the Rev. 11. 14. second woe is past to make way for the third the greatest woe that cometh quickly i. e. immediately upon it Many wicked escape the first woe in life but as it befel them that scaped the sword of 1 King 19. 17. Hazael there were two other worse swords of Jehu and Elisha that should dispatch them after The sword of Hazael may spare the wicked in this life but then the sword of Jehu meets with them at death and again the sword of Elisha at the day of judgement He may flee from the iron sword but then Job 20. 22. the how of steel shal strike him thorough Or as Amos hath it He may fly from a Lion in life Am. 5. 19. and a Bear meet him at death and the Serpent bite him at the day of judgement This yet hath an end though it be long first at the day of judgement the second woe ends but a greater succeeds If a man live Eccl. 11. 8. many years saith Solomon and rejoice in them all yet let him remember the dayes of darknesse that they are many The dayes of darknesse that is in hell are many and long dayes they be from thy death to the end of the world is but one day and there are many more after which are longer a thousand years is but as one day and every one of those dayes are as a thousand years yet are there many of them more than ten thousands of such dayes there are for they are without number But the third woe payes for all which is at 3 Woe at the day of Judgment the day of judgement then shall all the Cataracts of wrath be set open and all the vials of wrath filled and emptied out upon the heads of the wicked Then shall the Lord rain fire and brimstone from the Lord out of Heaven Then shall the sealed book of Conscience be unclasped and out of thy own mouth and heart and book shalt thou be judged Then shall both Earth and Sea and Hell and Death deliver up all their dead but not to be annibilated that they would account an unspeakable mercy but only to be Arraigned tryed sentenced Then shall Death and Hell be cast again into the lake of fire which is the second and eternall death Then shall a Hell in Conscience be cast into a Hell of despair and an Hell of guilt into an Hell of pain But of this third woe it is no where said the third woe is past Life ends and with it the first woe The world ends and with it the second woe But Etermity ends not therefore the third woe never ends Hence the judgement of that day is called Eternal Judgement Heb. 6. 2. and the destruction of the wicked an everlasting Destruction 2. Thess 1. 9. The first woc may be a sad one yet it cannot be long because life is short The second woe is more sad because more long but though long it is it is not for ever The third is the sad and killing woe because it is both long and endlesse There is the great Gulfe fixed that there is no comming over As the first woe leaves a man the second woe finde him as the second leaves him the third finds him but the third never leaves Look how Life leaves Death finds as Death leaves Judgement finds as Judgement leaves Eternity finds But this Eternity leaves not his place to any other Eternity is a pit which hath no bottome it is a large bottome that can never be unravelled it is a Center which hath no circumference no measure of times or number of Ages can fathom or reckon the length of it It hath ever a beginning of his dayes hath never an end of his years when Time shall be no more Eternity is but beginning It is a long and perpetuall night which shall never have a morning to succeed it Now to all Eternity thy evill Conscience shall accompany thee and fill thy heart with new tortures of Grief and fear and wrath and bitternesse and despair But this third woe must never have an end Means The means to be used to the getting and keeping of good Conscience are Principal and they two Subservient and they many The Principal means and without which 1. The Blood of Christ all the rest are insufficient are two First to get the bloud of Christ sprinkled on the Conscience by the hand of faith As David said of Goliah's sword There is none to that give it 1 Sam. 21. 9. me So may we say of this bloud This purgeth the Conscience from all dead works that it may serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. All duties gifts observances Performances nothing to this Other things may make the out-side clean before men the bloud of Christ is that alone which maketh the Conscience clean before God that there is now no more Conscience of sin as to the guilt and spot of it So Heb. 10. 29. The bloud of the Covenant is that whereby the beleever is sanctified Whatsoever other means are used courses are taken as by confession contrition satisfaction reading praying fasting building Alms-houses or the like they are no more without this to the commending of the Conscience unto God or taking away sin from the Conscience than Adams Fig-leaves to take away the shame of his nakednesse or the washing of Pilates hands in fair water to cleanse his soul from the foul sin of Bioud-guiltinesse He should have washed his heart in the bloud of Christ than had he been free from all his sins and not his hands in water that he might be free from the bloud of Christ His bloud is that Zach. 13. 1. Fountain opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleannesse This bloud of Christ we should pray pathetically and fervently as the Jewes did passionately and furiously that it may be upon us and on our Children not on our heads but on our hearts not to be charged upon us but sprinkled on us not by Vulnera Christi eivitates refugii Sanguis Christi sons Bethlehemi Joh. 6. 53. 54. way of imputation but of expiation The wounds of Christ are our City of Refuge said one And the bloud of Christ is the well of Bethlehem which we should long for and break through an host of difficulties to come unto Except we drink this bloud we have no life in us But who so eateth his flesh and drinketh his bloud hath eternal life and Christ promiseth to raise him up at the last day Fly then to this City of refuge and escape the Avenger Sprinkle this blood on thy Door-posts and escape the Destroyer Look up to this Brazen Serpent and be cured of all stings of Conscience from the fiery Serpent Cast in this Jonah and the raging Sea is calmed both of Gods displeasure and Consciences disturbance Go to this Samaritan for his Wine and Oyle to thy wounded Conscience
Leah instead of an imagined Rachel It climbes the Tree of Knowledge and cuts down the Tree of Life It taketh and chuseth a Barabbas but renounceth and condemneth Christ Jesus It Mar. 7. 8. 11. 12. will make a Pharisee set more by an old Tradiâ—ion then a divine Precept and a Pharisees diâ—ciple Acts 16. 9. Gal. 1. 13. 14. Psal 3. 6. Mat. 23. 15 look more after the Corban then his duâ—y to his aged and indigent Parents This set Paul blindfold to persecute and blaspheme Christ onely that he might shew his zeal to God This makes others compasse both sea â—nd land to make one their Proselyte who when all is done is but a double childe of hell Oh the wofull work erroneous Conscience hath made in all Times in the past Ages of the Church And this my story of iniquity worketh hitherto and is still working more mischief amidst our sad and dismall distractions This is one part of the spirituall wickednesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in heavenly things or places Ephes 6. 12 13. Against which must be taken the whole armour of God This like Saul hath slain his thousands not of Philistines but Israelites This like that wood which in a bloody day devoured more by erring disordering and intangling them then the sword devoured 2 Sam. 18. 8 This destroys more then ignorance or superstition or prophanesse This lets go Scripture duties upon more credit given to Revelations Upon this mistake a true Prophet once contrary to expresse commands of God gave up his faith obedience and withall his conscience upon a report of a later revelation and an Angelicall apparition to the old Prophets bare but false asseveration of a newer and cleerer light 1. King 13. 18. I am also a prophet as thou art and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord saying Bring him back with thee to eat bread and drink water but he lied unto him This above all other is the evil conscience intended in this place It was nothing but erring conscience at first that caused Hymenaeus and Alexander to relinquish their former Profession and having put pure conscience out of doors they come to make a fearfull shipwrack of their faith totally and oâ— their souls finally Enlightened conscience feareth and departeth from evil this fool rageth and is confident Prov. 14. 16. Englightened conscience hath his eyes open and seeth the angel in the way erroneous conscience like the seduced false Prophet rusheth forward into the midst of danger Erroneous conscience is he whose deceived heart turns him aside who feedeth on ashes as the Prophet saith Esay 44. 20. hath a lie in his right hand so that he cannot deliver his soul This is he whose plague is in his head Levit. 13. 44. This is the man whom ye may bray in a mortar with a pestell among wheat yet will not his folly depart from him Prov. 27. 22. There is more hope of a fool then of this man because he is wiser commonly in his own conceit then seven men that can render a reason Prov. 26. 12 16. Erroneous conscience is the eye that puts darknesse for light and light for darknesse It is the mouth that puts bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter It is the traveller that leaveth the ancient paths and the good way to walk in new wayes wayes not of Gods casting up and Scriptures chalking out Jer. 18. 15 A good Conscience must therefore be purified from Errour Thirdly It must be purified from naturall From deadnesse or hardnes deadnesse or hardnesse which is as bad a disease as either ignorance or errour So that although thou mayest escape the fear of ignorance by the instructions of Wisdom and-the snare of errour by the light of the Gospel yet if thou be taken in the Pit of deadnesse and naturall hardnesse thou art never the neerer thou hast not yet a good conscience Heb. 9. 14. The conscience must be purged from dead works that it may serve the living God A dead conscience is not for a living God One may be a knowing hypocrite or an orthodox nonconvert but what is he neerer to salvation while in this deadnesse There is a generation pure in their own eyes yet not cleansed Pro. 30. 12 as to conscience from their own deadnesse God I thank thee I am no Papist say they no Anabaptist Antinomian Sectary I am a catholike Christian I am an old Protestant but an unsanctified Christian and the common carnall Protestant is no better then they He is blinde and cannot see afar off and forgets that he is not yet cleansed from his old sins 2. Pet. 1. 9. Except you be regenerate and raised from naturall deadnesse you cannot see the kingdom of God Al that are not seducers as Jesuits false Teachers or seduced as common Papists Antinomians Libertines Anti-scripturists prophane Atheists and Socinians are not therefore necessarily saved There is a plague in the heart that every one must see and bewail and get cured of or else it is as pernicious to the 1 Kin. 8. 38 soul and sends more certainly to hell then any plague or leprosie in the head Levit. 13. 44. We call not that Arm or Leg good which is onely not bruised wounded out of joynt when it is benummed or paralytick It hath no pain indeed but what use is there of it So what though conscience be not bruised raging and tormenting and out of joynt by errour if it be benummed stupified or dead There is no use of such a conscience Conscience must therefore be purged from deadnesse Secondly There be three things which Conscience must be Purified by which are 1 The Three things conscience is purified by 1. The word of Christ word 2. Blood 3. Spirit of Christ First The word of Christ is the Great heart Searcher and Conscience Purifier Heb. 4. 12. The word of God is quick and Powerfull and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart c This is the Fanne with which Christ doth purge his Floore Canscience John 15. 3. Now are you clean through the word which I have spoken to you saith Christ to his Disciples and for them he prayes Joh. 17. 17. Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is that sanctifying truth This removes those before named discases of conscience 1. This is that which removes ignorance Psal 119. 105. Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths What can the best eye see without a light of Sun or candle What can we know concerning God and his will without his word This written word is a more sure discovery of the minde of God then all apparitions or the most famous particular revelations 2 Pet. 1. 19. To which we must take heed and have recourse as to a light shining in a dark place This giveth knowledge to the simple Psal 119. 130. This is sufficient to remove all ignorance and uncertainty in divine things 2.
