains tricke Cain had a marke of God vpon him Gen 4 15. And what might that mark be Chrysostom thinks it was a continuall shaking and trembling of his body If that were his marke why might not that trembling come from the horrour of his guilty conscience following him with a continuall hue and cry for murther reproaching him for a bloudy murtherer How-euer no question but his Conscience continually haunted him and the cry of blood was euer in his ears Now then what course takes he ye shall see Gen. 4. 17. that hee falles a building of Cities betakes himselfe to a multitude of imployments that the noyse of the sawes axes and mallets might be lowder then the noyse of his conscience If Conscience bee out of quiet with them and will not cease to vrge and pinch them then haue among their sheep oxen that their bleaâ—ing and bellowing may keepe vnder the voyce of conscience they do so possesse their heads and their thoughts and so overload them with much dealings in the world that there is no spare time wherein their care can be free to heare the voyce of Conscience The clutter of their many businesses make too great a noyse for Conscience to haue audience They deal with their consciences as the Ephesians dealt with Alexander Act. 19. 33. 34. And Alexander beckned with the hand and would haue made his defence vnto the people But when they knew that he was a Iew all with one voyce about the space of two houres cryed out Great is Diana of the Ephesians If Alexander had had neuer so good lungs strong sides hee might haue strayned his voyce till he had crazed the organs of language and might haue spoken till he had been hoarse againe before hee could haue been heard to haue spoken one syllable though he had spoken all the reason in the world Such a noyse of an outragious bellowing multitude had bin almost enough to haue drowned the voice of a Canon Thus deale men with their conscience if shee but prepare to speake and giue but a becke with the hand presently thrust themselues into a crowd of businesse that may out-cry and ouer-cry the bawling noyse thereof It was an hideous noyse that the shriking infants of Israel made when they were offered vp aliue in fire vnto Moloch Now lest their parents bowels should earne with compassion and be affected with the shrikes of their poore babes therefore they had their Drummes and Trumpets strucke vp and sounded in the time of sacrifice to make such a noyse that in no case the lamentable cries of the infants should be heard The same tricke doe too many put vpon their consciences if they wil be clamouring they will haue some Drum or other whose greater noyse may deafe their eares from hearing the cryes of conscience But alas what poore Proiects are these The time will come when men shal haue neither pleasures nor profits neither delights nor businesse to stop their eares Though now men beat vpon these Drumme-heads and with the noise of their pleasures profits keepe conscience voyce vnder from beeing heard Yet the day will come when God will beat out these Drum-heads and then the cries horrid hideous shrikes of Conscience shall be heard God will one day strip thee of all thy pleasures and employments and will turne thee single and loose to thy Conscience and it shall haue full liberty to bait thee and byte thee at pleasure Oh how much better to bee willing to hearken to the voyce of Conscience here then to be forced to heare it in hell when the time of hearkening will be past and gone Hearken to it now thou shalt not heare it hereafter Hearken to the admonitions and reproofes of it now and thus shalt thou get Integrity here and shalt bee free from hearing the dolefull clamours of it in hell hereafter 5. To get and keepe a good Conscience euer in cases of a doubtfull and questionable nature be sure to take the surest side Many things are of a questionable nature and much may be sayd on either side in such cases if thou wouldst haue a good Conscience take the surest side that side on which
the goodnes of his Conscience farre aboue all carthly things Wealth libertie wife children life it selfe all are vile and cheape in comparison of it And therefore a man of a good Conscience will endure any griefe suffer any wrong to keepe his conscience good towards God Such a good Conscience had Daniel Dan. 1. 8. Hee purposed in his heart that hee would not defile himselfe with the portion of the Kings meat That is he was fully setled resolued in his Conscience come what would come he would not do that which would not stand with a good coÌ„science But what if he could haue gotten no other meat Without all doubt hee would rather haue starved then haue defiled his CoÌ„science with that meat He would haue lost his life rather then haue lost the Peace and Integritie of his Conscience It seemes a question of great difficultie which was put to the three Children Dan 3. Whether they will giue the bowing of their bodies to the golden Idoll or the burning of their bodies to the fiery Fornace But yet they finde no such difficultie therein they were not carefull to answer in that matter ver 16. Of the two fires they choose the coolest the easiest The fire of a guiltie conscience is seaven times hotter and more intollerable then the fire of Nebucadnezzars Fornace though it be heated seauen times more then it is wont to be heated If the question come betweene life and good Conscience that one of the two must bee parted withall it is an hard case Life is wondrous sweet and pretious Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he giue for his life Iâ—b 2. 4. What then should a man doe in such an hard case Heare what is the resolution of a good Conscience Act. 20. 24. My life is not deare vnto me so that I may fulfill my Ministration with ioy And wherein lay his Ioy but in his good Conscience 2. Cor. 1. 12. It is all one as if he had said I care not to loose my life to keepe a good Conscience A good Conscience in that passage of the Apostle 1 Tim. 1. 19. is secretly compared to a ship Now in a tempest at Sea when the question is come to this whether the goods shall be cast out or the Ship be cast away what doe the Marriners See Act. 27. 18. 38. They lightened the ship and cast out the wheat into the Sea The Marriners will turne the richest Commodities over booâ—d to saue the ship for they know if the ship be cast away then themselues are cast away Thus it is with a man that hath a good conscience when the case comes to this pinch that either his outward Comforts or his inward Peace must wrack he will chearfully cast the wheat into the Sea will part with all earthly commodities comforts before he will rush and wrack his conscience vpon any rocke He knowes if the ship be wrackt if his Conscience bee crackt that then himselfe his soule is in danger of being cast away therefore he wil throw away all to saue conscience from being split vpon the rocks and being swallowed vp in the sands There is as great a difference between a good conscience and all outward things even vnto life it selfe as is between the arme the head or heart The brain and the heart are vitall parts therefore when the head is in danger to bee cleft or the heart to bee thrust through a man will not stand questioning whether he were best adventure his hand or his arme to saue his head or his heart but either of these being in danger the hand the arme presently interpose themselues to receiue the blow and put themselues in danger of being wounded or cut off rather then the head or heart should be pierced A man may haue his hand or arme cut off and yet may liue but a wound in the braine or heart is mortall It is so in this case A good Conscience values its owne peace aboue all the world It is that wherein a Christians life lyes therefore he will suffer the right hand or foot to