good yet their consciences are far short of goodnes because they are not good before God the Iudge of conscience Whilest conscience is made only of the Capitals of the second Table or of the externals ceremonials of the first which duty is not done out of obedience to God his Commandements but a mans selfe either in his gaine or in his prayse is sought base ends are the first mouers to good duties here the conscience what euer applause it hath from or before men for it goodnesse yet of God shall not be so esteemed For that is not a good conscience which is one outwardly but which is one inwardly whose prayse is not of men but of God And that hath its prayse of God which is before God 4. From his continuance constancie vntill this day To begin a good life and course and to liue in all good conscience that before God are excellent things but yet one thing is wanting to make vp this goodnesse compleate To bee so for a day or some dayes will not serue but when a man can say at his last day I haue liued in al good conscience vntill this day that man may bee safely iudged to haue a good conscience indeed Thus in these foure particulars doth the goodnes of Pauls conscience appeare It is not my purpose to confine my selfe to keepe me within these bounds alone but to take a larger latitude within the compasse whereof I will bring both those forenamed and all other materiall points which this protestation doth afford CHAP. II. Conscience described THe maine subiect of this protestation and the ayme of this following discourse being concerning a good conscience for the more orderly handling thereof consider these specialls 1. What Conscience is 2. What a good Conscience is 3. How a good conscience may bee gotten and kept The meanes of it 4. How a good conscience may bee knowne The markes of it 5. The motiues to get and keepe a good conscience 1. What conscience is It may be thus described Conscience is a power and faculty of the soule taking knowledge and bearing witnesse of all a mans thoughts words actions accordingly excusing or accusing absoluing or condemning comforting or tormenting the same I know there be other definitions giuen by others more succinct and neat but I rather chuse this though it may bee not altogether so formall to the rules of Art The rules of â—oue and profit many times may make bold to dispence with rules of Art So I may be profitable I care the lesse to bee artificiall It may suffice that this description is answerable to that Auditory for whose sake it was first intended A plaine familiar description agrees well enough with such a people For the better conceiuing of it let it be taken in pieces and euery parcell viewed seuerally It is a faculty or power of the soule It is therefore called the Heart 1. Iohn 3. 20. If our heart condemne vs. Eccl. 7. 22. Thine owne heart knowes that thou thy selfe likewise hast cursed others that is thine own conscience knowes It is also called the spirit of man 1. Cor. 2. 11. For what man knowes the things of a man saue the spirit of man which is in him And Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit it selfe beares witnesse with our spirit that is with our coÌ„science Not that conscience is a spirit distinct from the substance of the soule as Origen mistooke but because it is a faculty of the soule therefore the name that is oft giuen to the soule is giuen to it If it bee asked in what part of the soule this faculty is placed wee must know that Conscience is not confined to any one part of the soule It is not in the vnderstanding alone not in the memory will or affections alone but it hath place in all the parts of the soule according to the seuerall parts thereof hath seuerall Offices or Acts. Taking knowledge Eccle. 7. 22. Thine owne heart knowes Conscience is placed in the soule as Gods spy mans superiour and ouerseer an inseperable companion that is with a man at all times and in all places so that there is not a thought word or worke that it knowes not and takes not notice of So that that which Dauid speakes of God himselfe Psal 139. 3. 4. Thou compassest my heart my lying downe and art acquainted with all my wayes for there is not a word in my tongue but loe thou knowest it altogether Whither shall I goe from thy spirit If I ascend vp to heauen c. The same may bee also said of conscience Gods deputy it is acquainted with all our waies not a motion in the minde not a syllable in the mouth to which it is not priuy yea it is thus inseperably present with vs not only to see but also to set downe to register to put downe vpon Record all our thoughts words and workes Conscience Nam quocunque me verto vitia mea me sâ— quuntur vbicuÌ„que vado conscientia mea menon deserit se praesens adsistit quicquid facio scribit Idcirco quanquam humana subterfugiaÌ„ iudicia iudicium propriae consc fugere non valeâ— Et si hominiê° celo qucd egi mihi tameÌ„ qui noui maluÌ„ quod gessi celare nequeo Ber. de Inter. Dom. c. 31. is Gods Notary and there is nothing passes vs in our whole life good or ill which coÌ„science notes not down with an indeleble character which nothing can raze out but Christs blood Conscience doth in this kinde as Iob wishes in another Iob 19. 23. 24. Oh that my words were now written Oh that they were printed in a booke That they were grauen with an iron pen and laid in the rocke for euer Conscience prints and writes so surely so indelebly yea it writes mens sins as Iudah his sin was with a pen of Iron with the poynt of a diamond and they are grauen vpon the Table of their hearts Ierem. 17. 1. Conscience doth in our pilgrimage as trauellers in their iourney it keepes a Diary or a iournall of euery thing that passes in our whole course it keepes a booke in which it hath a mans whole life pend In regard of this office conscience is placed in the memory is the Register and Recorder of the soule And bearing witnesse This wee finde Rom. 2. 15. their conscience also bearing witnesse Rom. 9. 1. My conscience also bearing me witnesse 2. Cor. 1. 12. The testimony of our conscience And this the end of the former office of the conscience For therefore is it exact punctuall in setting downe the particulars of a mans whole life that it may bee a faithfull witnesse either for him or against him For a faithfull witnes cannot lye Pro. 14. 5. This office it is ready to doe at all times of tryall affliction and Peccatâ— mea celare non possum quoniaÌ„ quocuÌ„que vado consc mea mecum est secum
and giue him cause of much ioy and triumph Iob then had his witnesse in heaven Iob had his witnesse on earth God and his own CoÌ„science two witnesses beyond all exception and in the mouth of two witnesses euery truth shall stand Conscience is a thousand witnesses and God is aboue Conscience And what Conscience witnesses concerning matter of fact God himselfe will Iustifie the same He that hath a good conscience hath a sure friend that will neither slinke nor shrinke at any hand Nay he hath two good friends and two substantiall witnesses whose testimonies though secret yet are such as sweetly solace the heart of man against open reproaches slanders false witnesses all wrongs and iniuries of that kinde whatsoever The testimony of Conscience is full of Comfort because of the vndoubted certainty and the vnquestioned infallibilitie thereof so that it voycing on a mans side strangely cheares his heart Pro. 27. 19. As in water face answers to face so doth the heart of a man vnto man That is as some expound it As a man may see his face by looking in the water so a man may see himselfe and what he is by looking into his conscience If a man should be told that he had some filth or bloach on his face if he would go look In speculo Conscientiae status interioris hominis exterioris cognoscitur Non immerito Conscientiam speculo comparavit quoniaÌ„ in ea tanquaÌ„ speculo rationis oculus tam indecens quaÌ„ quod decens in se est claro aspectu apprehendere potest Bern. de Consc into the water or especially into a looking-glasse hee should easily see whether it were so or no. And if looking into the water or glasse he could not see any such filth in his face though an hundred should offer to beare him downe to the contrary yet would hee beleeue his owne eyes before them al. So here wheÌ„ at any time foule mouths are open and spare not to cast aspersions vpon Innocency and to lay â—candalous things to a mans charge then a man by looking into his conscience can see himselfe and can finde whether he be guilty or not and seeing himselfe in that water or in that glasse to be cleere from that filth dirt which malice would cast in his face it so fills his heart with comfort and confidence as makes him treade all reproach and false Iudgement of man vnder his foot Non ideo bona est coÌ„scientia mea quia vos illam laudatis Quià enim laudatis quod noÌ„ videtis Aug. de ver dom ser 49. Si autem non aurem solam perculit â—racundâ—a criminantis veruÌ„ etiam conscientiaÌ„ mordet veritus criminis quid mihi prodest si me continuis laudibus totus muÌ„dus attollat Ita nec malam ConscientiaÌ„ saâ—at praconiuÌ„â—audantis nec bonaÌ„ vulnerat convictantis opprobrium Aug. contra lit Petil. l. 2 In omni quod dicitur semper tacite occurrere debemus ad mentem interiorem testem iudicem requirere Quid enim prodest si omnes laudans coÌ„scientia accusat aut poterit obesse si omnes derogent solae Conscientia defeÌ„dit Greg. sup 125. hom 6 This appeares by the contrary Let a man be praysed and magnified euer so let euer so much good be spoken of him and ever so much worth be attributed to him yet if his owne heart tell him that all is falsely spoken of him and there is indeed no such matter in him he hath at all no true comfort in all the good words of the world Pro. 27. 