faithful Ministers for delivering Gods minde and rebuking the sins of their wicked hearers sometimes Take heed thou tread not in their steps to interdict and silence thy own conscience this is more to be hearkened to in many cases then any Divine or Minister whatsoever this is the mouth of the Lord the Candle of the Lord searching and discovering Pro. 20. 27. the secrets and inward things of the belly We say conscience in some cases is above all witnesses a thousand witnesses it is a thousand Preachers too God saith to conscience as he Conscientia mille Ministri did to Moses once Exod. 7. 1. See I have made thee a God to Pharaoh and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet Conscience shall be to me in stead of a mouth saith God and to thee in stead of God as Moses was to Aaron Exo. 4. 16. Consciences second office is Regall or Magistratuall 2. Consciences Regall office a higher office then the former Conscience hath a commanding and legislative power to binde even kings in chains and nobles with fetters of iron He is thy Perpetuus Dictator whose dictares are Laws They were a law to themselves Rom. 2. 14. This king may neither be deposed nor resisted but ever informed counselled and treated with and then ever obeyed as Gods vicegerent Whosoever cast off the imperiall commands of conscience God saith to them as he did to Samuel concerning Israel 1 Sam. 8. 7. They have not rejected thee but they have rejected me that I should not reigne over them God giveth to conscience a large Commission and saith to it as to Eliakim in the day of his investiture in his office I will clothe thee with a new robe and commit the government into thy hand The key of the house of David will I lay on thy shoulders Thou shalt shut and none shall open thou shalt open and none shall shut Isay 22. 21 22. What conscience peremptorily commands or forbids is more to a godly man then what Kings or States command And the religious man resolveth Conscientia mille Reges mille Leges rather to disobey any unjust commands of Kings or States and fall under any displeasure of men then to go against the dictates of his own rightly informed conscience We are not carefull O King to answer thee in this Dan. 3. 16. matter said they to Nebuchadnezzar although they heard his expresse commands and saw the fiery furnace before them Julian the Apostate forbad the Christians to sing Psalms Risui ei catui furias suas esse intellexit Magd. cent 4. cap. 3. the very women and virgins did purposely sing the louder when the Emperour was to go by their doors that he saw his wrath was by them derided And those Psalms they picked out that condemned his Idols as that Psalm 135 ver 15. 16 18. Conscience rides in the second Charet and is Gen. 41. 40 43. 44. solo Deo minor soli Deo secunda Without thee saith God to conscience as Pharaoh once to Joseph shall no man lift up his hand or foot Onely in the Throne will I be greater then thou Conscience hath a kingly or magistratuall power but must not exercise an Arbitrary power It must be it self at his beck who is in the Throne Of whose subordination to God and his written Word and Law we shall speak afterwards in his proper place His third office is Testimoniall or to bear Consciences Testimoniall Office witnesse Rom. 2. 14 15. The Gentiles who had not the Law in Tables of stone as had the Jews had the Law written in their hearts which did shew it self in this work of Conscience Their consciences also bearing witnesse Rom. 2. 14. 15. c. This is the witnesse in a mans self a greater testimony then that of John This is the Epistle of Christ written in the heart Our rejoycing is this The testimony of our conscience 2 Cor. 1. 12. A testimony and certificate which Gods Spirit doth attest to and consent with Rom. 9. 1. My conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost In the mouth of these two great witnesses the state of a Christian is established For the Spirit it self witnesseth with our spirit that we are the Rom. 8. 16 sons of God Rom. 8. 16. This testimony of conscience is above a thousand witnesses be it Conscientia mille testes for thee or against thee 1 Job 3. 19 20 21. Turpe quid acturus te sine teste time Take heed wheresoever thou art what thou dost Conscience will out with all the secret passages it hath observed It is like Joseph among his brethren who carried home their ill report to their father and made them much anger Thou never sinnest without a spie or Gen. 37. 2. an observer and informer Do therefore as was said of Mr. Latimer who being examined in private spake more freely till he over-heard one behinde the Hangings whom he saw not present to take in writing what he said then he spake more warily Take heed what thou dost remotis arbitris Curse not the King no not in thy thought conscience the margin reads it scientia Arias Mont. conscientia Junius Nor the rich in thy bed-chamber for a bird of the air shall carry the voyce and thaâ— which hath wings shall tell the matter Eccles 10 20. Thine own conscience may be that bird Elisha did relate what was in agitation at the 2 Kin. 6. 12 King of Syrias Councell-table yea what passed in his Bed-chamber Such an observing witnesse hath every one continually with him do he good or evil Conscience is a witness and is like one of those two famous witnesses spoken of Revel 11. 3. who prophesied in sackcloth despised and opposed by the men of the world as the great Rev. 11 3. 5. 6 c. heart troubler and worlds tormenter they rejoyced made merry and sent gifts when they were slain these brought all plagues from heaven among men and could shut up Heaven it self fire came out of their mouth yet kill this if thou darest and keep it down if thou canst it will rise again after a few days stand upon his feet the sight thereof will terrifie and dismay thee but thou shalt know it will go up to Heaven there to accuse and condemn thee 4. The fourth Office of conscience is Judiciall Conscienecs judicial Office and Judge-like It doth passe sentence on thee and read thy doom Hence men are said to be convicted of their own Consciences Joh. 8. 9. Some are said to be self condemned Tit. 3. 11. Happy is he that condemneth not himself Rom. 14. 22. If our heart that is our conscience condemn us God is greater then our hearts to condemn us further But if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God 1 Joh. 3. 20 21. Consciences sentence is the fore-runner of the last judgement Praejudicium Divini judicii as Joseph interpreted
joynes faith and the good conscience together viz. cap. 1. v. 5. v. 19. cap. 3. 9. Indeed they cannot be parted The life of faith is ever bound up in the life and bundle of good conscience There is no good faith where not good conscience nor yet good conscience where true faith wanting where you see the one looke and you shall finde the other These two are like the Churches two breastes Cant. 7. 3. compared to two young Roes that are twins that are bred and fed and grow and thrive and decay and live and dye together The best Gold and this Bdellyum of a good conscience is no where to be found but in the Havilah of Faith Faith it is which purifyes the Gen. 2. 12. heart Act. 15. 9. and mends the conscience The Tree of Life only grows in Paradise good conscience onely in Faiths Garden Faith is the grace and sheafe To which all other graces and sheafs must bow and do their obeysance This casts her crown at the feet of Christ therefore they all set their crowns on the head of this Faith mends and commends every thing Faith gives being denomination and acceptation to every Gospel Graee and comfort and duty No love without Faith Gal. 5. 6. Phil. v. 5. No obedience but obedience of Faith Rom. 1. 5. 16. 26. No Repentance without Faith Mar. 1. 15. so faith and patience Heb. 6. 12. Faith and hope 1 Pe. 1. 21. No joy but joy of Faith Phil. 1. 25. No works but works of Faith 1 Thes 1. 3. No duties without faith The prayer of Faith Iam. 5. 15. Hearing of Faith Gal. 3. 2. No life but the life of Faith Gal. 2 20. This is the salt that seasons every sacrifice So look first for Faith when thou imaginest thou hast a good conscience Let us draw neer saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 22. with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an ill conscience c. No true heart no assurance nay no Faith where no good conscience yet Nor good conscience to be looked for where Faith is not first to be found Among the Heathen Sages and Philosophers you may read good Sentences hear good expressions finde some good Actions but no good consciences because without Christ and without Faith Among a thousand Civilized morall persons not one good conscience because no Faith For it is the Apostles Rule Tit. 1. 15. To the unbeleeving and impure is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled None were found among the ordinary sons of men men of better tempers sweeter natures lovely and praise-worthy Deportments for Personall and Heroick vertues for sundry memorable sayings and generous actions then were Titus Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Antoninus Verus his Brother yea Valerian and that so much detested Julian yet nothing of good conscience in any of them all strangers to the knowledge and Theory of it All Enemies to the Practise and Power of it All Persecutors of the truth in their severall times and reignes Titus is called Amor deliciae generis humani Trajanus alioqui civiliter bonus laudatus princeps ob justitiam humanitatem adeo clarus ut postea laetae acclamationis quoties Crearetur Caesar praebuerit formulam sis faelicior Augusto Melior Trajano dixisse fertur praefecto praetorij gladium ei tradens Hoc Ense contra hostes utere si justa mandavero contra me si me videris injuste agere c. Hadrianus ingenio excelluit omnium doctrimarum capacissimus Dixisse fertur Imperatorem erga unumquemque debere esse talem qualem si privatus esset sibi vellet esse imperatorem at in Reguâ— Christi nullas portas regi gloriae aperuit sed inter milites est qui Christum crucifigunt Cent. Magd. Cent. 2. cap. 3. De persecut sub Traiano Hadriano Antoninus Pius solitus est dicere se malle unum civem servare quam mille hostes Occidere M. Antoninus Verus ingenio eruditione valuit Philosophi nomen adeptus est A Philosophiae studijs nec imperij negocijs nec Bellicis occupationibus unquam se avocari aut distrâ—hi passus est ex illis optimus imperator formatus multa in Remp. Rom. contulit praeclarissima merita Talem se omnibus praestitit ut ab omnibus amatetur At quo in suos commodior eo in Christianos gravior hic Antoninus Cent. Magd. cent 2. cap. 3. Valerian a most bloudy and Raging perecutor was princeps laudatus de quo scribit Trebellius cum senatus authoritate Censor crearetur in senatusconsulto has fuisse voces Valeriant vita censura est ille de omnibus judicet qui est omnibus melior Ille de senatu judicet qui nullum habet erimen ille cui nihil potest obijci de vita nostra sententiam ferat hunc censorem omnes accipimus hunc omnes imitari volumus cent 3. cap. 3. Julian equall to any of them scientia Philosophia Graecarum litterarum in eo magna fuit Iâ— studijs tanta assiduitate usus est ut semnum defraudans suum totas noctes interdum illis daret similis Tito existimatus bellorum successibus Trajano comparatus clementia Antonino Pio moderatione M. Aurelio Antonino litteratum scientia magnis Philosophis Magd. Cent. 4 Cap. 3. Hold faith and a good conscience saith the Text Hold the mystery of faIth in a pure conscience 1 Tim. 3. 9. Good conscience is the Ring faith the Gemme and Jewell enriching and adorning this Ring Good conscience is the Cabinet faith the Pearle lockt up in it Good conscience the Ship faith the Merchandize that the Field this the Treasure hid in it faith the Apples of Gold this the Pictures or Tables of Silver in which it is set Faith is the Christians eye good conscience is the Christians eye-lid with the eye-lid men cannot see at all no sight at all in conscience where faith is not nor can the best eye see long without the eye-lid to cover and defend and guard it from dust and other injuries faith without conscience keeping it will soone decay Faith is the wise virgins Lamp good conscience is the Oyle that feeds it or make faith the Oyle good conscience is the Vessell that containes it what can the Lampe do without Oyle or Oyle without a Vessell So what 's Faith without good conscience or this without that But to conclude this correlation and agreement between faith and conscience or the relation and preheminence of faith to conscience with that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 8 9. 11 12. speaking of the relation between man and wife made to be meet helpers each for other So is faith to conscience so is Gen. 2. 18. conscience to be to faith it is not good nor safe for either to be alone The man is the glory of God the woman is the glory of the man saith he ver 7. So say I faith setteth the Crowne on
the great State The godly man saith there is no such necessity for me to have two eyes or two hands there is no necessity of preserving my credit of securing my state of providing for my family no such necessity of gathering riches to live honoured and so dye wealthy but there is an absolute necessity lyes upon me to fly hell save my soul lay hold on eternall life and to this end to get a good conscience If I have but a good conscience left me faith the Christian I have enough while I have that I can want nothing I may be counted poor yet am truly rich I may be looked upon as outwardly sorrowing but behold I am alway rejoycing as dying but I live 2 Cor. 6. Austin said of some Christians Amiserunt omnia quae habebant nunquid fidem nunquid pietatem nunquid interioris hominis bona qui est ante Deum dives de civ Dei l. 1. c. 10. as unknown yet well known as a deceiver yet true as having nothing yet possessing all things I may have dirt cast upon my face good conscience will wipe all off 1 Pet. 3. 16. Having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil they may be ashamed who falsly accuse your good conversation in Christ I may lye under great pressures even to despair of help or life good conscience supports me and makes all light 2 Cor. 1. 