be cut off and loose all rather then expose Conscience to danger A man may go to heauen with the losse of a limbe and though he halt Mat. 18 8. but if a man loose his life if Conscience be lost all is lost A man may goe to heauen though he loose riches liberty life but if a good Conscience be lost there is no comming thither All things compared to Conscience are as farre beneath it as the least finger beneath the head He were a mad man that would suffer his skull to bee cleft to saue his little finger nay but the paring of his nayle And yet the world is full of such mad men that suffer conscience to receiue many a deep wound and gash to saue those things which in comparison of good Conscience are but as the nayle parings to the head Try mens Consciences here and we shall finde them exceeding short A good Conscience will endure any griefe and suffer any wrong rather then suffer the losse of its owne peace God commands Amaziah 2. Chro. 25 to put away Israel oh but what shall I doe for mine hundred Talents Tush what are an hundred Talents A good Conscience in yeelding obedience to God is a richer treasure then the East and West Indies And yet how many be there that will craze their Conscience an hundred times before they wil lose one Talent by obedience to God out of a care to keepe a good Conscience A talent nay that is too deepe neuer put them to that cost they will sell a good conscience not for gaining but for the taking of a farthing token God and good conscience say Sanctifie the Sabbath Possibly some halfe-penny customer comes to a Tradesmans Shop on a Sabbath and askes the sale of such or such a commodity Now the mans conscience tels him of the commaundement tels him what God lookes for tels him it cannot stand with his peace to make markets on that day c. But then he tels conscience that if he be so precise he may loose a customer and if hee loose his customers he may shut vp his Shop-windowes An Inne-keepers conscience tels him that it is fitter that hee should bee attending Gods seruice at his house on his day theÌ„ that he should be wayting on his guests But then hee replies to conscience that then his takings will be but poore and this is the next way to plucke downe his signe So here lyes a dispute between conscience and Gaine which of these two must be parted with If now in this case a man will growe to this resolution By Gods helpe I am resolued to keepe a good conscience in keeping Gods Commandement and Sabbath I will rather loose the best customer I haue the best guest I haue then the peace of a good conscience If I beg I beg I I will say of
among all these changes a good conscience will not change but holds it owne vntill its last day Now put mens Consciences vpon this tryall and their inconstancy either in good causes or courses wil discouer their naugtinesse In a good cause how many are like Darius His conscience struggles a great while for Daniel hee knew he was innocent he knowes the action to be vniust and therefore labours all day till the setting of the Sun for his deliuerance Dan. 6. 14. but yet ouercome with the Presidents and Princes vrgencie ver 16. he commands him to the Lions Denne Heere was a naturall Conscience standing for equitie and iustice but yet no good conscience it holds but till Sunne set and his Conscience went downe with the Sunne His Conscience yeeldes and is ouercome though it know the act to be iniust Pilates Conscience makes him plead for Christ In his conscience he acquits him and thrice solemnly professes that hee findes no fault in him and therefore cannot in conscience condemne him yea withall seekes to release him Iohn 19. 12. Is not heere now a good Conscience Indeed it had bene so in this particular fact if his Conscience had beene inflexible and had held out But when Pilate heares them say that if he bee his friend hee is no friend to Caesar Ioh. 19. 12. and whilest withall hee is willing to content the people Marke 15. 15. Now that there is feare on the one side and a desire to curry favour on the other Where now is his conscience Now he presently delivers him to bee crucified though hee knowes in his Conscience that there is no fault in him What a good conscience hath many a Iudge and Lawyer How stiffely will they stand in and prosecute a iust cause till a bribe come puts out the very eies of their Conscience Their Consciences are of so soft a temper that the least touch of Siluer turnes their edge presently They hold out well till their come a tentation on their right hand that is in their right hand Psal 144. 8. Whose mouth speakes vanitie and their right hand is a right hand of falshood If once the right hand be a right hand of falshood the mouth will soone speake vanity though before it spake Conscience Who would not haue thought Baalam to haue beene a man of an excellent Conscience If Balak would giue me his house full of silver and gold I cannot goe beyond the word of the Lord my God to doe lesse or more Num. 22. 18. But yet besides that faltring in those words I cannot goe whereas the language of good conscience would haue beene I will not goe besides that I say before he ends his speech see how the hope of promotions worke and works his Conscience like waxe before the fire verse 19. Now therefore I pray you tarry heere also this night that I may knowe what the Lord will say vnto mee more A faltring inference If his Conscience had beene good it would haue inferred strongly thus Now therefore I pray get you gone and trouble me no longer He knew in his Conscience the people ought not to bee cursed and that he ought not to goe and yet comes in with I pray tarry all night c. Truely Balak needed not to haue beene so lauish and so prodigall as to offer an house full one handfull of his Siluer and Gold will frame Balaams Conscience to any thing The like tryall may be made of mens Consciences by their inconstancy in good courses and this will condemne three sorts as guilty of evill consciences 1. Such as sometimes being convinced of the necessity of good courses do set vpon the practise of them begin to looke toward Religion religious duties till meeting with some of their supposed wiser neighbours they be advised to take heed they may bring thēselues into greater note then they are aware of they will incurre sharper censures then they thinke of c. and so suddenly all is dasht all is quasht and quencht There is a disease among beasts they call the Staggers and it is a disease too frequent in mens consciences who sometimes are on sometimes off one day begin and next day cease good courses That may be said of many mens consciences which Iacob speaks of Reuben Gen. 49. 4. Vnstable as water The water mooves as the windes blow If the winde blow out of the East then it moves one way if out of the West then it moves another the cleane contrary and vpon every new winde a new way So many let them heare a conuincing a good perswading Sermon moving to good duties then they will set vpon them let them againe heare either some mocks or reproaches for those wayes or some sage advise frō one they count wise against the waies of conscience they are as far off againe as euer These staggering irresolute and watry consciences are far from good ones 2. Such as in their youth or when the world was low with them were very zealous and forward But what are they now at this day True downe-right Demasses zealous whē they were young but now old and cold zealous when they were meane but now the world is come vpon them Demas-like they haue forsaken goodnesse and embraced the world haue gotten now worme-eaten and world-eaten Consciences The zeale of Gods house was wont to eate them vp but now the world hath eaten vp them and all their good Conscience 3. Those that haue made good the profane Proverb Young Saints and old Divels whose hatred of Religion and good conscience is greater then ever was their loue thereto as Ammons was towards Thamar 2 Sam. 13. 