21. As the fining pot for siluer the furnace for gold so is a man to his prayse that is a man is to try his praise that is giuen him and if his conscience tell him it is vndeserved hee is to seperate this drosse of flattery from himself All the commendations and admirations of the world what coÌ„fort can they yeeld whilest a mans Conscience tells him that they are all but lying and glavering flatteries What though the poor multitude feeling the sweete and refreshment of a Pharisees almes do canonize a Pharise for a Saint yet what is he the better or what coÌ„fort hath he the more whilst his own coÌ„science reproaches and reproues him and tells him that he is a vaine-glorious hypocrite and that though these whom he feedes send him to heauen yet he shall haue his portion with hypocrites and vnbeleevers What is a man the better for a flattering Funerall Commendation whilest in the meane time hee is vnder the reproach and torture of his coÌ„science in the place of torment How many a man is there that hath the good word of all men no man but speakes wel of him but yet in the meane time his own heart giues him bitter words and rates him to his face How well contented would such an one bee and what an happy exchange would hee hold it to haue all the world rayle on him slander him so his own conscience would but speak friendly kindly to him So he could find hony from his Conscience hee would not care what gall he had from the world Experience lets vs see that such as haue bin malevolent and iniurious against others innocency though they haue bin abetted and born out by their vmpires and advocates that for handfuls of barley and scraps and crusts haue laboured to maintaine ill causes and worse persons yet they haue had no peace nor rest of heart Their advocates haue bid them sit downe with rest and victory the day is theirs they haue cheered them and strived to deserue their fee yet their guilty clients beeing netled with the inward guilt of their Consciences haue still bin haunted with a restles perplexed vnquiet spirit whilest others made guilty and censured for offenders by such mercenary vmpires haue possessed their soules in patience and haue bin cheerfull and merry-hearted from the comfort of their own innocent and cleere Consciences So that looke as the naughty conscience can speake no comfort though all the world speake well of it so contrarily though all the world reproach censure slander c. yet a good conscience can and will speake peace and comfort to a mans heart The CorinthiaÌ„s did exceedingly slight Faelix conscientia noÌ„ sibi in aliquo conscia quae noÌ„ proprium iudiciuÌ„ nec alienum veretur Bern de Consc Beata plane quae non alienis aestimatur iudiciis sed domesticis percipitur sensibus taÌ„quam sui iudex Neque enim populares opiniones pro mercede aliqua requirit neq prosupplicio pauet Ambros de offic l. 2. c 1. Nâ—n possuÌ„t aliena verba crimen affigere quod propria non recepit CoÌ„scia Ambrin Ps 38. Paul He was this and he was that but how was he affected with it See how 1 Cor. 4. 3. 4. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be iudged of you I know full well
portans quod in ea posui siue bonum siue maluÌ„ seruat vino restituet defuncto de positum quod seruandum aâ—cepit Ber. medit de vot c. 13. most of all at the last day the day of iudgement when it shall be more solemnly called in to giue in euidence Rom. 2. 15. 16. Their conscience bearing witnesse c. In the day when God shall iudge secrets of men At that day it shal especially witnes either for or against a man if our life and actions haue been good it will then doe like the true witnesse Pro. 14. 25. A true witnesse deliuers soules If wicked vngodly it wil deale with it as Iob complaines God did with him Iob. 10. 17. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me It will testifie according to euery mans deeds And this testimony of conscience is without all exception for in the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word shall stand and conscience as our common saying is is a thousand witnesses for it is an ey-witnesse of all our actions yea a pen-witnesse bringing testimony from the authentique Records Registers of the Court of Conscience Concerning this testifying office of conscience that place is worth the noting Isa 59. 12. For our transgressions are multiplyed before thee and our sinnes testifie against vs for our transgressions are with vs and as for our iniquities we know them By which place wee may know the meaning of the word Conscience Conscience is a knowledge together How together First a knowledge together with another person namely with God when God and a mans heart know a thing there is Conscience knowledge together Rom. 9. 1. My Conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Co-witnessing witnessing together How together God knowes it witnesses my conscience together with him knows witnesses SecoÌ„dly a knowledge ioyned together with another knowledge for there is a double act of the vnderstanding First that whereby wee thinke or know a thing Secondly there is a reflecting act of the soule whereby wee thinke what we thinke and know what we know and this is the action of the Conscience and this ioyning of this second knowledge to the first giues it the name of Conscience As here in this place As for our iniquities we know them that is wee know that wee haue had euill thoughts our knowledge tels vs and witnesses to vs that we haue done so This agrees with Bernards definition that Conscientia est cordis scientia Conscience is the knowledge of the heart namely passiuely It is the knowing of what the heart knowes which others in better tearmes haue expressed thus Conscience is the recoyling of the soule vpon it selfe Sutable to that of the Apostle 1. Cor. 4. 4. I know nothing but my selfe As if hee had said I know not any thing that I know against my selfe my Conscience doth not witnesse against me And this second office of Conscience in bearing witnesse is also in the memory And accordingly accusing or excusing absoluing or condemning These acts of Conscience we finde Rom. 2. 15. Their thoughts accusing or excusing one another Rom. 14. 22. Happy is he that condemneth not himselfe in that which he allowes The ground of these Acts is this conscience before actions are to be done determines of their lawfulnes and vnlawfulnesse iudges of them whether they be good or euill And if it iudge them good it inuites stirres vp vrges bindes to the doing of them Rom. 13. 5. Yee must be subiect for Conscience sake that is because conscience determines it to be good vrges and binds thereunto Hence that phrase in common speech my conscience vrgeth me to it or he was vrged in conscience to do it and I am bound in conscience to doe it Certainely if it iudge and determine actions to be euill and vnlawfull then it binds from them So much that speech implyes 1 Cor. 10. 27. Eate asking no question for Conscience sake So that Conscience hath a power to binde to and to binde from Now then when a man in his particular actions doth follow the Prescriptions Dictates Iniunctions Prohibitions Determinations of conscience and hearkens to the incitements thereof then coÌ„science excuses him acquits and absolues him But if in his actions he goe against any of these then conscience accuses him of offence and condemnes him for that offence The accusation of conscience hath respect vnto a mans guilt the condemnation of it vnto a mans punishment Accusation is an act of Conscience passing sentence vpon a mans action as when conscience tels him This was ill done this action was sinfull Condemnation is an act of conscience passing sentence not only vpon a mans action but vpon a mans person as when it tels him Thou deseruest Gods wrath for this sin Conscience in accusing shewes what is the quality in condemning what is the desert of a mans action And these actions of Conscience are in the mind and vnderstanding part of the soule The act of Conscience in the memory determines de facto and tels vs what wee haue done or not done The act of Conscience in the vnderstanding determines de iure and tells vs whether we haue done well or ill and so accordingly either excuses or accuses acquits or condemnes Comforting or tormenting the same these be the last acts of conscience following the former If Conscience determining prescribing and inciting to good be hearkened vnto then it excuses acquits and thereupon followes comfort ioy hope 2 Cor. 11. 