12. I may have my credit blasted yet repaired againe as Joseph had State ruined yet restored againe as Job had life lost yet found againe as Christ Jesus promised but if conscience be lost I am a lost man The world may with their lightning as the Philosopher saith Consume the scabbard but not at all peirce the sword destroy and split the caske but not spill the liquor or wine in it yet how sad it is that the getting and using conscience is so much among the most of men neglected Every one observeth his rule and way Si curtatus in aequali Ton sore capillos Vel si Toga dissidet impar Horat. Vide Domine quomodo diligenter observent filii bominum pacta literarum syllabarum accepta à prioribus locutoribus à te acceptvae terna pacta perpetuae salutis negligant Conf. l. 1. c. 18. of living but the Christian Every Artificer studieth to be exact in his kind the Taylor hath his measure or his patternes the Carpenter heweth and Squareth his timber the Mason his stone by rule he maketh his wall by Line and Plummet must not the Christian observe his measure his patterne his rule and line The welbred Gentleman is ashamed to be seene abroad in an undecent habit if he be not drest from Top to Toe in the best fashion he thinkes he is not like himselfe And is not the Christian to observe his fashion and demenour Austin did observe and bewaile this exceeding Pathetically the Grammarian observeth his Rules of speaking given him by his master and shall not we observe our Rules of doing given us by God himself the Grammarian or Orator observes his Construction his Pronounciation will not say Inter hominibus for inter homines will not lose you a Letter nor an accent nor an aspiration saith he which is no Letter he will not commit such a Verball fault as to say Ominem for Hominem yet saith he he that will not against the Rules of Grammer the Precepts of his Schoolemaster pronounce Ominem for hominem dare against the Rules of Divinity and precept of God Hate a man odisse Hominem Yea saith he you may observe the Eloquent Orator or Lawyer is more carefull of his words when pleading against his Adversary and is more afraid to speake one word improperly then to aggravate his charge without all charity and Conscience Vigilantissimè Cavet ne Per linguae Errorem dicat inter hominibus et ne per mentis furorem hominem auferat ex hominibus non eavet yea he confesseth and bewaileth it as one of his owne sins when he was a young Scholler that he did abhor Barbarous Solaecisines and Incongruities of speech more then absurdities and incongruities in his actions But let all men know wheresoever Conscience is wanting or not attended there is yet no Grace nor shall there ever be glory First there is yet no Grace at all in that heart the first lesson and the A. B. C. of a Christian is Make Conscience The first thing that God doth worke in that mighty change from nature to Grace and Translation from death to life is the new heart He begins ever with Conscience He a wakens it he softens it enlightneth it enliveneth it He cleanseth it he Sanctifieth it Ezek. 36. 25 26. He dwelleth in it The first worke of Grace is the Donation of a new heart and the change of a stone into flesh The sense of Externall feeling is the first Indication of the life of nature this sense of Internall feeling is the first and best discoverie of the life of Grace He that hath not his Conscience sprinkled purged quickned renewed and of a new impression is not at all of God yet nor belongeth to him Because he neither hath his Image nor his Superscription Therefore neither shall he ever have Glory which is the second thing Secondly where is yet no Good Conscience There shall be no Glory As in the New Creature where God worketh Grace he begins with Conscience as was said before So in the new Covenant where God promiseth Glory he begins with Conscience also This is the Covenant of grace when God promiseth to blot sinnes out of his booke of Remembrance He giveth unto man a New Conscience for a Book of Remembrance unto duty and obedience Heb. 8. 10. 11. 12. This is the Covenant I will make with the house of Israel I will put my lawes into their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People And they shall not teach every man his Neighbor and every man his Brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest for I will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more In which words the Lord alludeth to what he did to his people Israel when he made the old Ceremoniall Covenant with them He spake to them gave them his mind in writing delivered them the two Tables containing the Tenor and duties of the Covenants these Tables were to be layd up in the Arke God will do much more now he will speake to the heart write the law in new Tables fleshly Tables of the heart and keepe them there as in the Arke And there they shall be for a continuall monitor remembrance that they shall need the lesse of outward teaching and humane Laws they having an inward Directer and Admonisher and a Divine Law within God will pardon no mans sinnes which is
on thee ere he hath done for his eyes put out and will destroy thee though he perish with thee Peccatum susurrans will prove Peccatum exclamans the witnesses might be slaine but did soon rise againe and up to heaven they went to accuse the world of Irreligion and Impiety Rev. 11. 2. To such as are haunted and fâ—â—â—owed with that griesly and ghastly fury of an evill accusing gnawing and corroding Conscience no wolfe on the breast like this no worm in the inwards like this torment it never lies quiet it s ever gnawing and corroding as no phrenfie so outragious as the roaring and raging Conscience It is like the raging Sea which cannot rest Esay 57. 21. No winds abroad cause an Earthquake but what wind is inclosed in the bowels of the earth no outward pressures can so torment as this inward horror the wind within causeth the Gollick paines not all the winds blustering about our ears but that little wind though it make no noise that is shut up in the bowels and pent up that wrings and tortures the body what are all the paines of body to the gripes and gnawing and wringings of an accusing disquieted Conscience This is the heart that continually meditates Terror to it self there is no darkenesse Paena autem vehemens multo saevior illis quas Caeditius gravis invenit Rhadamantus nocte dieque suum gestare in pectore Testem Ju. 1 Tim. 5. 24. 2 Sam. 13. 13. 1 King 2. 44. Gen. 42. 22 or shadow of death like his blacknesse of darkenesse He flies from the Iron weapon and the bow of steele shall strike him thorow The glistering sword cometh out of his gall all darkenesse is hid in hir secret place a fire not blowne shall consume him Job 20. 24 25 26. His sins have now found him out and are going before him to judgement whither he himself shall shortly follow I whither shall I go saith he to his offended Conscience where shall I leave my sin and shame and Conscience againe replies thou knowest all the evill that thy heart is privy too as Solomon said to Shemei nay saith Conscience you would not hear me as Reuben said to his brethren did I not speak to you and tell you then you must take what follows you have troubled Conscience and Conscience will trouble thee Men make light of the checks and admonitions of Conscience while they are in pursuit of sin and amidst their prosperity but when distress and anguish comes to take hold of them how do they cry out Oh Conscience Conscience Oh that I had hearkened to Conscience as it said of Rich Craesus who glorying in his wealth Solon told him that no man could reckon himself happy till he saw his end Craesus regarded not till being overcome by Cyrus and condemned to be burnt to death then he remembred what Solon had said to him and in the fire he cryed out Oh Solon Solon being asked what he meant he told them now he thought of Solons words and found them true and repented that he had made no more use of them when time was 3. It speaks terror to such as have an unwakened unsensible and sleepy Conscience no Lethargie so dangerous and near to death Gelidae est quasi mortis imago The Lethargick sleepy stupid Conscience is the most hopelesse Conscience that can be The dumb deaf silent speechlesse bedrid Conscience is the most desperate disease in the world The Physitian cures the Lethargy by a feaver if he can cast his patient into one and let me tell thee it is better God should cast thee into a hot burning feaver of Conscience by any affliction or horror whatsoever then that thou shouldest go sleeping and snoring to Hell It is not a more certaine token of death approaching to the body when you see speech gone eyes set in the head breath failing feeling lost pulse stopping excrements coming away unawares that such a one is drawing on to his Grave Then when you see the eyes of Conscience set feeling gone checks cease Heart-smiting done all Sins perpetrated yet the Soul lies wallowing in his noysome Excrements that such a Soul is drawing on to the Chambers of Hell The body of the former sleeps but his 2. Pet. 2. 3. Death slacks not the Soul of the latter sleeps too But his Judgement and Damnation slumbers not but is hastening upon him 4. It speaks Terror again to such as are already fallen or are entring into that disease called by Divines Vastatio Conscientiae the wasting or Consumption of Conscience the worst Consumption Such a Disease as the Phisitian meddles with none so bad This if not very timely prevented and stayed turns ever into one of those two desperat and incurable Diseases thou wilt either be stricken with a cold benumming Palsie or Lethargie and so be half dead while thou art alive or into a raging and desperate Phrensy it turns which will make thee be half in Hell while thou art alive The one was Nabals disease who was stricken with it that he became as cold hard and livelesse as a stone and was no better than a breathing Clot and so he died and is much like that Plague threatned Zach. 14. 12. where the flesh rots and consumes upon their feet while they stand their eyes consume away in their holes and their tongues in their mouthes so that they have neither sight nor tast nor speech nor motion yet living Death it self were to be chosen before such a Life The other was Joram's disease whom God smote in his Bowels with an incurable disease of which he lay in great extreamity for two years space and at last his very Bowels 2. Chron. 21. 19. fell out by reason of his sicknesse day by day and so he died in great horrour of whom may be said as was said to Maximinus that Tyrant and bloudy Persecutor when swarms of Lice did Gender in his diseased putrified body dayly did crawl about him that no Physitian could endure to come near him divers of them being slain because for the filthy stink they could not endure his presence others slain because they could find no means to cure him one of the Physitians then spake plainly to him and told him Nec est humanus iste Morbus nec medicis curatur It is not a naturall disease but a Divine stroke of Gods hand it is past the Physitians skill to deal with it CHAP. XXIII Of the Vse of Consolation ANd here we cannot but Proclaim the Happiness and commend the Wisdome of those blessed Souls that in this crooked and perverse Generation have made the better part their Choise and Care viz. to get and keep the good Conscience that Conscience void of offence before God and men that have preferred Purity of Conscience before Liberty and have studied Vprightnesse while others have studied Policy and fleshly wisdome These are like the few Names in Sardis who had not defiled their Garments
Lordships pardon for this boldnesse and Prolixity and a favourable acceptance and perusal of this homely Treatise shall continue to efflagitate and importune God that as he hath made you high in Place and Honour and Dignity So you may be made much more high in Name and Praise and Grace and Glory Your Lordships humble servant in every Christian service Jo SHEFFEILD To the Conscientious Reader CHristian and Consciencious Reader for such I desire to find at least to leave thee the World is now full of Books so full that it cannot contain all that is written and of how many may it be said that they do but proclaim the vanity of the Writer and procure wearinesse if not vexation to the Reader As for the subject and matter of this Discourse it cannot but receive thy Approbation Howsoever the homely and plain language in it the unelegancy and untakingness of the composure and composer in this now so knowing but more censorious Age may cause it to be laid aside with neglect by some who as in hearing they hear not Sermons but names so in reading use not to read Treatises but Titles O my Lord I am not Eloquent Vir verbâ—rum Ex. 4. 10. but of a slow Speech and of a slow Tongue yet if the Lord say I will go with thee and be with thy mouth and with this Rod and Pen in thy Hand how much may a stammerring and discouraged Moses undertake and go through with Jerom said he did diligere Christum in Augustino Love Austin the better for Christs sake our times invert it and we do onely diligere Augustinum in Christo we love Christ the better for St. Austins sake and it may be should not like Christ at all if it were not in Austins mouth and parts The preaching of Christ in a crucified stile now is accounted foolishnesse as heretofore in a crucified state But as of all Divinity it may be said Ornari res tanta negaâ— contenta doceri so especially a discourse of Conscience needs least the dresse of humane Ornaments requires most the strength of Divine Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit It is a subject wherein many of eminent worth have travelled some more antiently many more of latter times and among our selves All which will have their deserved praise in the Churches of Christ unto succeeding Ages And yet it were much to be wished that either more were written in these dayes by those who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of more leisure and abilities or that what is already written were more read studied perused and practised As for me although I cannot but be so far at least Conscious to my own weaknesses and insufficiencies as to say with Gideon Is not my thousand the least in the Tribe and is not some others Gleanings better than my whole Vintage yet having expected that some of more dayes and name and parts should have spoken in Abners language to Joab calling for a Cessation 2 Sam. 2. 26. or a Retreat How long shall it be ere thou bid the People return from pursuing their Brethren that our Swords of Contention may he beaten into Plough-shares of more use and fruitfulnesse for the Lords field and our Spears of difference into Pruning-hooks to prune and dresse the Lords Vineyard least all practicall Divinity be eaten up of controversal which being exhaled first from more specious utrums shortly congeales into more gross dubious neutrums at last dissolves into irreligious nihilums and settles in scepticism at last or foulest Atheism and fearing least our smal Coal or Spark which is yet remaining our sacred Coal of Israel of Religion Faith and good Conscience should be quite put out which to me seems to be struck at and in great danger I have with Craesus Son who had never spoken before till he saw his Fathers life in that danger broken that silence and broke out from that privacy which I could gladly have enjoyed But if Religion be in danger as clearly it is I concluded that if Dumb men should not cry out the very stones would cry out against them Conscience is the Book of Books the ancientest piece of Scripture in the World the first Tables of Gods own hewing and Hand-writing in the heart of man for whose sake all other Books since yea the Scripture was after purposely written to Comment upon it Unicuique suus liber Conscientia propter hunc libellum omnes alii libri inventi sunt if Bernard say true This is thy Book which thou must be well versed in or all thy other reading will be unprofitable To study other Books may make thee a Scholler but to study this makes thee a Christian Conscience is a little Map or volume of Divinity there is more of God to be seen in Conscience than in any other piece It is the rarest piece that God ever made Of all Creatures there is more of God to be seene in Man than in them all in Man most in the Soul in the Soul most in the Conscience This smelleth more of God saith one than the Heavens the Sun the Stars or all the glorious things of the Earth Gold precious Stones Rubies or the sweetest Herbs Roses or Lillyes Conscience is the Art of Arts and Science of Sciences which every one of whatsoever Degree Quality Science is of absolute necessity bound to be skilled and exercised in A Book it is which neither the Learned when it is delivered to him with this Charge Read this I pray may refuse put away as he Esa 29. 11 12. and say I cannot for it is sealed It is an open Book Or when to the unlearned with the same Charge Read this now he may not say I cannot for I am not Book-learned It is â—n easie Book the Lay-mans Book or Primmer Multae sunt Scientiae hominum sed nulla melior illa quâ homo cognoscit seipsum Many Sciences there are but none like that whereby a man knowes himself The Tree of Knowledge hath often proved to the sons of men the Tree of Evill the fruit though delightful to the eye and pleasant to the taste often proving bitter Apples of contention God hath justly hedged it in and set an Angel to keep man from approaching it But the Tree of Conscience is ever the Tree of Life his fruit is meat his leaves medicine and his very shade comfortâ—ble And truly if a man have but so much Knowledge as to get and keep a good Conscience though he can never attain to those high Speculations which the world admires it is enough I would have you saith the Apostle to the Ro. 16. 19. Romanes as simple to evill as wise to good And our Saviour to those of Thyatira whose parts could not reach the bottome of those strange and deep notions which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 depths though depths of Satan counting their doctrines of licentiousnesse depths and the old plain sincerity and conscientiousnesse but