15. They were zealous and forward frequenters of Gods house and ordinances zealous enemies against swearing and Sabbath-breaking c. But what are they at this day Yesterday indeede zealous professors of holinesse but what are they to day To day malicious scoffers of godlinesse haters and opposers of goodnesse the onely swearers drunkards in a Countrey What kinde of consciences haue these None of Pauls Conscience I haue liued in all good Conscience vntill this day What then Iust the consciences of Hymenaeus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1. 18 19. They once made great profession of Confcience but now enemies to Paul and blasphemers men as Paul speakes that had put away good Conscience they did not through want of watchfulnes let it slip or steale away but as if it would neuer haue bene gone soone enough they put and draue it away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza translates it Qua expulsa They vsed their Consciences as Ammon did Thamar after his lust satisfied 2 Sā 13. 15. 17. Arise be gone sayes hee to her and when she pleades for her felfe he cals his seruant and sayes vnto him Put out this woman and bolt the dore after her put her out so as shee may bee sure not to come againe They dealt with their Consciences as Colledges deale with Rake-hels expelled them without
loue were readie to fasten a poysond tooth in him This was Dauids case and this may be any mans case but now at such a time and in such a pinch appeares the excellency and benefit of a good Conscience Though all a mans friends should proue Iobs friends like the Winter-brookes of Teman that in Winter ouerswell the bankes but in the scorching heat of Sommer proue drie ditches yet then eâ—en then well fare a good Conscience That will heale Dauids heart broken with reproach that will cheere him vp in his heauines that will sweeten the gall and take away the sharpnes of the vineger which his enemies haue giuen him to drinke There is a generation Pro. 30. 14. whose teeth are as swords and their iaw-teeth as kniues and Prou. 12. 18. that generation speakes as the piercings of a sword There is a generation whose words are wounds that goe downe into the innermost parts of the belly Prou. 18 8. These be dangerous generations But what generations are they Generations of Vipers Ps 140. 3. Adders poyson is vnder their lips Iunius translates it Venenum ptyados The poyson of the spitting Serpent They bee then generations of spitting serpents even of fiery serpents that haue their tongues set on fire from hell so they spit fiery poyson in the faces of Innocents Now there is no man can liue in this world at whom these adders will not spit no man can be free from the sprikling of their poyson The disciple is not aboue the master If these snakes haue hissed at the Lord of the house and if these spitting serpents haue cast their poyson in his face why would they feare to doe it to the servants But is there then no balme against this poyson no buckler against these swords Yes there is the soveraign balme the impenetrable buckler of a good conscience It is a balsome that will alay the poyson of these Adders that it shall never burst a mans heart or if these swords pierce the very innermost bowels yet this will so salue these wounds that they shall not ranckle nor become mortall Oh! how mortal is this adders poyson how fatall are those swords how â—eene their edge how full of paine their wounds where inward guilt giues strength vnto them But Integritie and goodnesse of Conscience is a pretious balme of Gilead that takes away the venome of this poyson and the stinging smart of the wounds of these swords Let Paul liue with ever so good a conscience before God and man Act. 24. 16. yet Tertullus will play the spitting adder and he will spit yea spue forth his poyson in his face and in the face of an whole Court will not spare openly to slander him for an arrant varlet a lewd pestilent and a villanous fellow Such drivell will the malicious world spit in the face of Godlines But marke now the benefit and comfort of a good Conscience Either a good CoÌ„science with Stephens Angelicall face wil dazle shame the divels oratours 1 Pet. 3. 16. Hauing a good Conscience that they may be ashamed or els like Paul it can shake off those vipers without swelling or falling downe dead Yea if Satans oratours will needs be opening their mouths against Paul yet so good is his Conscience that as Iohn Hus appealed from Pope Alexander to Pope Alexander namely from him in his anger to him in his cold blood better advised so dares Paul appeale from Tertullus to Tertullus Dauid from Shimei to Shimei froÌ„ enemies to enemies from their tongues to their hearts from their mouthes to their Consciences as knowing their owne integritie to bee such as that their enemies owne hearts giues their tongues the lye and tells them that against their consciences possessed with meere malice they are hurried on in Satans service Tertullus knowes he lyes and his owne Conscience tells him hee lyes in his throate that Paul is an honester man then himselfe yea and the comfort is that Pauls Conscience comforts him and assures him that Tertullus his Conscience assures him all this So vnspeakeably sweet is the comfort of a good Conscience Dauid complaines of a great affliction Psal 35. 11. False witnesse did rise vp they laid to my charge things that I knew not What should a man doe in such a case if he had not the comfort of a good Conscience witnessing for him But now at such a pinch appeares the benefit of a good Conscience Let ever so many rise vp falsely to witnesse against him yet his conscience will witnesse as fast for him My friends scorne me sayes Iob Iob. 16. 20. They witnessed against him to bee a wicked person and an hypocrite they censured and condemned him but what was Iobs comfort That same vers 19. Behold my witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high That was one comfort but that was not all he had also a witnesse on earth and his record below Vpon whose record and witnesse see with what solemnitie and with what confidence he stands Iob. 27. 2. 6. As God liueth who hath taken away my iudgement and the Almightie who hath vexed my soule All the while my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils my lips shall not speake wickednesse nor my tongue vtter deceit God forbid that I should iustifie you till I die I will not remoue mine integritie from me my righteousnes I will hold fast will not let it goe mine heart shall not reproach mee so long as I liue As if he had said As the Lord liues whilest there is breath in my body I Nam si in â—s iniquibus me criminantur testimoniuÌ„ Conscientia mea non stat contra me in conspectu dei quo nullus oculus mortalis intenditur non solum contristari non debeo veruÌ„ etiam exultare gaudere quia merces mea multa est in coelis Neque enim intuendum est quam sit amarum sed quam falsum sit quod audio quam verax pro cuius nomine hoc audio Aug. Contra lit Petil l 3. will not yeeld vnto your accusations nor yet acknowledge my selfe guiltie of that you do charge me withall Vrge me and presse me what you will yet will I never let goe mine hold Why what is it that makes Iob thus stiffe and resolute what is it that supports him with such an excellent spirit That ver 6. Mine heart shall not reproach me so long as I liue Indeed you reproach censure condemne me you lay heavie things to my charge But I haue searched the records of my Conscience I haue called that vnpartiall witnes to testifie the truth I finde conscience witnessing strongly on my side and therefore doe what you can you shall neuer beare me downe Iobs friends may proue fickle and false but his owne Conscience will proue true to him that will plead for him animate him and comfort him against all their calumnious and iniurious reproaches