2. This is our reioycing the testimony of our conscience Contrarily if the dictates of conscience be not regarded it accuses and coÌ„demnes then torments with feare griefe despaire and violent perturbations in all which is that Worme Mar. 9. 44. And these actions of the Conscience are in the will and in the affections And thus according to the diuers parts of the soule the acts and office of Conscience are diuers In the Sic sic in do mo propria a propria famâ—lia habeo accusatores testes iudices tortores Accusat me conscien testis est memoria voluÌ„tas carcer timor tortor ablectameÌ„tum tormeÌ„tum Ber. med de vot c. 13. memory it hath the office of a Notary Register and witnesse In the vnderstanding it hath the office of a Iudge and an Accuser of a Felix and a Tertullus In the affections either of a Comforter or a Tormenter The summe of all may be thus knit vp CoÌ„science containes three things 1. Knowledge practicall 2. ApplicatioÌ„ of that knowledge to our particular estates and actions 3. Those affections which arise thereupon Now the speciall worke of Conscience consists in the second in the applying our knowledge to our estates and actions Now in this application it lookes on things past or present simply as things and so it witnesses of them to be done or not done Eccles 7. Super nos etiam posuit ad custodiendum si deliquissent qui accusarent qui testificareÌ„tur
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
and runne for the other as in the sweating-sicknesse in King Edwards dayes then for Gods sake but one word of coÌ„fort then O blessed men of God one word of peace Now alas what would you haue them doe Are they or your own courses in fault that you want comfort at your death What would you haue vs doe Wee must referre you to your owne Consciences wee cannot make oyle of flint nor crusse sweete Wine out of sowre Grapes wee dare not flatter you against your consciences If you would giue vs a world we cannot comfort you when your owne Consciences witnesse against you that such comforts belong not to you Doe not idlely in this case hope for Comfort from Ministers be it knowne vnto you you must haue it from your owne consciences Many on their death-bed cry to the Minister as shee did to the King 2 Kings 6. 26. 27. Helpe my Lord O King But marke what he answers If the Lord doe not helpe thee whence shall I helpe thee out of the barne-floore or out of the wine presse So wee must answere to such as cry Helpe helpe O man of God If God and your owne Consciences helpe you not whence shall wee helpe you If there had beene Corne within the barnes the King could easily haue helped her but he could not make Corne. So if men haue carryed any thing into their Consciences if they themsâ—lues haue Inned any provision and comfort by being Conscionable in their lives then we can helpe and comfort them but otherwise do not thinke that we can make comforts and make good Consciences vpon your death-beds If your Consciences can say for you that you haue bin carefull in your life time to know God to walke holily religiously before him c. then we dare be bold to comfort cheere you then dare we speake peace confidently to you But if your Consciences accuse you of your ignorance your oathes Sabbath breaches worldlinesse rebellion vncleanenesse oppression drunkennesse c. and finally impenitency What is it you would haue vs to doe What can we say but as the Prophet to Zedekiah Ier. 37. 19. Where are now your Prophets that prophesied vnto you saying The King of Babylon shall not come against you So where be those that in your life time told you yee need not be so carefull and precise to keepe good Consciences lesse adoe will serue the turne now what thinke yee of them now what peace haue you in those wayes what comfort can these giue you now Or else what can we say when men in anguish of Conscience lie tossing on their beds but what Reuben sayd to his brethren when they were in distresse Gen. 42. 21. 22. Did not I warne you saying Sinne not c. So must we what doe ye call to vs for comfort Did not wee warne you many a time oft saying sinne not nor liue in those dangerous courses Did not we warne you Oh to haue our Consciences Gods Ministers thus to grate vpon vs what an vncomfortable condition will this be Would we then prevent such sorrow and be cheerfull and cheered at our latter ends lay vp a good Conscience then lay in somewhat for Conscience and Gods Ministers to worke vpon from which they both may be able to rayse comfort to you Get a good Conscience and liue in it all thy daies and then though thou shouldest want the benefit of a comforting Minister yet thy Conscience shall doe the office of a comforting Minister and shall be the same vnto thee that the Angell was vnto Christ in his agony Luk. 22. 43. and shall minister such comfort vnto thee as shall make thee ready to leape into thy graue for ioy This shall be as another Iacobs staffe for thee to leane and rest vpon when thou shalt be vpon thy death-bed If men knew but the worth of a good Conscience at the houre of death we should need no other motiue to worke mens hearts to be in loue therewith Fiftly and lastly the benefit comfort 5 The comfort of a good Conscience at the day of Iudgement of a good Conscience is great at the day of Iudgement Oh the sweet comfort and confidence of heart that a good Conscience will yeeld vnto a man at that day What will become of all the Gigantean spirits and the braue fellowes of the earth then Alas for their yellings and cursings of themselues and their companions What howling crying to the mountaines as they did Revel 6. Hide vs cover vs yea dash and quash vs in a thousand pieces When an ill Conscience is awakened it is not to be imagined how small a thing will gastre it The sound of a shaken leafe shall chase them and they shall flye as flying from a sword and they shall fall when none pursues Levit. 26. 36. A dreadfull sound is in his cares Iob 15 21. Hee heares nothing but he thinkes he heares alwayes some terrible and dreadfull noyse Now then if a shaken lease shall chase and shall put them into a shaking feare what case will such be in when as Iob speakes Iob 26. 11. The pillars of heauen shall tremble and when the powers of heaven shall bee shaken Luk. 21. 26. When the heauens shall shake and flame aboue them when the earth shall quake and tremble vnder them what case will they be in then If meere imaginations fill their eares with dreadfull sounds where there is no sound at all Oh what a dreadfull sound shall be in their eares when the Sea shall raore Luk. 21. 25. when the last trumpe shall sound 1 Cor. 15. when they shall heare the shout and voyce of an Angell 1 Thes 4. 16 What dreadfull sounds will these be in the cares of ill Consciences How will these dreadfull sounds confound their soules with horrour and amazement But now for a good Conscience how is it with it then Euen amidst all these dreadfull sounds it lookes vp lifts vp the head Luk. 21. 28. and enables a man with a cheery confidence to stand before the Sonne of man Luk. 21. 36. The malefactor who lookes for the halter how dreadful is the iudges comming to the Assizes attended with the troups of halberds in his eye but the prisoner that knowes his owne innocency and that he shall be quit and discharged his heart leapes at the Iudges approach how terribly soever he come attended to the bench it glads his heart to see that day which shall be the day of his liberty and release An hypocrite shall not come before him Iob 13 16. much lesse shall looke vp lift vp his head or stand before him Psa 1. 5. But the righteous and the man with a good Conscience hee shall hold vp and cheerefully lift vp his head when all the surly and proud Zamzummins of the earth that here lifted vp their heads and nebs so high shall become howling and trembling suitors to the deafe mountaines to hide them from the presence