whose cause if thou wilt plead thou shalt have double fees but if thou be of Counsel against heâ— or by thy opposition silence craft or negligence she be cast and overthrowne thou shalt never be able to stand in the Judgement but be disabled pleading before the Lord Chief Justice at that Upper Bench. Art thou a Physitian Conscience must be thy Patient whom thou must attend most be sure to keepe her out of a Lethargy and a Consumption to which diseases she is naturally most inclined if this Die under thy hand and miscarry thou art an undone man and all thy skill and practise nothing worth If thou be a Rich man Conscience will furnish thee with Baggs which wax not old of Treasure that will not waste If Poor it will furnish thee with a Cruse and Barrel that will not fail If thou hast a good Conscience it will be a staff to support thee If an evil it will turn in to a Serpent to sting thee If thou art an Israelite it is the Red Sea fear not to go into it it will secure thee if an Egyptian thou art drowned if thou go into it If thou be a woman Conscience is thy Glasse into which thou must looke and by which thou must dresse thy self saith Bernard that thou mayest please Christ thy Spouse If a Maid this thy attire If a Bride this thy Ornament If a Mother this thy Child which thou must nurse thy self not put out of doors as Moses Mother did him for any danger or benefit Take heed of starving and overlaying thy Conscience Thou must be as tender of this as of thy only Child for it more concerns thee Whosoever thou art I have two things more to beg the one for thee that what is here all along spoken of Conscience may be also spoken effectually to thy Conscience and tend to the clarifying and fortifying to the purifying pacifying and preserving of thy Conscience and the other from thee that thou wilt joyne in thy prayers endeavours that the Lords banished may be brought home that banisht Conscience may be restored to his liberty and that deposed Conscience may be Re-in-throned in his full power and soveraigne authority commanding in the heart and lives of all professors and Christians that while Conscience reignes the peace of God which passeth all onderstanding may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beare rule in our hearts and minds So I remit thee to the Conscience of God and commit thee to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pe. 2. 19 God of Conscience that thou maist live full of Conscience so dye full of comfort and rise full of glory So prayes he who is The meanest servant of thy Faith and Conscience J. S. THE CONTENTS THe sum and scope of the Epistle to Timothy is the Ministers duty page 1. The sum of the Text the Ministers greatest charge p. 2. 11. The words opened observations raised p. 3 4 c. The maine point of Doctrine Propounded p. 11. Expounded p. 12. Confirmed p. 13 14 CHAP. I. What Conscience is shewed two wayes p. 15. 1. By opening the word Conscience p. 15. Conscience is more then a bare and single knowledge ibid. Conscience implyes a four-fold knowledge with God p. 16. with self p. 17. with others p. 18. with things themselves p. 20. Four Corollaries and Deductions p. 22. 2. What the thing Conscience is described p. 24. CHAP. II. Two kinds of Conscience Evill Good A two fold evill Conscience Quiet Troubled A double goodness in Conscience of Sincerity Security p. 26. The full definition of a good Conscience viz. when 1. It is rightly Purified 2. Rightly Pacified 3. And doth â—egularly performe all his offices ibid When Conscience is rightly purified p. 27. Three things Conscience must be purified from Ignorance p. 27. Error p. 28. Hardnesse p. 31 Three things Conscience is purified by The Word of Christ The Blood of Christ The Spirit of Christ p. 33. CHAP. III. Of the Conscience rightly pacified p. 37. Three things Conscience must be pacified from The raigne of sin p. 37. The rage of Satan p. 39. The wrath of God p. 41. Three things Conscience is pacified by The Word p. 42. The Blood p. 43. The spirit of Christ p. 44. CHAP. IV. The Offices of Conscience p. 45. Conscience hath a four-fold Office Ministeriall or Propheticall Regall or Magistratuall Testimoniall or of a witness Judiciall or of a Judge p. 46. To which is added a fifth Office viz. Registeriall Wherein Conscience is a Minister p. 46. Wherein Conscience is a King p. 48. Wherein Conscience is a witnesse p. 49. Wherein Conscience is a Judge p. 51. Wherein Conscience is a Register p. 52. Five Corollaryes p. 54. CHAP. V. Ten particular sorts of good Conscience propounded First of the Conscience of Faith ibid p. 60. CHAP. VI. Of the Conscience of Purity p. 66 CHAP. VII Of the Conscience of Sincerity p. 72. Ten notes of Sincerity p. 75. CHAP. VIII Of the Inoffensive Conscience p. 93 Inoffensivenesse twofold Not taking Not giving Offence p. 93. 1. Inoffensiveness in not giving offence respects either God or Man ibid. What is it to be inoffensive before God p. 94. How any can be said so to be inoffensive ibid. Foure markes of this inoffensivenesse p. 95. Offence not to be given to men Others Godly p. 97. or Those without p. 105. Our selves p. 107. Six cautions given to prevent offence giving p. 98. Six rules prescribed to avoid offence giving p. 102. 2. Inoffensivenesse in not taking offence from God p. 109. The Godly p. 110. The wicked p. 111. CHAP. IX Of the well sighted Conscience p. 112. CHAP. X. Of the well spoken Conscience p. 115. 1 Pet. 3. 21. Opened The answer or interrogation of a good Conscience p. 115. 116. CHAP. XI Of the honest dealing Conscience p. 120. Seven notes of an honest Conscience p. 124. CHAP. XII Of the tender Conscience p. 129. A double tenderness of Conscience Sinfull and diseased Lawfull and Sound p. 132. Five kinds of diseased and faulty tenderness p. 132. 133 Right tendernesse respects 1. God 2. Others 3. Our selves p. 140. 1. Tendernesse in respect of God seen in six things p. 141. 2. In respect of Men. 1. To all Godly in generall 2 Weaker ones among them especially 3 To all men whatsoever 4. To those who are related to us principally p. 151. Sequ. 3. In respect of our selves this tendernesse seen in 14. Notes p. 157. Sequ. CHAP. XIII Of the passive or suffering Conscience p. 181. Foure sorts of sinfull uncomfortable sufferings p. 187. Six markes of honourable and conscientious suffering p. 189. CHAP. XIV Of the Conscience of Charity p. 194. Charity two-fold Externall or civill Ecclesiasticall or christian p. 195. 1. Externall charity respecteth The Poore The Neighbour Our Enemy To the poor is to be shewed charity of beneficence p. 196 To the Neighbour a charity of benevolence p. 199. To an Enemy the charity of forgiveness p.
200. 2. Ecclesiasticall or Christian charity the more excellent p. 201. In what it is to be shewed p. 202. The great and dolefull want of it in these times p. 206. CHAP. XV. The reasons of the point p. 212. Three generall heads of reasons whereof the first is taken from the excellency of good Conscience and shewed in five particulars p. 213. CHAP. XVI The second reason from the danger and mischief of an evill Conscience p. 225. This set out in foure Particulars p. 225. 226. CHAP. XVII The third reason from the difficulty of getting and keeping a good Conscience and escaping an evill p. 232. This made plaine in three particulars p. 233 CHAP. XVIII The application of the Doctrine p. 237 A seven-fold application propounded ibid. First by way of information ibid. This information looketh two waies 1. To discover errors 2. To assert Duties and Truths 1. Error discovered that to preach Conscience and presse duty is legall preaching p. 238. 239. 240. 2. That Conscience is a snare not security p. 243. Third mistake of such who judge thier conscience good when it is yet but a naturall conscience p. 244. Naturall conscience may have some good in it yet cannot be call'd a good conscience p. 244. What good may be in naturall conscience shewed in 8. particulars p. 244. 245. What is wanting in naturall conscience to make it truly good shewed in four particulars p. 246. 247. Fourth mistake To judge conscience therefore good because quiet p. 247. Foure quiet consciences never an one of them good p. 248. 1. The ignorant mans conscience p. 248. 2. The unawakened conscience p. 249. 250. 251. 3. The deluded conscience p. 252. 253. 254. 4. The hardened conscience p. 255. A six-fold hardnesse of heart or conscience p. 255. 1. Naturall hardnesse p. 255. 256. 2. Voluntary and attracted p. 256. Eleven steps to hell discovered p. 256 257. 3. Judiciall hardening by Impostors and Seducers p. 259 4. Ministeriall hardening by Ministers and Ordinances p. 259. 260. 5. Divine hardening by God himselfe ibid. 6. Satanicall by the prevailing efficacy of Satan p. 261. 5th Mistake of such who judge conscience therefore good because troubled p. 263. Three notes of an ill troubled conscience p. 264. Six notes of a good troubled conscience p. 271 A sixth Mistake to judge erroneous conscience a good conscience p. 273. Seven common and ordinary notes of an erroneous conscience p. 274. A seventh mistake to judge scrupulous Conscience a good Conscience p. 278. The eighth mistake to judge the conscience of and for liberty a good conscience p. 280. Sinfull liberty of conscience branded and decyphered p. 281. Right liberty of conscience asserted p. 282. Set out in five particulars p. 283. CHAP. XIX The other part of the use of information to assert Truths p. 285. 1. That good conscience is the Christians greatest charge ibid. 2. To looke after conscience in selfe and others the ministers greatest charge p. 286. 3. Conscience decaying is the decay of State p. 290. 4. Conscience decaying grace decayes p. 292. 5. Tolleration not to be granted to all sorts of consciences p. 293. 6. Whence the world is so poysoned with corrupt Doctrines and blasphemous errors p. 249. 7. Whence many have lost former peace and comfort ibid. 8. Whence many come to dye Tragically and dispairingly p. 296. 9. Whence men come to commit the sin against the Holy Ghost p 298. CHAP. XX. The use of Lamentation p. 299. The generall want of conscience lamented ibid. The generall losse of conscience more lamented p. 303. CHAP. XXI The use of reproofe p. 309. Want of conscience reproved ibid. Want of conscience the greatest want p. 313. Losse of conscience reproved p. 314. Losse of conscience the greatest loss p. 315. CHAP. XXII The use of terror to foure sorts of men p. 317. 1. Such as are regardlesse of conscience ibid 2. Such as have an accusing gnawing conscience 318. 3. Such as have a stupified and feared conscience p. 320 4. Such as are falling into the consumption of conscience p. 321. CHAP. XXIII The comfort and happiness of such whose care is to get and keepe a good conscience p. 323. CHAP. XXIV The use of examination p. 327. CHAP. XXV The use of exhortation p. 333. 1. By way of Dehortation ibid. 1. By way of Adhortation to All Christians Ministers chiefly p. 334. This exhortation backed with Motives perswading p. 335. Meanes directing p. 349. Motives to perswade foure p. 345. c. Meanes directing two-fold principall Subservient p. 349. Principall meanes two The blood The spirit p. 350. Subservient meanes 13. whereof 6. prescribe what is to be had and done 7. what is to be avoided p. 352. 1. Meanes to get and keepe good conscience faith 353. Three-fold faith necessary for a good conscience Justifying for the heart p. 354. Orthodox for the judgement 355 particular warranting faith for our particular actions p. 356. 2d. Meanes To exercise and renew repentance p. 357. Repentance a Gospell duty ibid 3d. meanes To attend the Hints and Items given by Christ and his Spirit p. 360. 4. To attend and observe the hints and motions of our own Spirit p. 361. 5. To confer our conscience with Scripture p. 365. 6. The last meanes to be used Prayer p. 366. 2. The evills to be avoided are seven p. 370. 1. Beware of the smallest sinne allowed ibid. 2. Of one sinful Act deliberately committed p. 373 3. Beware of living under a loose cold freezing ministery or an unsound ministery p. 375. 4. Take heed of an ill companion p. 381. 5. In things doubtfull forbeare to Act or chuse the safer part p. 382. 6. Shun worldly mindedness p. 383. 7. Beware of erroneousness of conscience p. 385 2. The other part of the exhortation concerneth ministers especially p. 387. Ministers have a double charge given them concerning conscience 1. Personall 2. Doctrinall His personall charge is that he be a man Exemplary a man of conscience ibid Here 1. A particular encouragement to younger Timothyes p. 389. 2. An Item to Hymenaeus p. 390. His Doctrinall charge is that he bee aman for Conscience in all his ministery applying himselfe to the conscience of his hearers p. 396. A Good Conscience THE Strongest Hold. 1 Tim. 1. 19. Holding faith and a good Conscience which some having put away concerning Faith have made Ship-wrack THese two Epistles to Timothy and that to Titus may well be called the Ministers Directory made up of Canons clearly and undubitately Apostolicall Directing the Minister how to Govern himselfe and how to Guide his People The Ministers charge is looked upon by all as the greatest and the Apostle who best knew what it was doth not spare to lay it home to him and to give it him to the full Each Minister hath a double charge The one ad extra concerning others The other ad intra which concernes himselfe Both are 1 Tim. 4. 16. summed up in those few words 1 Tim. 4.