what your censures are what sentēce you passe vpon me but know ye that I no whit at all regard the same I make no reckoning therof at all Why might the Corinthians say do ye count vs so silly so iniudicious Nay sayes Paul I speak it not as if you were sillier then others with me it is a small thing to be iudged of you or of mans iudgement let them be the most wise iudicious that are in the world or of mans Day though by men convened in solemne maner for iudgement I passe not what their censure is I regard not their mis-iudgings of me I but what makes Paul thus slight mens iudgement of him That in the fourth verse I know nothing by my selfe mine owne Conscience iudges me not nor sentenses me that layes no such thing to my charge and therefore so long as my Conscience is on my side I regard not a whit what the world iudges Now then see what a motiue this is to get and keepe a good Conscience As we would be glad to haue comfort and confidence against the malice of opprobrious tongues as wee would haue a counter-poyson against their venome so get a good Conscience Here is that which may make vs in loue with a good Conscience Reproach must full often be the portion of Gods deare children Israelites shall bee for ever an abomination to Egyptians And though the Egyptian dogges moued not their tongues against Israel Exodus 11. 7. yet dogged Egyptians will moue their tongues and their teeth too The Apostles must be counted the filth of the world and the off-scowrings of all things 1 Cor. 4. 13. The Lord Iesus himselfe dranke of this cup Psal 22. 6. 7. I am a worme and no man a reproach of men and dispised of the people All they that see me laugh me to scorne c. The way to heauen is a narrow way and this narrow way is beset with snakes spitting adders barking and biting and mad dogs and a man must passe to heauen through good and euill report 2. Cor. 6. 8. Well then it being so hard a passage Currentem attrites super aspidas basiliseos declinare senem vipera non poterit prosp dc Aug. Conscia mens recti famae mendaci◠ridet Sed no◠in vitiūm credula treba famus Ovid. how may a man get himselfe so armed that hee may passe cheerfully through all these get a good Conscience and thou shalt regard these snakes serpents vipers and dogs no more then a straw vnder thy foot If thou haue a good Conscience thou shalt laugh at the reproaches of enemies as Eliphaz speaks of destruction Iob 5. A good conscience will say vnto thee Goe on cheerily in the wayes of God what euer discouragements the diuell rayses by reproaches and slanders feare them not Behold I acquit and excuse thee I will beare thee out I will witnesse at Gods tribunall for thee Lo I giue thee balme against their poyson a buckler against their swords Let them curse yet I will blesse thee let thē reproach yet I will 〈…〉 for t let them condemn fame thee yet I will be thy compurgator let them cast dirt in thy face yet I will wash it off let them disquiet yet behold I am ready to cheere thee Oh the sweet and vnconceivable comfort that a good Conscience will speake even in the middst of the cruell speakings of vngodly men Iude 15. that will speake comfortably when they speake cruelly and most comfortably when they speake most cruelly Such is the benefit of a good Conscience in case of reproach and disgrace CHAP. IX The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience in the times of common feares and calamities and in the times of personall evils as sicknesse and afflictions for Conscience sake IN the second place let vs see what the benefite and comfort of a good 〈◊〉 Common calamities When the 2 fort of a good Conscience in the times of cōmon feares and calamities world is full of scares and dangers and calamities breake in how fares it then with an evil conscience in what taking are they that want a good conscience They are absorpt with feares and the very tydings puts them to much perplexitie Isa 7. 2. Aha◠is told of a confedracy between Syria Ephraim and see in what feares hee and his people were His heart was moved the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind So deepely do reports and evill tydings affect them the trees in the wood are not so shakē with the blustering windes as evill Consciences are with evill tydings When ill newes and ill Consciences meet there is no small feare The signes that prognosticate sorrowfull times see how deepely they affect evill Consciences Luke 21. 25. There shall be signes in the sun and the moone and in the stars and vpon the earth distresse of Nations with perplexity mens hearts failing them for feare and for looking after those things which are comming on the earth But when calamity indeed comes and not ill newes but ill times and ill consciences meete how are they then They are then either in the case the Egyptians were in the famine Gen. 47. 13. They were at their wits end or as those in a storme at Sea Psa 107. 26. 27. Their soule is melted because of trouble They reele too and fro and stagger like a drunken man and all their wisdome is swallowed vp Excesse of feare puts them into as great distempers as excesse of wine it vtterly stupifies them and they by feare are as much bereft of the vse of their senses wit and wisdom as a drunkard is in his drunkennesse Yea their feares make them not onely drunk but starke madde Deut. 28. 34. Thou shalt be oppressed and cursed alway so that thou shalt bee madde for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see The perplexities of an euill conscience in evill times are vnspeakably grievous Isay doth exceeding lively describe them Isa 13. 7. 8. 9. Therfore shall all hands bee faint and every mans heart shall melt And they shall bee afraid pangs and sorrowes shall take hold of them they shall be in pain as a woman that travells they shall be a mazed one at another their faces shall be as flames c. Hence that same strange question of the Prophets Ier. 36. 6. Aske ye now and see whether a man doth travell with childe A strange question what should make the Prophet aske it Because he foresaw such strange behaviour amongst them carrying themselues in the same fashion in the day of calamitie that women vse to doe in the extremity of the pangs of child-birth Wherefore doe I see every man with his hands on his loynes as a woman in trauell and all faces are turned into palenesse Alas for that day is great so that none is like it it is euen the time of Iacobs trouble When such wofull dayes befall a man all