conscience This is oft the euill Conscience of euill men Isa 57. 21. There is no peace to the wicked faith my God Yet may a man haue his conscience vprightly good which is painefully euill for a good mans Conscience may bee vnquiet and troubled Thus then wee see what a good conscience is that which is vprightly honest and quietly peaceable This being so it serues to discouer the dangerous errour of diuers sorts of people that are in a dreame of hauing good consciences and yet hauing nothing lesse There be three sorts of consciences which because they are in some sort quiet and sting not their owners would haue to goe for good ones and yet are starke naught and they are The Ignorant The Secure and the Seared Conscience 1. The Ignorant conscience Men iudge of their ignorant consciences as they doe of their blind dumbe and ignorant Ministers Such neither do nor can Preach can neither tel men of their sinnes nor of their duties Aske such a blind guides people what their conceit is of him and what a kinde of man their Minister is and yee shall haue him magnified for a passing honest harmelesse man and a man wondrous quiet amongst his neighbours They may doe what they will for him he is none of those troublesome fellowes that will be reprouing their faults or complaining of their disorders in the Pulpit oh such a one is a quiet good man indeed Thus iudge many of their Consciences If their consciences bee quiet and lie not grating vpon them and telling them that their courses are sinfull and damnable and that their persons are in a dangerous condition but rather by their silence ignorance and vaine pretences doe iustifie them and tell them all will be well enough Oh then what excellent good consciences haue these men They make no conscience of Familie duties once in the yeere to come to the Sacrament serues the turne they are common swearers in their ordinary communication make no conscience of sanctifiing Sabbaths c. and their consciences lets them alone in all these doe not giue them one syllable of ill language oh what gentle and good natured consciences thinke these men they haue But alas what euill consciences haue they A good conscience must be vpright as well as peaceable And an vp right conscience is enlightned with the knowledge of the Word and by that light iudges what is good and what is euill and when it finds mens actions not to be good warrantable deales plainely and lets them heare of it A good conscience hath good eyes and is able to discerne betweene good and euill Now these mens consciences are quiet haue their mouthes shut but whence is it Because their eyes are shut and they are dumbe because they are blind Right Idoll coÌ„sciences they want mouthes to speake beâ—â—use they want eyes to see So that it may be said of such consciences as the Prophet speakes of those Watchmen Isa 56. 10. His watchmen are blind they are all ignorant they are all dumbe dogs they caÌ„not bark Their blindnes bred dumbnes and their ignorance silence Thus is it with ignorant Consciences What is the reason they barke not but are dumbe and are thus quiet Meerely because they are blind and ignorant But yet as good as men account these consciences now the time will come that it shall fare with theÌ„ as it did with Adam Eue after they had eaten the forbidden fruit Then their eyes were opened So the time shall come when these Consciences shall haue their eies opened then also shal their mouths by oyened yea wide lowd opened and these now quiet consciences shall both barke and bite too Do not therefore flatter thy selfe in thine IgnoraÌ„ce as if thy condition conscience were good because quiet Neuer account thâ— true Peace which is not ioyned with vprightnes Integrity ignoraÌ„ce can no more stand together then light and darkenesse Integrity of conscience may be without Peace Peace can neuer be without Integritie Dumbe Ministers goe in the world for good Ministers because quiet ones but the day will come that men shall curse them for hauing beene so quiet So Ignorant and tongue tyed consciences goe for good ones but the time will come that men will curse this peace of their conscience for bringing them so quietly to hell The Masse goes for an excelleÌ„t good seruice because Missa non mordet honest toothles deuotion it neuer fastens fang in the hearers flesh So many haue Masse-like consciences toothlesse and tonguelesse consciences but yet the time will come that as Massemongers shall curse their toothlesse Masse so ignorant persons that now glory in their peace shall curse their toothlesse conscience yea they shall gnash their teeth because conscience had no teeth shal gnaw their toÌ„gues for anguish of heart because their consciences wanted tongues to tell them of the danger of their wicked wayes that haue brought them to so miserable a condition 2. The secure conscience As the blind conscience was like the dumbe Minister so the secure conscience is like the flattering Minister that Ier. 6. 13. heales the hurt of his people with sweete words cryes peace peace where there is no peace This conscience wants not an eye but only a good tongue in the head It sees its master to doe euill and knowes it to bee euill but either cares not to speake or else is easily put off from speaking sometime it cares not to speake being sleepy heauy and drowsie like those Prophets Isa 56. 10. They are all dumbe dogs they cannot barke What was the reason Sleeping lying downe louing to slumber A sleepy and heauy-eyde Curre though hee see one come into his Masters yard or house that should not yet barkes not as loath by his barking to disquiet himselfe A sleepy secure Conscience sees many a sin to enter the soule that should not and yet lies still and sayes nothing is loath to breake its sleepe And yet such Consciences men count good Sometimes it may bee it offers to speake as a sleepy dog may open once or twise at a straÌ„gers entrance yet is soone snibd the least word of the master of the house makes him whist and quiet So secure Consciences vpon the greene wound begin to smart and vpon the fresh commission of sinne begin to mutter to haue some grudgings but their master answers them as the friend in his bed did his neighbour desiring to borrow three loaues Luc. 11. 17. Trouble me not for I am in bed I pray thee be quiet let vs haue no wrangling and brawling it shall be so no more I will cry God mercy I will hereafter finde a time for repentance c. and so ConscieÌ„ce being secure is easily put of with a few good words so closing her eyes and mouth againe giues her master liberty to take his rest And thus the secure conscience because it is so easily husht stilld is counted a good conscience as
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
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
the fourth place Deale with thy Conscience as God would haue Abraham doe by Sarah Gen. 21. 12. In all that Sarah shal say vnto thee hearken vnto her voice So here If we would get and keepe a good Conscience in all that it shall say vnto vs being enlightened and directed by the Word hearken vnto it Conscience being enlightened hath a voyce and no man but some time or other shal heare this voice of conscieÌ„ce Conscience is Gods Monitor to speak to men when others caÌ„not or dare not speake Sometimes men cannot speake as not being privie to other mens necessities failings Sometimes they may not be suffered to speake as Ahab will not endure Micaiah to speake to him Sometime if a man speak he may haue rough and angry answers as the Prophet had from Amaziah 2. Chro. 25. 16 Art thou made of the Kings Counsell forbeare why shouldest thou be smitten God hath therefore provided every man even great men which may not bee spoken to he hath provided them a bosom Chaplein that will round them in the eare and will talke roundly to them one that will be of their counsell in despight of them one that feares no fists dreads no smiting yea one that feares not to smite the greatest 2 Sam. 24. 10. And Dauids heart smote him after that he had numbred the people It may bee many there were about Dauid that had not the hearts to smite Dauid with a graue reprofe though he giues leaue to the righteous to doe so Psal 141. Let the righteous smite me but yet whilest others it may be are fearefull and timorous to doe him that good office conscience is at no demurre vpon the poynt that feares not but smites Dauid for his sinne Gods Ministers are oft slighted and light set by Preachers cannot be regarded but God hath giuen men a Preacher in their own bosome this Preacher wil make many a curtaine Sermon will take men to taske vpon their pillow and will bee Preaching ouer our Sermons againe to them And though many will not be brought to repetitions of Sermons in their Families yet they haue a Repeater in their bosome that will be at priuate repetitions with them in spite of them will tel them This is not according to that you haue bin taught you haue bin taught otherwise you haue bin reproved for and convinced of this sinne in the publike Ministerie c. Why doe you not hearken reforme Thus then conscience having a voyce and doing the office of a Preacher vnto vs if wee would haue conscience good then in all things that conscience enlightened shall say vnto vs hearken vnto it More distinctly Conscience hath a two-fold voyce 1. A voyce of Direction telling vs what is good or evill what is lawful vnlawfull Isa 30. 21. And thine eares shall heare a word behinde thee saying This is the way walk ye in it That is vnderstood Ita enim desuper in sileÌ„to sonat quiddaÌ„ non auribus sed mentibus August in Psal 42. of the voyce of Gods spirit in the secret suggestions therof such is the voice also of conscience within vs dictating to vs and directing vs what duties are to be done what courses to be avoyded How many times doth conscience presse vs to repentance and reformation of our wayes how often doth it call vpon vs to settle to such such good courses and so with Dauid Psal 16. 