knowledge 2. It implies a knowing together not a common single abstracted Theoretick knowledge but a double or multiplied knowledge it must be Hence the learned say Conscientia est Aqninas Ri vet alij cum alijs scientia In this sence it intends a four-fold knowledge Conscire 1. cum Deo to know together 1. with God 2. cum seipsis 2. with our selves 3. cum alijs 3. with others 4. cum rebus ipsis 4. with things themselves In all which Idem est conscire consentire The Conscientious man is ever a Consentientious man 1. Cum Deo scire Conscience is first to know Conscientia est notitia vel sensus internus judicij proprij vel alieni praecipue Dei de nostris bene vel male factis Paraeus in Ro. 13. together or consent together with God whence commonly Divines say Conscientia is cum deo scientia When we have the same Idaea apprehension and esteeme of things in our minde that is in Gods when we allow or disallow thinke speake doe according to the rule of Gods word when wee are not swayed by mans judgement or the wisedom of the world But what God commendeth is approved what God commandeth is obeyed what he promiseth is beleeved what hee threatneth is avoyded what ever God propoundeth is regarded and received this is conscience when we light our Candle at the Lampes of the Sanctuary Hence we say Vox conscientiae is vox dei The voyce of a right enlightned Conscience is the voyce of God so saith Solomon Prâ—v 20. 27. The spirit of a man is the Candle of the Lord Lumen ex ipsius Prov. 20. 27. lumine lighted at his Word then searching the inner parts of the Belly and the secrets of the heart and is become a discoverer of the secret thoughts nothing being hid from the view of these two heart-searchers What is Conscience other then the hewing and squaring our Tables according to the Tables delivered to us from the hand of God Mr. Burroughs Moses selfe denyall p. 39 As it is reported of Boleslaus King of Poland who used to weare the Picture of his Father in a plate of Gold hanging about his neck and whensoever he was to do or speake any thing of importance he would take his Picture and kissing it say Deare Father I wish I may not do any thing remissely unworthy of thy name c. So Conscience still hath a remembrance of God before his eyes and when any thing is to be done saith Lord Col. 1. 10. Give me to walke worthy of God to all Pleasing fruitfull in every good worke This is to have our works to be wrought in God Jo. 3. 21. And as in the sight of God 2 Cor. 2. ult 2 Conscire is cum seipso scire aut consentire Conscience is the knowing of a man with himselfe Cor quando se novit appellatur conscientia quando praeter se alia scientia Bern. Conscience maketh an identity in the same man throughout Hence it is that Bernard often calls Conscientia Cordis Scientia When the head and heart are agreed Knowledg in the head alone is barely Science oft so falsely called Knowledge in the heart too is then Conscience rightly so called In this respect I may say Ecl. 10. 2 Let thy right hand know whatsoever thy left hand doth Thy heart must lye at thy right hand yea and lye neare thy mouth too That is to say to Weigh Trye Examine Observe Order all that thy mouth speaketh or hand acteth or thought intendeth Caleb spake as it was in his heart Joshu 14. 7. And in the next verse he saith I fully followed the Lord. Here is nothing but Conscience in both these expressions His heart followed the Lord there is cum Deo Scire And he fully followed his heart There is cum seipso scire Psal 15. 2. The Godly man speaketh his Conscience he speaketh the truth in his heart So the Apostle Ro. 9. 1. I speake the truth in Christ and lye not there is cum Deo scientia My conscience also bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost There is the other Cordis Scientia There is conscience when these two meet happy is the man who condemneth not himselfe in his heart for what he alloweth approveth in practise Hic murus ahaeneus esto Nil conscire sibi That little quantity of Ayre which wee breath in at our nostrils which goes into the man even to the heart and which thereafter is breathed out thence againe is more to a man it is indeed his life then all the three regions of Ayre which fill up that vast space between Earth and Heaven However Philosophers conceive there is purer Aire in the highest Region Certainely that lesser proportion of Knowledge of Divine truths which we take downe and sucke into the heart and after draw out and deliver thence is more to a Christians life and Comfort then all your refâ—ned speculations even of the third and highest Region 3. Conscire cum alijs To know together with others and consent with them This is Conscience to put our Soules into their Soules Iob. 16. 4. stead as Job speaketh Then to doe to others as wee would they should do to us Mat. 7. 12. To know the heart of a stranger Ex. 23. 9. that thou doe not oppresse him Cognoscit justus Animam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jumenti sui Prov. 12. 10. The righteous man is Arias Montan Conscientia est notitia sensus internus judicij proprij alieni c. Paraeus ubi supra mercifull to his Beast Because hee considereth the heart and condition of the poore dumb Creature with Sympathy much more doth he know and consider the case of the poore of the oppressed in the Gate of the Orphan of the widdow when as Job said of himselfe Job 31. 18. they were still with him either in his presence to releeve and support them or in his Bowels to commiscrate and condole with them The conscientious man saith who is weake and I am not weake who offended and I burne not How can I wound my Brothers conscience and sinne against him but I wound my 2 Cor. 11. 29. 1 Cor. 8. 12 selfe and sinne against Christ O what a worthy speech was that of Hadrian a heathen Emp. Emperatorem Erga unum Cent. Mag. Cent. 2. Cap. 3. quemque debere esse talem qualem si privatus esset sibi vellet esse imperatorem The Emperour should so carry himselfe to every private person as he would desire were he in that poore mans case the Emperour should deale with him This is to approve our selves to every good mans conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4. 2. This is cum alijs scire Be ye as I am I am as you are Gal. 4. 12. This is to provide things honest Not onely in our owne sight or in Gods Bernard lib. 2. de consc sight in seeret
but openly in the sight of all men Felix conscientia nec sibi in aliquo conscia nec proprium veretur judicium nec alienum de se Bernard That is The sound conscience feares no censure from himselfe or from any other man He doth ever examine himselfe and his owne actions and is not afraid that any other man should examine them and know all his heart and his manner of Dealings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jo. 7. 24. By outward appearance Vulgar opinion worlds Thes 5. 21 4 Cum rebus ipsis conscire aut consentire To judge of things not esteem or custome but to judge righteous judgement Conscience is to trye all things holding fast only what is good to weigh all in the Ballance of the Sanctuary Such a one was upright Caleb in all respects he did 1. cum deo scire he fully followed the Lord 2. cum seipso scire he spake as it was in his heart and so here he did cum rebus ipsis scire he made his report as hee found things were indeed But here the unâ—ust Steward shewed his dishonesty who to get a new master or friend cozened his old Master and altered his Books brought in a false account for one summe of 100. he set downe fourscore for another he set downe fifty here was neither honesty nor Conscience In all these foure considerations Conscience may be called the godly mans Counterpane answering and conforming to foure other Patterns 1. Gods minde 2. Our owne 3. Other mens 4. And to things themselves And it is the constant and continuall practise of that Art lately spoken of if there be at least any such invention viz. Of writing severall Copies at once with one and the same hand Conscience is resembled in nothing better then in that vision Ezek. 1. 5. 10. Where were foure living Creatures all alike each having foure severall faces all went every one the same way v. 12. They had one uniforme motion and were acted by one and the same spirit Or to the foure wheeles v. 16. That were of one likenesse yet had foure distinct faces each of them And all foure were of one forme and appeareance yet were so involved that they seemed to be a Wheele in a Wheele all had one motion and one spirit went together stopt together rose up together and staid together for the living spirit was in these Wheeles You will observe this most lively and clearely in a good conscience Gods minde is the first Coppy and Prototype my conscience must be the exact counterpane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Antitype of the minde and will of God Then my words actions and Dealings with others must be commensurate unto and the counterpane of my owne conscience Lastly my actions Dealings and conscience too must be cut even with things themselves As the ten Curtaines of the Tabernacle were all of one measure and did one meet with the other and were coupled together Exod. 26. 1 2. 3. Or as the ten Bases in Solomons Temple 1. Kings 7. 37. They had all one casting one measure and one size So is conscience in these his fourefold acts The man then whom we seeke is he whose judgement is conforme to truth his conscience conforming to his judgement then his will stooping to his conscience his affections bowing to such a will his expressions auswering his affections and his actions suiting with his expressions This is the man of conscience whose works are wrought in God Hence flow four Corollaries 4 Corollaries Corol. 1. Not to act according to Gods minde and the nature of the things themselves argues an erroneous conscience Corol. 2. Not to act according to a mans owne minde and others minde argues a very corrupt conscience Corol. 3. To conceive and judge according to all foure is the right intellectuall conscience and un-erring conscience Corol. 4. To act according to such a fourefold judgement is the right practicall and unoffensive conscience In summe thus it is The good Christian must be competently scientious and grounded in principles of knowledge then the understandingly scientious must be cordially conscientious The cordially conscientious must be universally con-sentientious and the thus scientious con-scientiou and con-sentientious Christian is made up of unanimity and uniformity 1. Vniformity in his apprehensions with God himselfe others and things themselves in their own nature 2. Vniformity in his actions when his thoughts words actions dealings are of the same measure stamp and fashion with his minde and his minde with Gods minde c. This man hath now no more an heart and an heart or one heart and another hand but one heart one hand and one way Eusebius Lib. 6. cap. 2 saith of Origen This was the Testimony given of him As he taught so hee lived As he lived so he taught So should it be Vt vixit dixit ut dix it vixit the Christians Motto As he meant he spake As he spake he did and as he spake and did so he meant and thought It was the honour of our Saviour that his doing and teaching went together Act. 1. 1. And that he was alike mighty in words and deeds Luk. 24. 19. The good conscience then remember is a multiplied knowledge and fourfold it is like a Quadripartite instrument containing foure Copies of the same tenor and inscription every of which must exactly answer the other as their counterpane And the man of conscience is like a perfect square quadrangular Building whose length and bredth and height and depth are all alike and uniforme Such it is observed were the three holiest peices and places of worship in the old Testament viz. The Sanctum Sanctorum 1 King 6 20. Ezek 41. 4. compared with 2 Chron. 3. 8. in Moses Tabernacle and in Solomons and Ezekiels Temples and also in the holy City mentioned in the new Testament that were all uniforme Their height and bredth and length were equall Revel 21. 16. So must it be with the true Christian the living and spirituall temples and Cities for God to dwell and walke in They must be four-square their length bredth height and depth are equall Their science must bee no longer then their 1 Cor. 6. 16. conscience their conscience no larger then their science their words no higher then their actions their actions no lower then their words And this is conscience And thus much to shew what the word Conscience doth import and signifie The second thing I have to doe is to shew what the thing Conscience is having opened Ames de consc lib 1. cap. 1. conscientia est judicium hominis de seipso pro ut subijcitur judicio dei what the word imports sundry Definitions are given of it by sundry men and each may be good It is saith Dr. Ames The judgement of a man concerning himselfe and his owne waies in reference and subordination to the judgement of God It is the Soule recoyling on it selfe say others more briefly Warde
This rectifies errour being as a voyce behinde us Esay 30. 21. Thine ear shall hear a word behind thee saying This is the way walk in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left This ends all controversies Esay 8. 26. To the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them This resolves all doubts How is it written in the law how readest thou Luke 10. 26. 3. This removes deadnesse of conscience and hardnesse Is not this word an hammer to soften the heart and is not this the immortall seed by which we Jer. 23. 29. 1 Pet. 1. 23 Psal 119. 25. are begotten again Therefore David finding his conscience in a dead frame prayed My soul cleaveth to the dust quicken me according to thy word Again verse 50. It is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickened me So verse 93. I will never forget thy precepts for with them thou hast quickened me The word is the first thing by which conscience is purified and set right This makes the man of God perfect and thorowly furnished to every good work 2 Tim. 3. 17. Secondly By the blood of Christ is the conscience 2. By the blood of Christ further purified we must not rest in the word alone without this blood which cleanseth both the book of Conscience and is sprinkled on the book of Scripture to give vertue to it Heb. 9. 14. Shall not the blood of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God This is it that purgeth the defiled and guilty conscience from all his diseases and filthinesse Christs spittle opened the eyes of two blinde men once His blood openeth the eye of Mark 8. 23 Joh. 9. 6. blinde conscience ever This is the blood of sprinckling which alone purifies the heart from an evil conscience Heb. 10. 22. So that the soul may now draw nigh to God with boldnesse and much assurance Other blood and observances Read the 9. and 10. chap. to the Hebr. might serve to make an Israelite under the Law legally pure as to the flesh Onely this blood of Christ typified by the purification water the hyssop scarlet blood of bulls and goats can make a Christian Evangelically pure before God and Internally in the court of Conscience The book and people and all things pertaining to the Tabernacle were consecrated with blood Heb. 9. 22. And almost all things by the Law were purged with blood And without shedding of blood there is no remission To teach us what is more plainly expressed 1 Joh. 1. 7. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin Wash me O Lord with this hyssâ—p and I shall Psal 51. 7. be clean Purge me with this blood and I shall be whiter then the snow Thirdly Conscience is purged by the Sperit 3 By the spirit of Christ of Christ together with the word and blood without there be a concurrence of all three the work is not done not the word alone without the blood and spirit can effect it noâ— the blood without the word and spirit nor yet the spirit without both the former The word is sprinkled on the Conscience to inform satisfie and purifie it The blood of Christ is sprinkled on the word as Exod 24. 8. compared with Heb. 9. 