4. 5. My heart is sore pained within me and the terrors of death are fallen vpon mee fearefulnes trembling are come vpon me and horrour hath over whelmed me Sometimes again he sees death as the Israelites the fiery Serpents with mortal stings Sometimes as a merciles Landlord or the Sheriffe comming with a Writ of Firmae eiectione to throw him out of house and home and to turne him to the wide Common yea he sees death as Gods executioner and messenger of eternall death yea he sees death with as much horrour as if hee saw the Diuell In so many fearefull shapes appeares death to an evill conscience vpon the death-bed So as it is indeed the King of Terrors to such an one that hath the Terrours of Conscience within There is no one thought so terrible to such an one as the thought of death nothing that he more wishes to avoyd Oh! how loath and how vnwilling is such an one to dye But come now to a man that hath liued as Paul did in all good conscience and how is it with him vpon his death-bed His end is peace so full of ioy comfort so is he ravished with the inward and vnspeakable consolations of his Conscience that it is no wonder at all that Balaam should wish to dye the death of the righteous the death of a man with a good Conscience The day of a mans marriage is the day of the ioy of a mans heart Cant. 3. 11. and the day of marriage is not so ioyfull a day as is the day of death to a good conscience There are but fewe that can marry with that ioy wherwith a good conscience dyes It enables a man not onely to looke Ananias and the Councell in the face but even to looke death it selfe in the face without those amazing terrours yea it makes the face of death seeme louely and amiable He whose conscience is good and fees the face of God reconciled to him in Christ he can say as Iacob did when he saw the face of Ioseph Gen. 46. 30. Now let me dye since I haue seene thy face It is the priviledge of a good Conscience alone to goe to the grave as Agag did to Samuel and to say that truely which he spake besides the booke 1 Sam. 15. 32. He came pleasantly And he sayd Surely the bitternesse of death is past He was deceived and therefore had no such cause to be so pleasant but a good Conscience can yea cannot chuse but be so pleasant even when going out of the world because the gilt of sin being washed away in Chists bloud it knowes that the bitternes of death is past and the sweetnesse of life eternall is at hand A man whose debts are paid he dares goe out of dores dare meete and face the Sergeants and the conscience purged by the bloud of Christ can looke as vndaūtedly on the face of death He that hath gotten the sting that is the guilt of cōscience taken away by faith in Christ he lookes not vpon death as the Israelites vpon the fiery Serpents but lookes vpon it as Paul doth 1. Cor. 15. O death where is thy sting Who feares a Bee an Hornet a Snake or a Serpent when they haue lost their sting The guilt of sinne is the sting of Conscience is the sting of death that stings the conscience The sting of death is sinne 1 Cor. 15. Plucke then sinne out of the conscience and at once the conscience is made good and death made weake and is disarmed of his weapon And when the cōscience sees death vnstingd and disarmed it is freed of feare and even in the very act of death can ioyfully tryumyh over death oh Death where is thy sting A good Conscience lookes vpon death as vpon the Sheriffe that comes to giue him possession of his Inheritance or as Lazarus vpon the Angels that came to carry his soule into Abrahams bosome and therefore can wellcome death and entertain him ioyfully And wheras an ill conscience makes a man see death as if he saw the Devill a good conscience makes a mā see the face of death as Iacob saw Esaues face Gen. 33. I haue seene thy face as the face of God they see the face of death with vnspeakable ioy rauishment of heart and exultation of spirit Well now what a motive haue wee here to make vs labor for a good conscience Even Balaam himselfe would faine make a good end dye in peace and who wishes not his deathbed may be a Mount Nebo from whence he may see that heavenly Canaan Lo here Balaam the way to dye the death of the righteous I haue liued in all good Conscience vnto this day They that haue conscience in their life shall haue comfort at their death They that liue conscionably shal die comfortably They that live in all good Conscience til their dying day shall depart in the abundance of comfort at their dying day There will come a day wherein we must lay downe these Tabernacles the day of death will assuredly come How lamentable a thing will it then be to be so destitute desolate of all comfort as to be driven to that extremity as to curse our birth day oh what would Comfort be worth at our last houre at our last gaspe whilest our dearest friēds shall be weeping wringing their hands and lamenting then then what would inward cōfort be worth Who would not hold the whole world an easie price for it then Well then would wee then haue Comfort and Ioy oh then get a good cōscience now which wil yeeld comfort when all other comforts shall vtterly faile and shal be life in the middest of death How happy is that man that when the sentence of death is passed vpon him can say with Hezekiah Isa 38. 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and haue done that which is good in thy sight Indeed the Text sayes that Hezekiah wept sore but yet not as fearing death for hee could not feare death who had thus feared God but because the promise was not yet made good to him in a son and Heire of his kingdome hence came those teares It is otherwise an vnspeak able ioy that such a Conscience as Hezekiahs was will speake to a man vpon his death-bed Euery one professes a desire to make a good ende Here is the way to make good that desire to live in all good cōscience Alas how pittifull and miserable a condition live most men in All the dayes of their lifes healths they haue no regard of a good Conscience Notwithstanding that men are pressed continually to this one care by the instancy and importunity of Gods Ministers yet how miserably is it neglected Well at last the day of death comes then what would they not giue for a comfortable end If the gold of Ophir would purchase comfort it should fly then Then poast for this Minister
of the Lambe on the throne Oh! they that feare the Lambe on the throne how dreadfull vnto them will bee the Lyon on the throne It will be with good and evill Consciences at that day as it was with Pharoahs Butler and Baker on Pharaohs birth-day The Butler hee knew hee should be restored to honour and goe from the prison to the pallace therefore he comes out of the prison full of ioy and iollity he holds vp his head and out-faces the proudest of his enemies But the Baker hee knowes his head shall be lift from off him and therefore when Pharaohs birth-day comes wherein all others are in iollity yet hee droopes and hangs downe the head hee knowes it would proue an heavy day of reckoning with him Such will the apparition of Christ vnto iudgement bee vnto good evill Consciences as was the apparition of the Angell Math. 28. 2. 3. 4. 5. There was a great earthquake for the Angell of the Lord descended from heaven his countenance was like lightning and his rayment white as snow Here was a terrible sight but yet not alike terrible to all the beholders For for feare of him the keepers did shake and became as dead men But the Angell said vnto the women feare not yee for I know that yee seeke Iesus So at the last day when Christ shall come to iudgement evill Consciences shall be as the Keepers whilest all good Consciences shall heare that comfor-fortable voyce Feare not yee for I know that you haue sought for God and all your dayes yee haue sought to kpepe a good Conscience How effectuall a motiue should this be how strongly should this worke with vs. As wee would bee glad to hold vp our heads when the glorious ones of the earth shall hang them downe to leape for ioy when others shall howle for bitter anguish of spirit so now whilst wee haue the day of life and grace labour wee to get and keepe good Consciences CHAP. XIII A second motiue A good Conscience is a continuall feast THus haue wee seene the first motiue The secōd motiue to a good Conscience from the benefite and comfort of a good Conscience in such cases and times as a man stands most in need of comfort A second motiue followes and that is that we finde Prov. 15. 