7. Our raynes doe teach it in the night season 2. A voyce of correction and accufation checking and chiding taking vp and snibbing vs when we do amisse So Psal 42. 5 11. and Psal 43. 5. Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me And Psal 77. 10. whilst in the foregoing verses he was complaining and vsing some speeches that might savour of some diffidence see how conscience doth her office by a correcting voyce And I said This is my infirmity as if he had said whilst I was vsing such diffident expostulatioÌ„s mine owne conscience told me I did not doe well ConscieÌ„ce so speakes vnto vs as the Lord to Ionah Iona. 4. 4. 9. Doest thou well to be angry So saies conscience oft Doest thou well to be thus earthly thus eager vpoÌ„ the world thus negligent and formall in holy duties Thus conscience giues her privie nips and her secret checks This is that of which Iob speaks Iob 27. 6. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I liue Implying that conscience after sinne hath a reproaching voice as when it befooles a man as foole that thou art to do this to lose thy peace with God for a base sinfull pleasure Thus Davids Conscience reproached him 2 Sam. 24. 10. I haue done very foolishly yea Psal 37. 22. it puts the foole and the beast both vpon him So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a heast before thee This is the smiting of the conscience 2 Sam. 24. 10. Conscience first points with the finger and giues direction if that be neglected it smites with the fist and giues correction Now then that which I ayme at is this If we would get and keepe a good Conscience then neglect not nor despise Conscience when it speaketh Doth thy Conscience presse thee to any workes of pietie to the care of family worship and priuate devotion to the reading of the Scriptures sanctification on the Sabbath c. In any case be so wise as to hearken to the counsels to the vrgings and to the Iniunctions which come out of the Court of Conscience Hearken in any case to this Preacher whom thou canst not suspect of partialitie malice ill will as thou dost others thereby giving way to Satans policie that hereby stops vp the passages of thine heart that the Word may not enter Here can bee no such suspitious Conscience cannot be susspected to be set on by others though Ieremy be charged to be set on by Baruch Ier. 43. 3. Therefore hearken to the voyce of this Preacher and this will helpe thee to a good Conscience Againe doth thy conscience rebuke thee doth it chide and checke thee doth thy heart reproach thee for thy wayes Doth it say doest thou well to liue in such and such sinnes Doth it punctually reprove thee for thine evils Ideo quantum potes teipsum coargue inquire in te accusatoris primuÌ„ partibus fungere deinde Iudiciis novissime deprecatoris aliquando offende te Senec. epâ—st 28. Doe not answere Conscience as Ionas answered God frowardly Yea I doe well but even close with Conscience and do thou accuse thy selfe as fast as it accuses acknowledge thy folly yeeld promise and couenant with thy conscience a present and speedy reformation This if it were done how happy should men be in getting and keeping a good Conscience But alas how few regard the voyce of Conscience and once hearken to it and the very want of this dutie is it which breeds so much ill conscience in the world Men
thou mayst bee sure thou shalt not sinne As for example There bee diverse games and recreations whose lawfulnesse are questioned yet much may be said for them and possibly they may haue the iudgement of diverse reuerend learned men for their lawfulnesse Now what shall a man doe in this case Take the sure side If I vse them it is possible I may sinne it may be they are not sinfull yet I am not so sure of it that I shall not sin if I vse them as I am sure I shall not sinne if I doe not vse them I am sure that not to vse such sports breakes none of Gods commandements a man may be bold to build vpon that Hee that liues by this rule shall keepe his Conscience from many a flawe Hee Tutiores igitur viuimus si totum Deo damus Non autem nos illi ex parte nobis ex parte committimus Aug. de dono perseu cap. 6. that sayles amongst rocks it is possible he may escape splitting but he is not so sure to keepe his vessell safe and whole as he that sayles in a cleare sea where no rocks are at all It is good in matter of life and practice to doe as Augustine speakes in case of doctrine We liue more safely saith he if wee attribute all wholly to God and do not commit our selues partly to God and partly to our selues In doctrines it is good to hold the safest side wherein there can be no danger yea Bellarmine himselfe after his long dispute for iustification by merit comes to this at last That by reason of the vncertainty Propter incertitudinem propriae Iustitiae periculum inanis gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola Dei misericordia benignitate reponere Bellar de Iustific lib. 5. cap. 7. of our owne righteousnesse and the danger of vaine-glory it is the most safe way to repose our whole confidence in the mercy and goodnes of God alone Which way soeuer Bellarmine is gone himselfe or any of his religion I thinke common reason will teach a man so much wisdome to goe the safest way to heaven and that the safest way is the best way The Lord that would haue vs make our calling and election sure 2. Pet. 1. 10. would not haue vs put so great a matter as the saluation of our soules vpon Bellarmines hazard and confessed vncertainty of our owne righteousnes Now as in case of doctrine so in case of practice it is great wisedome and a great meanes of keeping a good Conscience to do that wherin we may Tutiores vinere and to take to that which Tutissimum est to follow that which is safest and to take to that side which is the surest and the freest from danger CHAP. VII Two markes of a good Conscience THus wee see how a good Conscience may be had it followes wee consider how it may bee knowne and be discerned to be had The markes and notes by which a good Conscience may be knowne are seven 1. This in the text In all good Conscience 1. Nore of good conscience Conscience in all things It is a good note of a good conscience when a man makes conscience of all things all duties all sins There bee that haue naturall Consciences principled by some generall grounds of nature and it may bee so farre as these rules carry them may make some Conscience but their principles comming short they must needs also come as short of a good Conscience I haue liued sayes Paul here in all good Conscience and Heb. 13. 18. Wee trust wee haue a good Conscience in all things It is a good Conscience when a mans life all his life is a life of Conscience when in all his life and the whole tenour thereof he makes Conscience of all that God commands and forbids Psalm 119. 6. Then shall I not bee ashamed what breeds shame but euill conscience when I haue respect vnto all thy commandements When all are respected there is no shame because where all are respected there is good Conscience and where good Conscience is there is no shame That argued Davids good Conscience Psal 119. 101. I haue refrayned my feet from every evill way Try mens Consciences by this and it will discouer a great deale of evill Conscience in the world Many a morall man makes Conscience of doing his neighbour the least wrong hee will not wring or pinch any man payes euery man his owne deales fairely and squarely in his commerce there is no man can say blacke is his eye you shall haue him thanke God that he hath as good a Conscience as the best These are good things and such things as men ought to make Conscience of but yet here is not enough to make a good Conscience A good Conscience must be all good Conscience or it is no good Conscience Now indeed these men may haue good Consciences before men but my text tels vs that wee must liue in all good Conscience before God And Paul ioynes them two together Act. 24. 13. And herein doe I exercise my selfe to haue a good Conscience voyde of offence towards God towards men Now be it that these haue good Conscience before men yet what haue they before God Alas they are miserably ignorant in the things of God no Cōsciences to acquaint themselues with his truth no conscience of prayer in their families of reading the Scriptures no conscience of an oath and as little of the Sabbath and the private duties thereof How farre are these from good conscience Others againe seeme to make conscience of their duties before God but in the meane time no Conscience of duties of Iustice in the second Table make no conscience of oppression racking rents covetousnes over-reaching c. these are no better consciences then the former neither are good because they liue not in all good Conscience Thus may a man discover the naughtie Consciences of most Iehu seemes wondrons zealous for the Lord and seemes to be a man of a singular good conscience in the demolishing the Temple of Baal and putting to death his Priests I but if Iehu make Conscience of letting Baals Temple stand why doth he not as well make Cōscience of letting Ieroboams Calues stand If Iehu had had a good conscience he would as ill haue brookt Ieroboams as Iezebels Idolatry he would haue purged the Land of all Idols Herod seemes to make some Conscience of an oath Mark 6. 26. For his oathes sake he would not reiect her It is ioy of him that he is a man of so good Conscience I but in the meane time why makes he no Conscience of Incest and Murther Hee feares and makes Conscience to breake an vnlawfull oath but makes no Conscience to cut an holy Prophets throate Who would not haue thought Saul to haue beene a man of a very good Conscience see how like a man of good Conscience he speakes 1. Sam. 14. 34. Sinne not against the