20. which it was not sufficient to have read but sprinkled with the blood of the Covenant to give vertue to it And the blood it self must be applyed by the spirit that the vertue of it may be brought home to the conscience The blood of Christ without the spirit is no better then his flesh without the spirit The flesh profits nothing It is the Spirit that quickeneth The principall Jo. 6. 63. part of the work of purifying Conscience belongs to the Spirit It was that eternal Spirit whereby Christ offered his Blood Heb. 9. 14. which did commend our conscience to God And this Spirit applying the blood offered doth commend and seal Gods Covenant to our Consciences Thus the spirit heals those three diseases It properly removes Ignorance being the Spirit of Illumination Eph. 1. 17 This rectifyes Errour being the spirit of Truth Joh 14. 17. This removes Deadness being the spirit of life Rom. 8. 2. This is the great Purifyer this the Refiners fire this the Fullers soape Malach 3. 2. whereby Christ doth refine and purifie the sons of Jacob. This the Spirit of Judgement and Spirit of burning wherewith God hath promised to wash away the filth of the daughter of Zion Esay 4. 4. CHAP. III. Of the Conscience rightly pacifyed Conscience rightly pacified II. A Right pacifyed Conscience This is the second property and part of the good Conscience laid down in the Definition Purity indeed is the more excellent kinde of goodnesse it being essentiall to the very being of good Conscience Peace is but an additional and a secondary part of that goodness and conduceth more to the bene esse then to the bare esse of good conscience It is a spirituall good but of a temporary nature not standing and immovable Peace is so far good as that the Conscience is not perfectly well without it but right Peace it must be or it is not good at all which that it may enjoy There are three things which Conscience must be 1. Pacifyed from 2. Pacifyed by Three things it must be pacified from 1. The three things Conscience must be pacifyed from are 1. The Reign of Sin 2. The rage of Satan 3. The displeasure of God 1 It must be at peace from the dominion of sin So long as Adonijah Reigneth Solomon is in danger while Sin is in his Power and Throne 1 From the raigne of sinne Conscience cannot be in safety Our Peace therefore which we should seek is not such a Peace as we are born unto or are possessed of while the strong man is Armed but is a recovered Peace regained by deposing the Usurper Like Israels Peace after the seditious commotion 2 Sam. 20. 22. was quietly setled when Shebahs head was off No peace to conscience while a Sheba up in Armes There is a Peace indeed when Sin and Satan are strongly armed and keep the house Luk. 11. 21. This is no good Peace this is the peace of a sleepy not an awakened conscience No war so miserable as Pax est sed Bello pax ea deterior such a peace when the soul is at ease in it self at peace with Sin at peace with Satan at agreement with Hell but at war and enmity with God Conscientia pacatè optima may be vitiosè pessima In tali pace amaritudo mea amarissima as Bernard or Ad pacem advenit Amara mihi Amaritudo as Junius reads that of Hezekiah in Is 38. 17. Wo to these that â—laugh now they
wildernesse of Kadesh doth tremble when he speaks terror who can give peace His word is as fire in the Bones He sendeth his word the Snow is scattered like woll It s like morsels who can stand before his cold There is a winter and trembling in the conscience But he sendeth Psal 147. 17. 18. forth his word againe and melteth them All the mighty workes wrought upon the soule are by meanes of the word of Christ By this word Act. 10. 36. Christ commeth to the Mar. 4 50 Luk. 24. 38 soule Preaching Peace He saith why are ye fearefull oh ye of little faith why are ye troubled why doe thoughts arise in your heart By his word he coms into the sad solitary soule as Jo. 20. 19. he did to the Disciples all doores being shut and saith Peace be unto you Yea ordinarily that you may waite on the word for tydings of Peace The Peace which Christ doth create is the fruit of the lips of his Ministers Isa 57. 19. I create the fruit of the lips Peace Peace to him that is farre off and to him that is neere saith the Lord and I will heale him The Ministers Feet bring Peace by Preaching the word of Peace Isa 52. 7. And the feet of Beleevers are said to be shod with Peace to walk in waies of Peace through the preparation and Eph. 6. 15 preaching of the Gospell of Peace When the minister comes to a place or people Preaching Peace if there be a Son and Heire of Peace there his Peace shall remaine upon that Person Luk. 10. 6. 2. By the Blood of Christ This is the Procuring cause of all our Peace Col. 1. 20. Having By the blood of Christ made Peace by the blood of his Cross The Peace of our Conscience is the meer issue of that blessed Personall Treaty made between the Father and the Son in behalf of undone and Ruined man the blood of Christ being the whole price of it and all the satisfaction to be made Rom. 3. 23 24 25. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of all sins past c. The blood of the Paschall Lamb upon the door post was the peace and security of Israel against the destroyer Exo. 12. 23 and the blood of Christ upon the soul is the consciences security alone against all remaining guilt and corruption of sin rage of Satan and danger of Gods displeasure This blood gives the soul all boldnesse to enter into Heb. 10. 19 the holyest by a new and living way and gives us assurance before God 3. By the Spirit of Christ This is the Procreating 3. By the spirit of Christ and Producing cause of Peace in us as the blood of Christ was the Procuring cause of Peace for us For this reason Christ and the Holy Ghost are called by one and the same name because their end and businesse is the same to procure Peace to the soul Christ is an Advocate or Paraclete 1 Joh. 2. 1. The holy Ghost is an Advocate or Paraclete Joh 14. 16. The word is the same in the Originall But here is the difference Christ is our Advocate the holy Ghost is Gods Advocate Christ is our Advocate with the Father procuring peace the holy Ghost is an Advocate or Paraclete from the Father producing peace Christ is our Advocate to God prevailing with him for granting peace The Spirit is Gods Advocate Jo. 15. 26 14. 16 26 Gen. 8. 11 to us prevailing with us to entertain peace This is the Dove with the Olive branch which goes and returns till the waters are asswaged dry land appear and danger be over This applyes the word and promise which proclaims our peace this applyes the blood of Christ which procures our peace this hath the last hand and consummating stroke in our peace making Therefore this joy and peace of conscience is denominated from the Spirit joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. The fruit of the Spirit is joy Peace Gal. 5. 22. CHAP. IV. The Offices of Conscience III. IN our definition of a good conscience Chap 4. The Offices of conscience I said it was that conscience which being purifyed and pacified doth regularly perform all his Offices Conscience is absolutely the greatest Officer under Heaven and is without contradiction the greatest Representative in all the world it is Gods immediate Vice-gerent hath a delegation from God Whence we commonly say vox Conscientiae vox Dei The voice of God is in the voice of Conscience And the Acts of Conscience are the Acts of God what conscience doth binde or loose on earth in foro suo God doth ratifie in heaven in foro suo 1 Joh. 3. 20 21. So that what the Canonists impudently and blasphemously assert of the Pope we may in a safe and modest sense apply to conscience Deus Papa say they unum habent Consistorium a bold and impious saying Deus conscientia unum habent Consistorium A true saying God and the Pope have but one Consistory or Judicatory say they God and Conscience say we Prov. 20. 27. The Spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. Pluralist respectu Officiorum non Beneficiorum Conscience hath four Offices Now conscience is a Licensed and allowed Pluralist hath four distinct Offices 1. Propheticall or Ministeriall 2. Regal or Magistratual 3. Testimoniall or witnesse bearing 4. Judiciall or sentence passing Consciences Ministeriall Office 1. Consciences first office is Ministeriall or Propheticall that is to do the Office of a Minister Watchman or Seer to give warning from God from whom it hath his Commission Ordination and Station all Jure Divino To warn inform direct reprove admonish charge See you refuse not him that speaketh within you This is your Domestick Chaplain to whom as Jotham said to the men of Shechem you must hearken that God may hearken Judg. 9. 7. unto you We dislike that a Minister should be dumb in his charge or a Watchman should sleep on the Sentery take heed of maintaining a Conscience or silencing a speaking conscience In Libera Civitate Linguas liberas esse oportet Augustus was wont to say Say thou among Freemen conscience should have his freedom preserved at least as to his own charge Give thy conscience all freedom to inform propound yea reprove and smite This Liberty of Conscience none will question all will contend for There is some other Liberty of Conscience the world cries out for I dare not plead for that But give conscience leave to be bold with thee it will give thee boldness another day that thou shalt assure thy heart before God We called it Tyrannicall and Antichristian dealing when the Prelates outed suspended and deprived the godly and
the two prisoners dreams Pharaoh made it good Hic crucem sceleris precium tulit alter honores Gen. 41. 13. It came to passe saith the Butler to Pharaoh as he interpreted to us so it was me he restored to mine office him he hanged Joseph is then said to hang the one and restore the other because he foretold it so and it fell out accordingly so conscience is said to absolve and condemn because according to the sentence of this lower Court and Judicatory of conscience usually is the last sentence of that highest Court in Heaven If my conscience Job 31. 35. 36. clear me let my adversary write a Book and Libell against me I shall wear it as a Isa 50. 8. Crown my witness is at hand and he is near 1 Sam. 2. 25 that justifieth me But if my conscience Libell against me who shall Apologize for me If a Quamquam humana sub tersugiem judicia judicium propriae conscientiae fugere non valeo Bernard man sin against another the Judge shall judge them but if a man be condemned by himself who shall be his Dayes-man I may flie mans judgement seat or stop the Judges mouth but I cannot escape the Bar nor stop the mouth of my own conscience Prima est haec ultio quod se Judice nemo nocens absolvitur Improba quamvis Gratia fallacis Praetoris vicerit Vrnam Juven Sat. 13. I might adde to these four named Offices of Consciences registeriall office conscience a fifth his Registerial Office for conscience is the great Register and Recorder of Vbicunque vado conscientia mea â—â—e non deserit sed prae sâ—ns ad sâ—sâ—it quicquid facio scribit Bernard the world It is to every man his private Notary or Secretary keeping notes or records of all his Acts and Deeds Hence it hath his name Synteresis given it Conscience hath the Pen of a ready writer and takes in short hand and in an illegible character from thy mouth as fast as thou speakest yea from thy heart what thou contrivest consciences writing at present is not legible as that which is written with the juyce of a Lemmon is not to be read by Day-light but against the fire by night you may read it so consciences writing will be read by fire light of distress or in that day when Heaven and earth are on fire then shall this book be opened and the Cypher be discovered Conscience is the poorest mans Historiographer who hath no Chronicler to write his Story Every mans Acts both first and last are written in the Apocryphal Book of conscience The sin of Judah is written with the pen of iron and with the point of a Diamond it is graven upon the Table of their heart Jer. 17. 1. It is not the lot of every mean man to have his Acts and memory perpetuated it is the honour of Kings and sometimes of some other more eminent persons of David it is said 1 Chro. 29. 29. Now the rest of the Acts of David the King first and last behold they are written in the Book of Samuel the Seer and in the book of Nathan the Prophet and in the Book of Gad the Seer But of every man of whatsoever quality it may be said the rest of his Acts though they be not mentioned in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings yet first and last they are all written in the book of the Chronicles of conscience by Syneidesis the Seer and Synteresis the Recorder Now to draw to a conclusion conscience I said was then a good conscience when it doth discharge all his forenamed Offices A Magistrate a Minister a Judge a Witness is then good when each of them is good in his proper place and function and indeed that every one is in truth which he is in discharge of his particular Calling Then is conscience good when it doth officiate well and doth the part of a Minister of a Magistrate of a Witnesse and of a Judge In these four tespects I may say of conscience Ipsa indicat ipsa imperat ipsa observat ipsa judicat as Bernard excellently Ipsa testis ipsa judex ipsa tortor ipsa carcer Ipsa accusat Lib. de consc cap. 9. ipsa judicat ipsa punit ipsa damnat A good conscience is a good Minister a good Magistrate a good Witness a good Judge the best of friends but an ill conscience is an observer of thee will be an informer against thee and both thine adversary and accuser and witness and Judge and Jaylor and Executioner and Tormentor too the worst of enemies Hence flow five Corollaries or conclusions Corollary 1. Conscience is to perform his two first Offices viz. of a Minister to inform and direct and of a King to command and prescribe before a work is to be done or when in fieri Conscience should call in Understanding and Faith to advise with and herein imitate God who Gen. 1. 26. intending to Create Man propounds his Action propounds his End and propounds his Model Let us make man in our Image after our likenesse and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the ayre and over the cattell and over all the earth c. So should we say Let me upon deliberation do such an Act after such a manner to such an end This is to Act according to conscience and consequently according to God Corollary 2. When a work or action is already done In facto esse conscience is to discharge his two last Offices of a witness and of a Judge to accuse or excuse to approve or reprove and so to passe sentence Thus did God after every dayes work finished he reviewed his worke and saw with much content and fulness of approbation it was good And at last Gen. 1. 31. God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good So should we review all our actions before we passe from them to new businesses Let thine eyes look right on and let thine eye-lids look strait before thee Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established Prov. 4. 25 26. There you have these two rules in the well learning and practising whereof lies the chiefest businesse of Practical conscience Coroll 3. When a man goes wilfully against the two first Acts or Offices of Conscience viz. Ministerall Regall he commits the highest sin and draws on the greatest guilt Maxima violatio Conscientiae maximum peccatum Ames What made the sin of the lapsed Angels unpardonable but because they went against a full and clear light of a fully informed conscience and divinely irradiated understanding Their sin had many ingredients of that sin against the holy Ghost in it being committed against clear light much received grace with full consent of will having much of malice in it therefore no wonder it became unpardonable And whence is it that the sin against the