15. A good Conscience is a continuall feast 1. It is a feast 2. Better then a feast It is a continuall feast 1. It is a feast The excellency of a good Conscience is set forth by the same thing by which our Saviour sets forth the happinesse of heauen Luk. 14. Quo enim melius epulantur animi quam bonis fact is aut quid aliud iam facile potest explere iustorum mentes quā boni operis conscientia Ambr de offic l. 1. c. 31 And well may both be set forth by the same metaphor considering what a neere affinity there is betweene heauen and a good Conscience that there is no feasting in heauen vnlesse there be first the feast of a good Conscience here on earth But why a feast A feast for three regards 1. For the selfe sufficiency and sweet satisfaction and contentment that a good Conscience hath within it selfe Feasting fasting are opposite In fasting vpō the want of food there is an emptinesse and a griping hunger which makes the body insatiably to craue But at a feast there is abundance and variety of all dishes and dainties ready at hand to satisfie a mans appetite to the full he can haue a mind to nothing but it is before him The very best of euery thing that is to bee had is at a feast A feast of fat things Isa 25. 6. of fat things full of marrow Such is the sufficiency of satisfaction the abundance of sweetnes and contentment that is to be found in a good Conscience It is a table richly furnisht with all varieties and dainties There is no pleasure cōfort or contentment that a mans heart can wish but it may bee abundantly had in a good Conscience as at a feast there is a collection of all the dainties and delicacies that sea and land can affoord 2. For the mirth and ioy of it A feast is made for laughter Eccles 10. 19. At a feast there is mirth musick and delight in the comfortable vse of the creatures Heauinesse of heart pensinenesse and sorrow these are banisht frō the house of feasting Fasting feasting are opposite in fasting indeede there is weeping mourning and sorrowing but in a feast contrarily there is mirth merriment and ioy There were vnder the Law appointed so lemne holy feasts anniversarily to be celebrated and at those solemne feasts were the silver trumpets sounded Num. 10. 10. and the sound of the trumpets was a ioyfull sound Psal 89. 15. For their festivities were to bee kept with speciall ioy Deut. 16. 10. 11. 13. 14. 15. Thou shalt keepe the feast of weekes vnto the Lord. c. and thou shalt reioyce before the Lord c. Thou shalt obserue the feast of Tabernacles seuen dayes c. And thou shalt reioyce in thy feast c. Therfore thou shalt surely reioyce And that extraordinary feast on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Ader in memoriall of their deliuerance from Hamā see how it was kept Est 9. 19. 22. They kept them dayes of gladnesse and feasting of feasting and ioy Euen such is the excellency of a good Conscience All the merriment and musicke wine good cheere will not make a mans heart so light and so merry as the wine which is drunke at the feast of a good conscience will doe This takes away all heauinesse and sadnesse of spirit and hath the like effects with naturall wine It makes a man forget his spirituall poverty and remember that misery no more Pro. 31. 7. Nay as wine not onely takes away sadnes but withall brings a naturall gladnes with it Psal 104. 15. Wine that makes glad the heart of man so doth this wine at this feast Psal 97. 11. 12. Light is sowne for the righteous and gladnes for the vpright in heart Reioyce in the Lord ye righteous None so glad an heart as the vpright in heart Nay such is the vigour and strength of this wine at this feast that it not only glads a mans heart but makes a man as not able to containe euen to shout for ioy Psal 32. 11 Shout for ioy all yee that are vpright in heart yea shout alowd for ioy Psal 132. 16. That looke as it is sayde of the Lord Psal 78. 65. The Lord awaked like a mighty man that shouts by reason of wine So such is the plenty abundance sweetnes and strength of the wine of this feast that it makes men in a holy iollity euen to breake forth into shouting singing This wine being liberally drunken wherein there is no excesse fills a mans heart with such an ouerflowing exuberancy of ioy as hee cannot hold but he must needs shew it in
heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the coole of the day Luther layes the Emphasis of the aggravation of his feare vpon this word the winde or coole of the day The night indeed is naturally terrible and darkenes is fearefull whence that phrase Ps 91. The terrors of the night But the day and the light is a cheerefull and a comfortable creature Eccl. 11. 7. Truely the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sunne How is it then that in the faire day light which giues courage and comfort that Adam feares and runnes into the thickets Oh his Conscience was become Grauis malâ— Conscientiae lux est Senec. ep 123. evill and full of darkenes and the darknesse of his conscience turned the very light into darknesse and so turned the comforts of the day into the terrours of the night So that in this sense it may be said of an evill Conscience which of the Lord is sayd in another Psal 139. 12. Vnto it the darknes and the light are both alike As full of feare in the light as in the darke And besides the Lord came but in a gentle wind the coole breath of the day now what a small matter is a coole winde and that in the day time to to put a man in a feare Such small things breede great feares in euill consciences In what a woefull plight would Adam thinke wee haue bin if the Lord had come to him at the dead and darke mid-night with earth-quakes thunder and blustring tempest We may see the like in Gain After hee had defiled his Conscience with his brothers blood in what feares yea what idle feares liued he Hee is so haunted with feares that though hee had liued in Paradise yet had he liued in a land of Nod in a land of agitation yea of trepidation Iudge what case his euill Conscience made him in by that speech Gen. 4. 14. It shall come to passe that euery one that findes me shall slay me Surely there could not bee many yet in the world and those that were in the world were either his parents brethren sisters or neere kinred His feare seems to imagine multitudes of people that might meet him yea that euery one he meetes would murther him What will his Father or Mother bee his executioners What if any of his sisters meete him shall they slay him is not such a swash-buckler as he able to make good his party with them Loe what fearfull terrible things a guilty conscience proiects As an euill Conscience is miserable in its feares so in those perplexities which this feare breedes These perplexities doe miserably and restlesly distract a man Is 57. 20. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast vp mire and dirt What is the reason of these troublesome perplexities The want of the peace of a good Conscience vers 21. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked The windes make the sea restles and stirre it to the very bottome so as the waters cast vp mire and dirt See in the troubled Sea the embleme of a troubled Conscience But the Torment exceedes all and the main misery of an euill conscience lies in that It is a misery to be in feare a misery to haue inward turbulencies commotions but to be alwayes on the racke alwayes on the Strapado this is farre more truely the suburbs of Hell then is the Popish Purgatory Oh! the gripes and girds the stitches and twitches the throws pangs of a galling and a guilty Conscience So sore they are and so vnsufferable that Iudas seeks ease with an halter and thinkes hangging Poena auteÌ„ vehemens et multo saeuior illis Quas et Ceditiuâ— grauis invenit RhadamaÌ„ thus ease in comparison of the torture of his euill Conscience All the rackes wheeles wilde horses hot pincers scalding leade powred into the most tender and sensible parts of the body yea all the mercilesse barbarous and inhumane cruelties of the holy Nocte dieque suum gest are in pectore testem Iuvenal Satyr 3. house are but flea-bitings meere toyes and May-games compared with the torment that an euill conscience will put a man to when it is