Esth 8. 17. turned Iewes Was not there ioy of such Proselytes not a whit for not the feare of God but the feare of the Iewes fel vpon them as many frequent the publike assemblies more for feare of the statute then for feare of the commandement The Officers of the King helped the Iewes Esth 9. 3. Was it for conscience sake Nothing lesse but for wrath sake and for feare because the feare of Mordecai fell vpon them If the Pharisees had done all that Mat. 6. for Conscience sake which they did for vaine-glory sake they had had the glory of good Consciences Many preached the Gospell in Pauls dayes Phil. 1. Does not so good a worke argue a good conscience Yes if it had beene done for Conscience sake but that was done for contention sake not to adde soules to the Church but to adde sorrowes to Pauls afflictions It is a note of good Conscience when that which we doe is done with a respect vnto the commandement of God Psal 119. 6. and not with a squint respect vnto our own private for praise or profit It was a good argument of those Bohemians good Consciences in Vtrine mâ—ioris hâ—retici illine qui pictas ligâ—â—as an qui aureas argenteas imagines â— templis exigerent ad conflandam mâ—netam igne adorerent Dubra hist Bohem. l. 24. plucking downe Images that they beate downe onely painted and woodden Images whilest Sigismund the Emperour pulled downe siluer and golden ones to melt into money for pay for his souldiers as they plead for themselues when they were held Heretiques for their fact If they had puld downe such Images as hee did they might haue beene thought to haue done it for gaine and not for Conscience sake How great is often the zeale of many against fashions and such vanities How well it were if it were for Conscience sake and not for envie against some particular person whom they do distaste and so for the person the vanity For if it be for Consciences sake how is it that those vanities such great offences to their Consciences found in some distasted persons are yet no trouble to their Consciences being the very same if not worse in their owne favourites and associates Iudge whether such zeale come from Conscience or from corrupt affection whether it be not more against the person then against the sinne 5 5 Note of a good conscience Holy boldnesse Bâ—na conscientia prodire vult coÌ„spici ipsas nequitia tenebras timet Senec. ep 98. Qui non deliquit decet audacem esse confidenteÌ„r prose proterve loqui Plaut in Aniph 5. We haue a fift note of a good conscience in the text And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell Here is a marke of a good Conscience in his lookes as well as in his words in his face as well as in his speech Paul is here convented before the Councell With what face is he able to behold them And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell A good Conscience makes a man hold vp his head even in the thickest of his enemies I can looke them in the faces and out-face a whole rabble of them assembled on purpose to cast disgrace on it That may bee sayd of a man with a good Conscience which is spoken of some of Davids men 1 Chron. 12. 8. Whose faces were like the faces of Lions for the righteous is bold as a Lion Pro. 28. 1. Now might Paul truely haue said as David Psal 57. 4. My soule is among Lions I lie among them that are set on fire And now how fares hee what is he all a mort lookes he pale and blanke doth hee sneake or hang downe his head or droope with a deiected countenance No Paul is as bold as a Lion and can face these Lyons and earnestly fixe his countenance vpon the best of them A good Conscience makes a mans face as God had made Ezekiels Ezek. 3. 8. 9. Behold I haue made thy face strong against their faces and thy forehead strong against their foreheads As an Adamant harder then flint haue I made thy sorehead feare them not neither bee dismaid at their lookes Such hartening and hardening comes also from a good Conscience A good Conscience makes a man goe as the Lord in another sense tells Israel hee had done for them Levit. 26. 13. I haue made you goe vpright A good conscience erects a mans face and lookes is no sneaking slinker but makes a man goe vpright As contrarily guilt deiects both a mans spirits and his lookes and vnlesse a man haue a Sodomiticall impudencie Isa 3. 9. or an whores forehead Ierem. 3. 3. which refuses to bee ashamed makes him hang downe the head Paul fixes his eyes here and lookes earnestly vpon them but what if they had looked as earnestly vpon him yet would not his good Conscience haue beene out-facâ—d See Act. 6. 15. All that sate in the Counsell looked stedfastly on him namely on Steven If but the high Priest alone had faced him it had beene somewhat but all that sate in the Councell looke stedfastly on him Surely one would thinke such a presence were able to haue damped and vtterly to haue dashed him out of countenance But how is it with him Is hee appalled Is hee damped They saw his face as it had beene the face of an Angell sayes the text As wisedome Eccl. 8. 1. so a good Conscience makes the face to shine A good Conscience hath not onely a Lions but an Angels face it hath not onely a Lion-like boldnesse but an Angelicall dazling brightnesse which the sicke and sore eyes of malice can as ill endure to behold as the Isralites could the shining brightnesse of Moses face The face of a good Conscience tells enemies that they are malicious lyers And no wonder that a good conscience hath such courage and confidence in the face standing before a whole Councell when it shall be able to hold vp it head with boldnesse before the Lord himselfe at that great day of the generall Iudgement Euen then shall a good Conscience haue a bold face CHAP. IX Two other and the last notes of a good Conscience A Sixt note of a good Conscience 6 6. Note of a good Conscience To suffer for conscience followes namely that which we haue 1 Pet. 2. 19. When a man for Conscience towards God endures griefe suffering wrong A good conscience had rather that Ananias should smite then it selfe should Ananias his blowes are nothing to the blowes of Conscience Ananias may make Pauls cheekes glowe but conscience giues such terrible buffets as will make the stoutest heart in the world to ake That will pinch and twitch and gird the heart with such griping throws that all the blowes and tortures that Ananias his cruell heart can invent are nothing to them Now therefore a man that sets any store by a good conscience will not part with the Peace or Integritie thereof vpon any termes He rates
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
all hope of re-entry Thus many profane Apostatizing back-sliders cannot be content to lose good conscience vnlesse Ammon-like they may put it away with violence expell it And how can they haue good Conscience that haue put it away He hath not his wife that hath put her away and giuen her a bill of divorse In the dayes of Popery and darkenes the Divell it seemed walked very familiarly amongst them and hence we haue so many stories of fayries of children taken out of cradles and others layde in their roomes whom they called changelings Since the light of the Gospell these Divels and Fairies haue not been seene amongst vs but yet we are still troubled with changelings Some Priests and Iesuites haue changed some the world hath changed some goodfellowship and the Ale-house hath changed These haue plaid the fayries haue taken and stolne away goodly forward and fervent Christians and haue layd in their roomes Earthlings Worldlings Popelings Swearers Drunkards malicious scorners of all goodnesse Thus haue these fayries in stead of fayre and comely children brought in these lame blinde deformed and wrizzled faced changelings that any one may easily see them to be rather the birthes of some hobgoblins then the children of God If therefore wee would evidence our Consciences good labour to hold to the last and rest not in a youth but labour to haue age found in the way of righteousnesse This is a crowne of glory and this is right good Conscience to liue therein vntill our dying day All the former sixe are nothing without this last CHAP. X. The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience in the case of Disgrace and Reproach WE are now come to the fift and last point which was propounded The motiues to perswade vs to get good Consciences The motiues therevnto may bee many I will keepe my selfe within the compasse of fiue 1. Motiue The incomparable and 1. Motiue to a good CoÌ„science vnspeakeable comfort and benefit thereof in such cases and times as all other comforts faile a man and wherin a man stands most in need of comfort These Cases or times are fiue 1. The Time and Case of Disgrace and Reproach 2. The Time of Common feare and Common calamity 3. The Time of Sicknesse or outward crosses in a mans goods 4. The Time of Death 5. The Time Day of Iudgement In all these or in any of these times Interim elige socium qui cum â—mnia subtracta fuerint fidem servat dilectoribus suis me recedit in tempore angustiae Ber. de Consc it is good to haue such a friend or companion that will sticke to a man and be faithfull to him when all other things faile him Such a friend such a companion is a good Conscience A friend loues at all times and a brother is borne for adversity Prov. 17. 