awakened It is no wonder that Iudas hangs himselfe it had beene a great wonder rather if he had not hanged himselfe The Heathens fabled terrible things Noliteenim putare quemadmodum in fabulis saepenumero videtis eos qui aliquid impie scelerateque coÌ„miserint agitari perterreri furiarum taedis ardeÌ„tibus Sua quemque fraus et suus terror maxime vexat suum quemque scelus agitat a mentiâ—que afficit Suae malae cogitationes Conscientiaeque animi terrent Hae sunt impiis assiduae domesticaeque furiae quae dies noctesque parentum poenas à consceleratissimis filiis repâ—tant Circer pro Rosc A mer. Suum quemque facinus suum scelus suae audatia de sanitate ac mente deturbat Haec sunt impiorum furiae flammae hae faces Id. m L. Pison of their hellish Furies with their snakes and fiery torches vexing tormenting haynous and great offenders These their Furies were nothing else but the hellish torments of guilty Conscience wherewith wicked persons were continually haunted as some of the wiser of themselues haue well obserued All snakes and torches are but idle toyes and meere trifles to the most exquisite torment of a guilty and accusing Conscience The sting of Conscience is worse then death it selfe Apoc. 9. 5. 6. Their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man And in those dayes shall men seeke death and shall not finde it and shall desire to dye death shall flee from them Popish ones tormented in their consciences by the terrible and vncomfortable doctrines of satisfactions Purgatory fire c. which those Locusts should so terrifie them withall should rather choose death then liue in such vncomfortable condition The sting of death not so smart as the sting of a Scorpion in the conscience The sting of an accusing Conscience is like an Harlot Prov. 7. 26. More bitter then death And as Salomon there speakes of the Harlot so may it be sayd of a tormenting Conscience Who so pleases God shall escape from it but the sinner shall be taken by it Gods deare children themselues many of them are not freed from trouble in their Consciences but they haue their hells in this life Ion. 2. 2. Out of the belly of hell I cryed vnto thee God for their tryal speaks bitter things to them and not onely denyes them peace but causes their consciences to be at warre with them Now when God puts his owne children to these trials and disquiets of Conscience they are so bitter so biting that had they not the grace of God to vphold and preserue them even they could not bee saved from dangerous miscariages Iob was put to this triall
and his Conscience apprehended Gods anger and we shall see what a case he was in Iob 6. 8. 9. O that I might haue my request and that God would grant me the thing I long for even that it would please God to destroy me that he would let loose his hand and cut me off Nay worse Iob 7 14. 15. Thou scarest me with dreames and terrifiest me through visions so that my soule chooses strangling and death rather then life Gods grace preserues his Saints from selfe-murder but yet not alwaies from impatient wishes Iob wishes strangling and chooses it of the two but goes no further What wonder then that Iudas doth strangle himselfe when his Conscience stares him in the face when as Iob with whom God is but in iest in comparison chooses strangling If Iob wish it what wonder that Iudas doth the deed Conscience doth chastise the godly but with whips but it lashes the wicked with scorpions Now if the whips be so smarting to Iob as makes him choose strangling what wonder that the scorpions be so cutting as makes Iudas seeke reliefe at an halter Yea and that which addes to the misery of an evill Conscience being awakened it is such a misery as no earthly comfort can asswage or mitigate Diseases and distempers of the body though they be terrible yet Physicke sleepe rest upon a mans bed yeeldes him some ease some comfort Sometime in some griefes the comforrable vse of the creatures yeelds a man some refreshments Prou 31. 6. 7. Giue wine vnto those that be of heauie hearts let him drinke and forget his pouertie remember his misery no more But Conscience being disquieted findes no ease in these Darius against his Conscience suffers innocent Daniel to be cast into the Lyons denne What cheere hath he that night He passed the night in fasting Dan. 6. 18. Not in fasting in humiliation for his sinne but conscience now began to gall him and hee hauing marred the feast of his coÌ„science Conscience also marres his feasting none of his dainties will now downe his wine is turned into gall and wormewood no ioy now in any thing Hee had marred the musicke of his conscience and now he brookes not other musicke The Instruments of musike were not brought before him His guilty coÌ„science was now awakened and now he cannot sleepe His sleepe went from him So Iob in his conflict of Conscience hoped for ease in his bed Iob 7. 13. My bed shall comfort me my couch shall ease my complaint But how was it with him Either he could not sleepe at all vers 3. 4. Wearisome nights are appointed vnto mee when I lye downe I say when shall I arise and the night be gone and I am full of tossings to and fro vnto the dawning of the day Needes must he tosse whose conscience is like the Sea waues tossed with the windes or else if Iob did sleepe yet did not Conscience sleepe vers 14. but even in his sleepe presented him with ghastly sights and visions When I say my bed shall comfort me then thou scarest mee with dreames and terrifiest me through visions At other times when conscience hath been good Gods people though their dangers haue beene great yet neither the greatnes nor neerenes of their dangers haue broken their sleep Psa 3. 5. 6. I layd me downe and slept I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that haue set themselues against me round about And yet if we looke to the title of the Psalme A psalme of Dauid when hee fled from Absolom his sonne one would thinke David should haue had little list or leasure to haue slept Peter thought to haue bin executed the next morrow by Herod and though he also lodge betweene a company of ruffianly Souldiers that happily one would feare might haue done him some mischiefe in his sleepe yet how soundly sleepes he that night Act. 12. And holy Bradford was found a sleep when they came to fetch him to bee burnt at the stake These fears brake not these mens sleepe How might this come to passe They did as Psal 4. 8. I will lay me down in peace and sleepe He that can lie down in the peace of Conscience may sleepe soundly whatsoever causes of feare there be otherwise But contrarily he that cannot lie downe with the peace of conscience will find but little rest sleepe though his heart bee free from all other feares Euill conscience being awakened will fill the heart with such feares as a man shall haue little liberty to sleepe Oh the sweet sleepe that Iacob had and the sweet dream when he lay vpon the cold earth and had an hard stone vnder his head for his pillow An hard lodging and an hard pillow but yet sweet rest and sweet communion with God A good conscience makes any lodging soft and easie but down-beds and down-pillowes if there bee thornes in the Confcience are but beds of thornes and beddes of nettles The bitternesse of an evill conscience distastes all the sweets of this life as when the mouth and tongue is furred in an hot Ague all meates and drinkes are bitter to the sicke partie This is the misery of an evill conscience awakened in this life 2. But it may bee many never feele this misery here there is therefore the more misery reserved for them in hell in the world to come Indeed more by many thousands goe to hell like Nabal â—han like Iudas more die like sots in securitie then in dispaire of Conscience Death it selfe can not awaken some consciences but no sooner come they into hell but Conscience is there awakened to the full never to sleepe more and then she lashes and gashes to the quicke lets men learne that forbearance was no payment Tell many men of Conscience and they are ready to flap one on the mouth with that prophane proverbe Tush Conscience was hanged many yeeres agoe But the time will come that they who haue lived in euill Conscience shall finde that Conscience which they haue counted hanged shall play the cruell hang-man and tormentor with them They shall finde Conscience vnhanged when it shall hang them vp in hell when day and night it shall stretch them there vpon the racke The torments which an evill Conscience puts the damned to in hell are beyond the expression of the tongue and the comprehension of mans conceit There bee two speciall things in the torments of hell wee haue them both thrice repeated together Mark 9. 44. 46. 48. Where their worme dies not and the fire is not quenched There is an ever-living worme and never-dying fire And marke that in all the three verses the worme is set in the first place as it were to teach vs that the prime and principall torment in hell is the worme rather then the fire And what is the worme but the guilt of an evill Conscience that shall lie eternally gnawing and grapping twiching and gryping the heart of the damned in hell
Men talke much of hell fire and it were well they would talke more of it but yet there is another torment forgotten that would be thought on too There is an Hell worme as well as there is an hell-fire And it may be a question whether of the two is the greatest torment And yet no great question neither For as the Heaven of Heaven is the peace and ioy of a good so the very Hell of Hell is the guilt and worme of an evill Conscience A man may safely say it is better being in Hel with a good conscience thē to be in heauē if that might be with an evill one Heaven without a good cōscience what is it better thē Hel Paradise was an Heauen on earth but when Adam had lost the Paradise of a good conscience what ioy did Paradise and the pleasures of the Garden affoord him more then if he had beene in some sad solitary Desert A good conscience makes a Desert a Paradise an euill one turnes a Paradise into a Desert A good Conscience makes Hell to be no Hell and an evill one makes Heaven to be no Heaven Both the happinesse misery of Heaven and Hell are from the inward frame of the Conscience The Hell of Hell is the worme of Hell and that worme is the worme of an evill Conscience which if it bee not wormed out and so the conscience in this life made good it will bee an immortall worme in hell The hellish dispaire wherewith the damned are ouerwhelmed comes rather frō this werme then from the fire Whose worme dies not and whose fire is not quenched The fire of Hell never quenches because the worme of Hell never dies If the worme of Hell would die the fire of Hell would go out For if there were no guilt there should bee no punishment So that the very Hell of Hell is that selfe-torment which an evill conscience breeds Now then all this considered how powerfully should it move vs to labor for a good conscience Thou that goest on in thine euill courses and hatest to be reformed and reclaimed doe but bethinke thy selfe if God should awaken thy Conscience in what misery thou shouldest liue here what an Hell to haue a palsie Conscience what an Hell on earth to be alwaies vnder the accusations indictments and terrors of Conscience and to liue Caine-like in a land of Nod in a continuall restlesse agitation Vt ex cruditate febres noscuntur et vermes quando quis cibū sumit intemperāter it a si quis peccata peccatis accumulet nec decoquat eae poenitentia sed misceat pec cata peccatis cruditatem contrahit veterū recentiū delictorum igne adu retur proprio et vernibus consumetur Ignis est quem generat moestitia delictorum vermis est eo quod irrationabilia animi peccata mentem pungunt et viscera exedant vermes ex vnoquoque nascuntur tanquā ex corpore peccatoris hic vermis non morietur c. Amb. lib. 7. in Luk-c 14. But especially as thou fearest that euerliuing and evergrabbing worme so haue a care to get a good Conscience Greene and rawe fruits breed Chestwormes which if heede bee not taken will eat the very maw thorow A dead body and a putrified corrupt carkasse breedes wormes that lye gnawing at it in the graue The forbidden and rawe fruits of sinne are those which breede chest-wormes in the Conscience The corruptions of the soule and dead works are those that breed this liuing worme take hede therefore of medling with these fruits that will breede this worme get thy conscience purged from dead works get this worme killed with the soonest for if thou lettest it liue till thou die it will neuer die at all and will put thee to those exquisit torments from which to bee freed thou woldest willingly suffer ten thousand of the most cruell deaths that the wit of man were able to inuent As then I say thou fearest this worme of Hell so get a good Conscience Drinke down euery morning a hearty draught of Christs bloud which may make this worme burst And when once this worme is burst and voyded the cōscience well purged by Christs bloud take heed ever after of eating those raw fruites that will breed new wormes Lead so holy so vpright and so conscionable a life that thou mayst not by thy fresh sins clog thy Conscience with fresh guilt Get thy Conscience purged by Christs bloud thy conversation framed by Gods Word Thy words were found by mee and I did eat them Ier. 15. 16. Doe thou so eat no more the vnwholsome worm breeding fruites of sinne but drinke Christs bloud and eate Gods word and they both shall purifie and scoure thy Conscience from all such stuffe as may breed and feede the Hell-worme of an evill Conscience CHAP. XVI The portion and respect that a good Conscience findes in the world ANd thus haue we hitherto seene Pauls Protestation The second point followes namely Ananias his insolent impetuous Iniunction Verse 2. And the high Priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth Paul had begunne his defence in the former verse and that by authoritie speciall command as appeares in the former Chapter at the 30. verse But he had no sooner begun but hee is interrupted aad cut off and hath not only his mouth stopt but stopt with Ananias fists Hee commanded to smite him on the mouth Out of which carryage and violence of his wee may obserue diuerse things First learne Doctr. 1 What is the Reward and portion of a good Conscience from the world It is the portion of a good Conscience full oft to be smitten either on the mouth or with the mouth Blowes either with the fist or with the tongue To be smitten one way or other is full often the lot of a good Conscience Smite him on the mouth sares Ananias But let vs a little expostulate the matter with Ananias Smite him on the mouth But yet as Pilate speakes in Christs case But what evill hath he done or what evill hath he spoken Smite him on the mouth But as our Saviour answers Iohn 18. 23. If he haue spoken evill take witnesse of the evill and proceed legally and formally If he haue spoken well or no manner of euil Why commandest thou him to be smitten What hath he spoken any treason against Caesar or the Romane government If he haue then as the towne-Clerk of Ephesus speaks Act. 19. 38. The law is open there are Deputies let thē accuse him bring him to his answer It is a base vsage of any ingenuous person to bee smitten on the mouth in a Court of Iustice a dishonorable vsage of a Romane Surely it should seem by such base bitter vsage that Paul hath some way or other fowly forgotten over-shot himself that Ananias his spirit is thus embittered and provoked against him What hath Paul given him any