17. But in some of these cases a brother and a friend may be false and will not or may bee weake and cannot helpe nor pleasure a man but a good Conscience is better then all friends and brethren whatsoever when they will not or cannot or may not yet then will a good Conscience sticke close to a man and bee a sure friend to him Let vs see in the particulars the truth of it 1. In the Time and Case of Disgrace The comfort of a good Conscience in case of disgrace and reproach Infamie Reproach and wrongs of that kinde the comfort and benefit of a good Conscience is vnspeakeable When a man shall be traduced slandered falsely accused and condemned then in such wrongs will a good Conscience doe the office of a faithfull friend will sticke to stand by a man and will comfort and hearten him against all such iniuries Paul is here coÌ„vented before the Councell as a malefactor he hath an whole CouÌ„cel bent against him What now is his comfort and his defence against such an heape of accusers as doe affront him This it is Men and brethren I haue liued in all good Conscience As if he had said Impeach traduce accuse and condemne me as you please yet be it knowne vnto you that I haue a good Conscience and this my good conscience is it which shall comfort and vphold me against all your iniurious and vnequall proceedings You may bring forth false witnesses against mee but my Conscience doth and will witnesse for me you may condemne mee yet my conscience acquits and absolues me And thus doth Paul shelter himselfe vnder his good Conscience The like wee may see in the next Chapter Ananias and the Elders come and bring Tertullus and he is feed to be Pauls accuser and he layes heauy and hainous things to Pauls charge vers 5. We haue found this man a pestilent fellow and a moover of sedition among all the Iewes thrâ—ughout the world a ring leader of the sect of the Nazarens c. Here be foule things what will Paul be able to say to all this Will not this be enough to sinke him downe vtterly to see so many banded together and such great ones combined to countenance such an accusation How will he be able to subsist Now then behold the benefit and comfort of a good Conscience He holds vp his former buckler and smites Ananias and the rest with his former weapon vers 16. Herein doe I exercise my selfe to haue alwayes a Conscience voide of offence towards God and to wards men Ananias and the Elders haue a mercenary Tertullus to accuse him Paul hath no man dares bee seene to plead for him none will be reteined in his cause but yet now Conscience steps out and stops the foule mouth of this slanderous Oratour and puts spirit and heart into Paul to plead his owne Cause against them all Conscience seemes on this manner to animate him Feare not Paul the accusations of this Tertullus I witnes for thee thine Innocency I iustifie it to the teeth of Tertullus that he is one whose malice and Covetousnesse hath made him set his Conscience to sale Stand vp therefore and speake boldly for thy selfe dread them not Well fare a good conscience yet that will speake comfort to Paul and make Paul speake with courage when none else dare bee seene in his Cause It was an ill case Dauid was in Psal 69. 20. 21. Reproach hath brâ—aken mine heart and I am full of heavines and I looked for some to take pittie but there was none and for comforters but I found none They gaue mee also gall for my meate and in my thirst they gaue mee vineger to drinke A very hard case indeed Where was now Davids familiar friend his acquaintance with whom he was wont to take sweet counsell what was become of him now Possibly some of his acquaintance were at this time like a broken tooth a foote out of ioynt Prov. 25. 19. Confidence in an vnfaithfull man is like a broken tooth and a foot out of ioynt Others it may be that had profest him
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
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
the sword yet this hornet shall not sting them nor fill their hearts with that throbbing anguish that these terrors in times of calamitie put evill Consciences to A sweet motiue to make any in loue with a good Conscience Whilest we looke vpon the evils of the times wee cannot but looke for evill times Look we vpon our sinnes and Gods administration abroad vpon the malice and policies of the adversaries of Gods grace and what doe these but prognosticate heavie things Now suppose a flood should come would wee not be glad of an Arke such a cabbin therein as should keepe out the waâ—ers from our soules Get then the pitch of a good Conscience thou shalt sit like Noah if not free from the waters yet free from the feares of Lamech Tubalcain which are worse then the waters For the feares of such evils are more bitter and vnsufferable then the evils themselues Suppose I say a flood should come who would not giue a kingdome for an Arke well pitcht Suppose calamity should come who would not giue a world for a good Conscience then Iabal Gen. 4. 20. hee is busie in building of tents and he is among his flocks and cattell and Iubal Gen. 4. 21. hee is wholly vpon his merry pins at his Harpe and Organs He and his take the Timbrel and the Harpe and reioyce at the s 〈…〉 d of the Organ Iob. 21 12. And these iolly ioviall laddes giue poore Noah many a drie flout many a scornfull scoffe whilest hee is building his Arke aske what this brainsicke and mad fellow meanes to make such a vessell whether he meant to sayle on the dry land or to make a Sea when he made his Ship I but when the flood is come and the waters begin to bee chin deepe then aske Iabal whether building of tents or building of an Ark be the wiser worke then whether is better Noahs Arke or Iubals pipes Now that the flood is come and these come perhaps wading middle deepe to the Arke side and bellow and howle to Noah to open the Arke to them Now would not Iabal giue all his tents and all his cattell but to bee but where Noahs dog lies would not Iubal now giue all his pipes and merriment to haue but the place that an hogge had in the Arke Now Iubal let vs heare one of your merrie songs pipe now and make your selfe merry with gybing at Noahs solly in making a Ship to sayle on dry land What aylest thou Iubal to howle and wring thine hands thus where is thine Harp OrgaÌ„s now cheer vp thy soule now with these vanities Now the flood is come now Noth is in the Arke now Sirs you that are such men of renowne Gen. 6. 4. you that were the braue gallants of the earth now tell me who is the foole who is the wise man now How many in the dayes of peace make light of a good Conscience yea if they see others to bee but carefull in rigging of this Shippe and pitching and trimming vp such an Arke how ready are they to spend their byting scoffes and their tart iests vpon them but if euer times of trouble and calamity a fire-flood of Gods wrath Nah. 1. 6. 8 should breake in then would a good coÌ„science hold vp the head with much comfort and resolution whilest those that formerly made a ieast of a good Conscience should haue a king and quaking 〈…〉 of those vnmeasurable fears that shall cease vpon them A good Conscience will make a man musick when Iubal shal be glad not onely to put vp but with indignation anguish of heart to throw away and curse his pipes Well fare a good Conscience in euill dayes Pitch and trim vp this Arke there is no such prouision against euill dayes as is a good Conscience It will doe a man service and support him when all the braue spirits of the earth shal be blank and at their wits end In the third place the benefite and 3 The comfort of a good Conscience in Time of Sicknesse comfort of a good Conscience is Conspicuous in the time of Sicknesse or a mans priuate and personall crosses in his estate c. A sicke man with an hayle Conscience is a cheary and a comfortable man Pro 13. 14. The spirit of a man will susteine his infirmitie that is the spirit it selfe being hayle and sound it will enable him to beare any bodily sicknes But a wounded spirit who can beare yea a wounded or a sicke body who can coÌ„fortably 〈…〉 But let the Conscience be good and sound and it helps a man with great ease and comfort to beare the sicknes of the body It is a shrewd burden to beare two sicknesses at once to haue a sick body a sick CoÌ„science A man shal find enough of the easiest of them single and alone But yet an bayle conscience in an infirme body sweetly helps our infirmitie Let a man haue ever so hayle and healthfull a body yet if the conscience be naught withal awakened falls to galling griping he shall finde but little ioy in his bodily health so contrarily let a mans Conscience be good and though his body be sicke weake yet is it a great deale of sweet refreshment that it shall receiue from the conscieÌ„ce Sicknesse in it selfe is exceeding vncomfortable and in the time of sicknes commonly all bodily comforts the comforts of meates drinkes sleepe fayle yea but then here is the benefit of a good conscience that wil not then fayle but as it is sayd Eccl. 10. â—9 Money answers all things so a good conscience answers all things the comfort of it supplies the want of all other comforts When in sicknes the comfort of meate drinke and sleepe is gone they are all found againe in the comfort of a good Conscience that will be meat drinke that will be rest and sleepe that will make a mans sick-bed soft and easie that shall be as the Angels were to Christ in his hunger in the Wildernes they ministred vnto him and so will a good conscience minister comfort in the want of all other comforts so that a man may say of a good Conscience as we vse to say of some solid substantial dish that there are Patirdge Pheasant and Quailes in it so though outward comforts cease their office and their work be suspended yet a good conscience comes in their roome in it are meat drinke sleepe ease refreshment and what not A good conscience is an Electuary or a Cordiall that hath all these ingredients in it There is no such Cordiall to a sicke man as the Cordiall of a good conscience All Physitions to this Physition are but such Physitions as Iobs friends Iob 13. 4. Ye are Physitions of no value A motiue of great weight to make men in loue with a good conscience Who can be free from sicknes and how tedious and wearisome a time is the time of sicknes Now who would
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
truth It iâ— not meet that we should leaue the Word of God and serue Tables Act. 6. 2. But now this feast without any doubt may bee on the Sabbath yea it is the special festivall high day of the weeke wherin this feast is best kept Againe there bee times wherein God calles to solemne fasting and humiliation as when the Church is either in danger or distresse but this feast is not hindred by fasting it will stand well with it and many a speciall dainty dish is serued into this feast from a fast 4. Suppose a man could and might feast alwayes yet were it a brutish thing and hog-like alwaies for a man to be cramming and crowding in belly cheere alwayes to bee paunching and gutting It is that for which the rich Glutton is taxed Luk. 16. that he fared deliciously euery day But here to feast at this Table every day is that which makes a man euery whit as Angel-like as belly-feasting euery day makes a man swine-like Here it is a mans happinesse to be an holy Epicure 2. It is better then other feasts in regard Nunquam credideris faeilcem qui adventitio laetus est exibit gaudium quod intravit Senec. ep 99. of the Independencie of this feast vpon any other outward thing This feast is able to maintaine it selfe of it selfe within it selfe A man that hath a good conscience hath a feast though he haue nothing else but it A good Conscience though it haue nothing but browne bread and water yet this hard fare marres not the feast For this feast stands not in meats and drinks but in righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. Quietnesse and a dry morsell is better then an house full of good cheare with strife Pro. 17. 1. Though it be but outward quietnes when a man is free from vniust vexations the molestations of froward and contentious dispositions even such quietnes makes a dry morsell good cheere makes a feast of a crust But when there is inward quietnesse of a good Conscience and a mans heart is at quiet from his peace with his God what excellent cheere is a dry morsell then Though a man have ever so good fare yet to haue it sawced with the bitternesse of contention and to live in a continuall wrangling with peevish people what poore content would a wel furnisht Table affoord such a man And what poore cheere especially would all the feasts in the world make where there is brawling contention from the coÌ„science Here then is the excelleÌ„cy of this feast above all other feasts This feast is able to subsist and to maintaine it selfe without other feasting other feasting is nothing without this of a good conscience Other feasting often hurts and hinders this feast whilest men by their vaine licentious carriage therein Feasting without al feare Iude 12. do make the Conscience fast and sterue and whilest their Quailes are betweene â—heir teeth leannesse enters into their soule Psalm 106. 15. So farre is bodily feasting from helping that it hinders this feasting rather Conscience can haue mirth enough without a feast but little is the comfort and content that a feast can giue where the Conscience is not good Men may set a Sed non est ista hilaritas long a observa videbis eosdeÌ„ intra exiguum teÌ„ pus acerrime ridere et acerrime rudere Senec ep 29. a face vpon it and bragge laugh and be iolly in their feasting but yet in the middest of that laughter the heart is sorrowfull and the ende of that mirth is heauinesse Prov. 14. 13. Conscience awakened even in the middest of the greatest iollitie giues men many a bitter twitch at the heart and in the middest of all their revillings gives them Vineger and Gall to drinke A good Conscience is it that sweetens and seasons all the dishes of a feast that is the sawce that makes meate savoury the sugar that sweetens Wine that is the musicke that makes a mans heart daunce But let a man goe to the most sumptuous and delicious feastes without a good conscience and how is it with him then Iust as with Belshazzar Dan. 5. where the hand-writing on the wall marred all his mirth or else it is in such a case as it was with Haman The foole brags that he alone is invited to Esthers banquet with the King Esth 5. 12. Oh how happy a man was he vnder how fortunate a Planet was he borne to be the King and Queenes Favourite both But see what little reason hee had to brag Chap. 7 2. Even at the banquet of Wine Esther giues him a cup of gall at the banquet of Wine Doth she accuse Haman to the King Oh! how many glory in their banquetting their feasting but how often do their Consciences put Easthers tricke vpon them euen accuse them to God and gall and girde them in the middst of their wine Conscience serues many as Absoloms villainies serued Ammon when his heart was merry at Absoloms feast then they stabd him to the heart Conscience deales with them as the Isralites were dealt withall in their Quayle feast They had their Quailes and their daynties but a man would rather want their good cheere then haue their sawce Their sweet meat had shrape sawce Whilest the flesh was betweene their teeth Gods anger brake in vpon them So whilest many are chewing their dainties conscience fills their mouth with gravell and so sawces and spices their dishes that they finde but little content therein So miserable are all feasts and merryments of this world when a man wants the imdependent feast of a good Conscience So happy also are they that haue the feast of a good Conscience although they neuer taste bitt of other feast whilst they liue although they be denied the crummes that fall vnder the feasting Gluttons Table 3. It is better in regard of the Vniuersalitie of it As for belly-feasts it stands not with euery mans condition and purse to make them It belongs onely to the richer abler sort to feast Feasting is a matter of charge cost and so is out of the reach of the poorer sort But here is the excellency of this feast The poorest that is may make it and the poore haue as good priviledge to make it as the rich the poore in this respect may keepe as good an house as the best Nobleman yea for the most part the poorer sort keep this feast best Nabal makes a feast like a King but wretched man in the meane time what feast keepes his Conscience It may be many a poore Carmelite neighbour of his that went in a poore russet coate and liued in a poore thatcht cottage kept that feast abundantly and richly whilest he poore sot had not the crums that fell from their Tables Lazarus could not haue the crummes that fell from the gluttons table but how happie had it beene with the glutton if in stead of his
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