Christs head is his glory good conscience sets the crowne on faiths head is faiths glory For though there be two great preheminences which faith hath above Conscience the same that the man hath above the woman 1. That the man is not of the woman but the woman of the man hoc est taken out of man so faith is not out of conscience but conscience out of faith 2. Neither was the man created for the woman but the woman for the man Nor was faith created for consciences use but conscience for faiths Yet he concludes v. 11. Neverthelesse neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord So neither is faith without good conscience nor can good conscience be without faith in the Lord For the Relation is Reciprocall and the dependance and benefit mutuall ver 12. For as the woman is of the man so is the man also by the woman but all things originarily and primarily of God So also here it is as good conscience is of faith so faith is by good conscience but both of God for mutuall comfort and delight And from this couple the Church is propagated and increased to this day These two as Leah and Rachel build up the house of Israel faith bearing children to the Church on good consciences knees and good conscience bringing up those children which faith hath borne at her breasts as Ruth brought forth children for the comfort of Naomi and Naomi brought up those children for the ease of Ruth Hold Faith and you are sure of a good Conscience CHAP. VI. Of a pure Conscience THe second good conscience is the Pure The Conscience of purity Conscience The fine Linnen clean and white Rev. 19. 8. is the righteousnesse of Saints and the Lambes wifes ornament The pure cleane and undesiled conscience is the inherent and internall righteousnesse of the Saints and the Ornament of the Christian Of this good conscience the Apostle speaketh often to Timothy 1 Tim. 1. 5. The pure heart and good conscience and faith unfeigned put together and 3. 9. Holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. I serve God from my forefathers with a pure conscience The former goodnesse of conscience by meanes of faith makes the conscience good before God the justified conscience This of purity makes it good before men the sanctified and renewed conscience that was by the blood of Christ this is by the Spirit and Grace of Christ Of this wee have spoken somewhat already chap. 2. therefore shall need to say the lesse here Blessed are these pure in heart they shall see God Mat. 5. 8. And 1 John 3. 3. He that hath this hope of seeing God as he is must purifie himselfe as God is pure God is a God of pure eyes and cannot Good conscience is of Hab. 1. 13. pure eyes and must not behold iniquity Great are the comforts benefits and priviledges of this pure conscience and high are the promises made to it With whom will God shew himselfe pure but to and with the pure And to the froward he will shew himselfe Psal 18. 26. Lev. 26. 23 24. as froward To them that walk contrary to him he will walke contrary to them Who is he that shall ascend the hill of the Lord Or who shall stand in his holy place He that hath the cleane Psalme 24. 3 4 5. hands and the pure heart who hath not lift up his soule unto vanity This is the man who shall receive the Blessing of the Lord and righteousnesse from the God of his salvation In the pure water thy face may be seen which cannot in muddy water In a pure conscience Gods face is to be seene no where else in earth and by none in heaven but by the pure in heart This is the Mountaine of transfiguration where Mar. 9. 1 2. alone the Kingdom of God is seene coming with power This is the only Isle Patmos where Rev. 1. are the Revelations and Visions of the Sonne of man Here is Gods Booke with seven Seales unsealed This is the Sanctum Sanctorum beyond that in Solomons Temple all overlaid with pure Gold in which God doth dwell sit upon a Mercy-Seat and make known his minde giving answers whensoever consulted with and enquired after herein The pure conscience is the Heart after Gods heart who is all for purenesse he loveth Righteousnesse and hateth all uncleannesse No Sacrifice in which was any Blemish or Spot Psal 11. 7. 45. 7. was to be offered no Sacrifice with Leaven no Priests sonne might come neere to Officiate Lev. 1. 3 10 Lev. 2. 11. Lev. 21. 18. in whom was any blemish no High Priest presume to sacrifice in any legall uncleannesse on him But his standing Rule is I will be sanctified in them that draw neere to me Lev. 10 3. None were to come in to the Persian King but such as were first purified and had passed through twelve whole moneths in a course of purification Esth 2. 12. What manner of persons ought they to be then that shall come before God either to waite on the Ministery or to partake of Ordinances And what measure of Purification should we come addressed withall Now this Purification is that of Conscience especially Heb. 9. 14. and 10 22. Therefore wash thy heart O Jerusalem that thou Jâ—r â— 14. Mat. 23. 26. mayest be saved Let not vaine thoughts lodge in thee Purge the inside of the cup and platter O Pharisee that thy outside may be cleane also But in these dayes there is much of Liberty little of Purity of Conscience Shall we call them pure with the bag of deceitfull weights and with the wicked Ballances as the Prophet Micah saith Micah 6 10 11. Are there yet the Treasures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked and the scant measure which is abominable and shall these be counted pure There is a Generation indeed pure in their own eyes who are yet not washed from their filthinesse There is such a Generation O how lofty are their eyes and their eye-lids lifted up Prov. 30. 12 13. speaking too lively of such a generation as ours is Shall we say such have any thing of conscience or grace in them who can live loosely speak scurrilously and scoffe at purity holinesse strictnesse and all piety Where shall the wicked and ungodly appeare if onely the pure in heart are blessed Take heed then of all impurity and defilement by any allowed sinne whatsoever weakneth Purity wasteth Peace Conscience is the Temple of God whosoever defileth this 1 Cor. 3. 17 Temple destroyes it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word is and him will God destroy The craâ—â—â—r flaw in the Bell not so much lesseneth the soundnesse as marreth the sound of the Bell. How few good Consciences are there then in these impure and licentious dayes to be found when purity and strictnesse is exploded as a badge of
sapienter descendere in infernum Ber. de vit Sol. discretion and go a wise and learned way thither These keep the key of Knowledge but mean not to go into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves but the key of Conscience the poor and simple and unlearned ones in the world get and presse after the Kingdom of God and enter in Surgunt indocti et rapiunt Regnum Coelorum nos cum doctrinis nostris sine corde ecce ubi volutamur in carne sanguine Aug. Conf. l. 8. c. 8. The Publicane and Harlot conscienciously humbled enter into the Kingdom of Heaven before the Pharisee elated with his greater knowledge And the illiterate Christian is able to read his name in the book of Life and his Duty in the Book of Conscience when the most literate Scribe and Learned Scholler can do neither CHAP. X. Of the well spoken Conscience Of the wel spoken conscience THe well-spoken Conscience is that which can make the Soule a good Answer or upon just Occasion can make fit Demands and put forth his Queres This is that good Conscience or rather Property of it which Peter commendeth so much resembling it to Noahs Arke and saith of it that it saves us 1 Pet. 3. 21. The like figure whereunto even Baptisme doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The answer of a good Conscience towards God Which word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies as well or rather an Interrogation then an Answer Stipulstio Some thinke the Apostle doth allude to that Practise of Demands made in Baptisme Credis Credo which Practise though very Ancient yet may be questioned whether so Ancient Our Translators have chosen rather to render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Answer And in this sense it tells us what conscience hath to do First It makes a good and ready Answer to God It is ever as quick of Speech as it is of Sight or of Hearing when God saith Seeke ye my face my heart saith David talkd of it and went up and downe with it Thy face Lord I will seeke Psal 27. 8. It is written of me that I should doe thy will Psal 40. 8. Conscience replyes thy will O my God is my will Thy law is in my heart I am content to do it Conscience goes often into Habukuks watch Hab. 2. 1. Towre and watcheth listening what the Lord hath to say and studieth what to answer when he is spoken unto Speak Lord saith Conscience for thy servant heareth yea Conscience is 1 Sam. 3. 10. ready to aske and listen Lord what wilt tbâ—u have me to doe As Augustine often da quod Act. 9. 6. jubes et jube quod vis Lord give what thou commandest and give what Command thou wilt Loquere Magister bone libenter te audio et cum adversaris mihi et cum irasceris audio te Cyprian Secondly It makes a good answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for God according to that Precept 2 or 3 verses before 1 Pet 3. 15 16. Sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and be ready alway to give an answer to every man that asketh you a Reason of the hope that is in you with meekenesse and reverence having a good Conscience that whereas they speak evill of you as of evill dooers they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ So that with S. Peter it is a matter of Conscience and a marke of a good Conscience to be ready to yeeld an account of our Spirituall state when it is required of us Nicodemus thought he was bound in Conscience to stand up and make an Answer for Christ when he was unjustly condemned in the Consistory being never heard and never summoned Doth our Law condemnn any man saith he before it heare him and know what he doth Good Conscience cannot be silent Jo. 7. 51 and fit still without an answer when any cause of God is in hand A good Conscience thinks it is the heaviest crime that can be laid Blasphemiam ingerit religioni quam colit quiâ—quod confitetur ante omnes non impleverit Cyprian to any mans charge to be silent for God Let them call me Adulterer Theife c. or what they please said Luther so that I may not be charged with wicked silence in the cause of God Thirdly Good Conscience makes many a good answer fot ones selfe when under the greatest cloud of Censures and Suspitions or under the Aspersions of all Obloquies Ro. 9. 1. I speake the truth saith the Apostle and lie not my Conscience also is my witnesse This the same Apostle glories in in another place we are as deceivers say you but yet True men saith 2 Cor. 6. 8. 9. Conscience As unknown say you well enough known saith Conscience Conscience makes the best Certificate and gives the best Testimony to any man that hee can have with which Certificate he may confidently travell and passe the whole world over yea at last with this he shall not feare to enter Heaven conducted thither by a guard of Angels Fourthly When any businesse of greatest consequence is under consideration Conscience puts the best answer into thy mouth and will readily resolve what is to be done Enquire-still at Consciences mouth and say as Paul to Philemon without thy advice wil I do nothing consult not in such cases with flesh and blood with safety and policy but with conscience and duty and the answer is ready Phil. v. 19 Habes spacium trium dierum in quo deliberes velisne Romam reverti aut aliquem locum quo traducaris eligere cui ille trium dierum vel etiam mensium spacium rationem non immutat quare mittas me licet quo velis Magd. Cent. 4. c. 3. we need not crave time As Liberius a Godly and Orthodox Bishop of Rome when convented before Constantius an Arrian Emperour and charged there with stubbornes for partaking with Athanasius answered most freely before the Emperour at last when after all faire perswasions and sharp threats he found him persisting in his former resolutions he gave him then three dayes time to consider of it whither then to returne to his Bishoprick at home or to be banisht or to set downe what he would make choice of He answers O Emperour send me whither thou wilt three dayes or three moneths are all one to me Truth and reason do not change with time So into banishment he was sent If men would in their straites when they know not what to resolve upon cast their lot into the lap of Conscience they should have a more certain easie and compendious resolution then by consulting with flesh and blood and reading sometimes many discourses Cathedram habet in conscientia qui corda docet Conscience should bee made Doctor of the Chayre It is the most sound Divinity Reader and oftentimes the most satisfying Casuist in the world
and the best resolver of all our doubts Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies rather an Interrogation or demand as Beza saith well upon the place though our translation render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro respondere testificari vix putem satis aptè usurpari posse Beza 1 Pet. 3. 21 Jud. 13. 12. an answer Conscience hath many questions to put and it is still the nature of conscientious men to be enquiring as Manoahs wife when she had the Angell to resolve her now tell us how shall we order the Childe What shall we doe unto him All that came unto Iohn wrought upon by his ministery came with this question Luk. 3. 10 12 14. The most proper and pertinent question And what shall we do What shall we doe said the Publicans and People and Souldiers So is conscience still inquisitive desiring to goe upon safe grounds It inquires at the mouth of God 1. By Prayer as David Lord shall I goe 1 Sam. 30. 8 Joh. 34. 32. Luk. 10. 26 Isa 8. 20. as Job That which I see not teach thou me 2. By the word How is it written How readest thou is consciences question And to the Law and Testimony is consciences resolution 3. Conscience enquires at the Priests lips and seekes the law at his mouth Mal. 2. 7. Comes unto him for private Conference and satisfaction 4. Conscience puts cases in writing and propounds his doubts and scruples and desires resolution As the Corinthians had written to Paul in a certain case which did much perplex them desiring his resolution 1 Cor. 7. 1. Lastly Conscience hath many questions to put home to a mans selfe He must commune with his own heart and cause his spirit to make a diligent search in himselfe as the Psalmist saith he sometimes did Psal 77. 6. From whence it is that you see still young Converts they have many questions to make and cases to put they dare not walke at a venture as the word is Levit. 26. 21 23 27. for that is indeed to walke contrary to God as it there rendred CHAP. XI Of the honest dealing Conscience GOod Conscience must not onely be Good Of the honest dealing conscience at seeing and good at saying but as good at doing therefore I adde after the well-sighted and well spoken Conscience The well-dealing This which we call the honest Conscience a conscience of absolute necessity in a Christian so much of honesty before men so much of good Conscience before God want common honesty and all that is left is but hypocrisie Say not this is morallity and it is to be found among Heathens It is Divinity also and must be found among Christians religion teacheth to honour it though not to rest in it And the Christians care must be not to despise it but exceed it Of this good conscience Paul glorieth while he saith Heb. 13. 18. Pray for us for we trust we have a good Conscience in al things willing to live honestly To live honestly in all things is an honor to an Apostle and an undeniable argument of a good Conscience Visibility and Vniversality are Popish markes of a right Church but they are Protestant marks of a good Conscience and a right Christian We have a good Conscience The word translated Good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies also honest of this the adverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is derived translated honestly It might as well have been read Wee have an honest Conscience and in all things desirous to live honestly where all good Conscience is to bee seen Act. 23. 1. there all Honestie is to bee seen So 1 Pet. 3. 16. Peter exhorts to this Good Conscience Having a good Conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as of evil doers they may bee ashamed when they falsly accuse your good Conversation A good Conversation without will proclaim to all the world a good Conscience within And a good Conscience ever bindes us to our good behaviour towards men The Apostles Rule is Phil. 4. 8. Whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever are lovely and whatsoever of good report those seek and do as well as whatsoever things are true are pure are holy And 2 Cor. 8. 21. Providing things honest not onely in the sight of God but in the sight of all men Good Conscience must have Jacobs hands as well as Jacobs voice must as well deal fairly as speak fairly Good Conscience must look to a Thread and to a Shoo-latchet as Abraham did And must bee able Gen. 14. 23. to say in the sight of all the world as Moses Num. 16. 15 and Samuel Testifie against mee whose ox or whose ass have I taken whose gold or silver or apparel have I purloined or coveted 1 Sam. 12. 3 Act. 20. 23 2 Cor. 7. 2. whom have I defrauded or whom have I circumvented in bargaining The good ground in the Parable which maketh best use of the Word is expounded by our Saviour to bee the good and honest heart Luke 8. 15. And the man who is to bee admitted into Gods holy place must bee such an one as hath clean hands and a pure heart Psal 24. 4. Godliness and honestie are joyned together 1 Tim. 2. 2. as being inseparable The life of Godliness is bound up in the bundle of Honestie They are mother and daughter as Naomi and Ruth and cannot part companie Where Ruth 1. 16 17. thou goest I will go saith Ruth where thou dwellest I will dwell where thou diest I will die and bee buried with thee Thy God is my God so these go together stay together live together die together for they both serve one and the same God Pietie without Honestie is but seeming Pietie and really Pharisaical Hypocrisie and all Honestie without true Pietie is but Semi-honestie and at best but Philosophical Paganish moralitie Each of them parted make but halfe of a man Both together make a compleat Christian The Good Conscience must ever consider what may stand with Honestie When carnall Reason and worldly Policie bid thee run with Gehazi and say This thou maist do and that thou maist get here is an Opportunitie neglect it not Good Conscience saith to them as Abner to Asahel Turn aside from following mee for how shall I then hold up 2 Sam. 2. 22. my head before Joab How shall I answer this another day Therefore no more Gain then what will stand with Godliness What I may take with Honestie that I will take what I can keep with Honestie that I will keep what is offered upon Terms of dishonestie I may not I will not receive what is received in way of dishonestie I must and I will restore as did Zacheus Better Salvation should Luke 19. 8. come to my house when I am restoring then damnation to my soul and a curse into my house and upon my Posteritie when I am receiving God shake every man out of his house and
estate that restoreth not what is injuriously gotten saith Nehemiah and good Neh. 5. 13. Conscience saith Amen to it It shall never bee said of mee saith the conscientious man that sin or Satan or fraud or rapine or usurie or briberie hath made mee rich for the fire of God shall consume the Tabernacles of briberie saith Eliphaz Job 15. 34. And the Congregation of hypocrites shall bee desolate But hee that walketh in righteousness and speaketh in uprightness hee that despiseth the gain of Oppressions and shaketh his hands from holding of bribes that stoppeth his ears from hearing of bloud and shutteth his eies from seeing of evil viz. hee that is every way a just an honest and a plain dealing man hee shal dwel on High his Place of defence shall bee the munition of Rocks Bread shall bee given him his waters shall bee sure Isai 33. 15 16. But besides what hath been said you may know an honest Conscience by these Notes 1. He hath engraven in his heart this Maxime I must be a Law to my self h. e. though Rom. 2. 14. there were no humane Law to force me to reason and duty no magistrate to awe me no minister to reprove no shame for ill done no praise for good done yet must I live conforme to the old Law written in the heart of man This man needs not his neighbour to call on him saying know the Lord doe Heb. 8. 11 Intimus magister justice c. For he is so taught of an inward monitor abiding in his heart In this regard it is said The Law is not written for the righteous 1 Tim. 1. 9. For if other men were as honest as he there needed not so many Lawes and a few Magistrates would be sufficient 2. This is his Oracle Whatsoever you would others should doe to you doe you the same to them Mat. 7. 12. Which is the Epitome of the Law and prophets and is the voyce both of Scripture and Nature This Lactantius saith is the very root and foundation of all equity And Jerom to a Epitome Diu. Instit Cap. 3. good woman commendeth this saying as the breviary or abridgement of all righteousnesse to be written on her heart as a compendious Commonitory quasi ad compendiosum locum quoddam Commonitorium illa tibi evangelij eligenda sententia est superscribenda cordi Jerom ad Celantia tuo quae ad totius justitiae Breviarium pro fertur ore Dominco quaecunque volueritis ut faciant vobis homines haec tibi quasi speculum quoddam paratum ad manum semper positum qualitatem tuae voluntatis ostendat c. Therefore saith Paraeus upon the place Par. in Mat. 7. 12. Christ would make every honest man his own rule and law in his dealings with his neighbour Would I like it well that others should suspect envy censure me with their tongue when I am absent or abuse deride scorne and make jests of me to my face or would I be content that they should over-reach defraud and oppress me in their actions then let me doe the like to them otherwise not 3. You may be bold to take his word and trust him He cannot deceive though he may be deceived Errare potest non fallere His word is as his Bond his Bond is as his Oath and his Oath is as his Soule By any of these you have him bound and bound in Spirit And let him goe whether he will he hath his Keeper with him He makes Conscience of what he promiseth because his promise came from a Purpose of performance He reckoneth of his day debt promise to thee when thou little thinkest of him He holds nothing to consist with his honour which doth not with honesty whence the ancients derived honour and honesty on from the other Honest Regulus the glory of the Romans being let goe when a prisoner of warre upon his Parell or word passed to returne if a Peace were not agreed between his Nation and the Carthaginians made good his promise although he knew it were as much as his life were worth Fides data est servanda etiam hosti When the honest man hath past his word he saith quod dixi dixi what I have said I have said as Pilate after his writing said quod scripsi scripsi what I have said or written shall stand 4. You need not fear to take his money his wares his weight or his measure All are currant and warrantable His money currant and weight as Abraham's and Jeremie's was Gen. 23. 16 Jer. 32. 9. Hee clips not his Shekel His weight is down weight his measure full measure His Ephah Omer and Shekel are all Standard-proof Hee knowes nothing more abomination to the Lord then a false balance Prov. 11. 1. 5. This man as you may take his word or his money his weight and measure so you may take his accompts hee will bee faithfull and punctual in all his reckonings disbursements and receipts wherein you intrust him Hee will not set down Laid out more or Received less then the truth is As those honest workmen in Jehojada's dayes that repaired the House of the Lord laid out according to their Trust as far as was needful for Repairs and brought in the Remainder and it is said 2 Kin. 12. 15. c. That they did not so much as reckon with them for they dealt so faithfully Here is a commendation for a publike officer or a private servant hee brings in no false bils but will bee as true in his trust and accompts as if you had your eye alwaies on him you need not so much as question 2 Ki. 22. 7. his reckoning whereas such a dishonest servant as that was spoken of Luke 16. 6 7. must bee looked after or hee will wrong the Publike to augment his Private and will not fear to empoverish his master or deceive his best friend to enrich himself 6. This man ever respects not a Person so much as a Cause The Cause of the stranger poor fatherless or widow is more to him then the face of the rich or the Letter of the mightie Hee saith with Levi to his father and to Deut. 33. â— his mother I have not known you nor did hee acknowledge his brethren nor knew his children because they kept thy Word Hee is the man whom the Antients were wont to Embleme with a Pair of Balances in one hand a Sword in the other and both his eyes shut To dispense to all Justice distributive or commutative indifferently without respect of persons Tros Tyriusve All is one I am Debtor saith hee to Jew and Gentile to do what is honest though engaged to neither In all matters in difference he inclines to that partie where Reason not Interest swaies him Amicus Plato Amicus Socrates but magis Amica veritas This man is my friend and that man is my kinsman but good Conscience is my best friend and truth my nearest
kinswoman 7. This man will sooner suffer any prejudice himself then prejudice his neighbour Hee sweareth to his own hurt and damage but changeth not No Prejudice valuable to the wronging Psal 15. 4. of his Neighbours exspectation and his own Conscience It was a famous speech of that noble Pomper when in a time of a great dearth at Rome hee was chosen Curator Annonae and had now made great provision of Corn for the relief of his Citizens being readie to set forward there arose a storm the Pilot persuaded him to stay because of the danger It matters not saith hee hoist up sail put out to Sea it is necessarie for us to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sail to live is not necessarie To stay and reserve our selves is less agreeable with our honour then to go and releeve our countrey is agreeable to our dutie CHAP. XII The tender Conscience THe next good Conscience is the tender The Tender Conscience Conscience a disposition which the world calls Niceness Simpleness Peevishness Timorousness Scrupulousness and what not But it is the Right Temper ever of the gratious heart it is that heart of flesh promised in the New Covenant Ezek. 36. 25. and is that new Divine Nature wrought in the New Creature when once the old heart of stone is taken out it is that Tremulous and Contrite Spirit in which God delights to dwell Isai 57. 15. next to the Companie of an Angel or a glorified Saint Thus saith the High and loftie One that inhabiteth Eternitie whose Name Isa 66. 1 2. is Holie I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the Spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones This was that gracious disposition for which Josiah was praised and spared Because thy heart was tender and thou hast humbled thy self when thou heardest what I spake against this place c. and hast rent thy clothes and wept before mee behold I will gather thee unto thy fathers in peace and thine eies shall not see the evil which I will bring upon this place saith the Lord 2 King 22. 19 20. This was that self-smiting that was still observed in David's heart which shewed him to bee of a right tender Conscience When hee had done a verie small injurie to his deadly enemie Saul the Lords Anointed not touching his life but his lap not cutting his Throat but his Coat his Heart smote him much hee wished it had been to do again hee would not then have done it 1 Sam. 24. 5. and 2 Sam. 24. 10. when hee had committed that other sin of pride in numbering the people His heart smote him again hee cries out I have sinned greatly I have done very foolishly This is that tenderness in converted Ephraim Jer. 31. 19. who smote on his thigh when sensible of his sinful miscarriage and in the penitent Publican who smote himself on his breast Luke 18. 13. A gracious and blessed frame of heart it is But opposite hereunto is that temper of the wicked and graceless heart which the Scripture brands with many ignominious names The Heart of Stone Ezek. 36. 26. The heart of Adamant Zech. 7. 12. The Brawny dedolent Conscience Eph. 4. 19. The spirit of slumber or Lethargie Rom. 11. 8. Eies without sight set in the head The whores forehead Jer. 3. 3. The stiff neck iron sinew and brow of brass Isai 48. 4. The seared Conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. Greediness of sin Eph. 4. 19. Isai 56. 11. The Enlarged Capacious Grave-like or Hell-like conscience which is as an Open sepulchre receiving all that comes near it entertaineth the most stinking carcase Hab. 2. 5. and is not sensible or offended A whole man at one morsell and is not satisfied Hee is as Hell saith the Prophet that cannot bee filled Prov. 1. 12. or as the daughter of the hors-leach crying unsatiably Give give yet never saith Enough can swallow a whole house yea it may bee a widows house yet can make a Long Praier after all But hath no remorse before nor makes any Restitution after This rusheth furiously into the Battle cryeth Aha at sin as the Job 39. 25. horse at danger This Conscience could drink up Jordan is as impenetrable as Leviathan which esteemeth iron as straw brass as rotten wood when sharp stones are under him he plaies upon them He laughes at the shaking of the speare his heart is aâ— the nether milstone Job 41. Per totum This hath made a Covenant with Death and is at agreement with Hell He regards neither one nor other nor feareth either God or man But eates the bread of wickedness and drinks the wine of violence whose sleep is less that night when he hath done no mischief in the day Prov. 4. 16 17. No surer note of one going to hell in all the world then this temper This is Satans flesh-brand or the mark of Cain as there is no one surer note of the state and truth of Grace then tenderness of Conscience wheresoever it is found These are past knowledge Psal 14. 4. Past shame Jer. 8. 12. Past feeling Eph. 4. 19. Past sorrow Rom. 2. 5. yea Past fear Psal 36. 1. and at last after these many steps to Hell come to bee Lamech-like Gen. 4. 24. Past hope in this life Jer. 2. 25. And past Recovery or past salvation in the next To prevent this labour after tenderness of Conscience which is that that doth make and keepe and manifest a good Christian A two-fold tenderness But here I must distinguish of tenderness it is two-fold one Culpable faulty and diseased Laudable necessary and from soundnes There is a tenderness of body sometimes which proceeds from Soreness sickness infirmity As there is a lively senâ—ibleness proceeding from health and a right constitution So there is a faulty and vicious tenderness and imbecillity of spirit which is five-fold There are five tender Consciences thus A faultie tenderness of Conscience and never an one of them good 1. When one is so tender that he cannot endure to be touched with a reproofe This is a tenderness indeed but an unsound and discased tenderness not so tender but that hee dare adventure on a sinne but he must not be told of his sinne The man who hath a byle when you touch him saith gently I pray it is tender when indeed it is sore and putrifi'd and harbors much filth within it This is an ill tenderness Thus onely wicked ones are tender and squeamish prophecy to us smooth things say they Isa 30. 10. Give us of your softest Pillows Ez. 13. 18. Oh how tender was Amaziah the priest of Bethel Amos 7. 10. He complaines of Amos as a turbulent and factious Preacher The Land is not able to bear al his words he must be restrained How tender were Jeremies accusers Jer. 38. 4. We beseech thee let this man be put to death
and sickly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle calls it 1 Cor. 8. 12. and which is easily cast down and discouraged This was the disease of the stony ground it was so Mat. 13. 21. tender that it was offended at the Cross Outward tenderness is a disease inward is a virtue The stony ground was outwardly tender but inwardly hard therefore could not endure any outward scorching The good ground on the other side was inwardly soft and tender to give Root to the seed received but it was outwardly hardy able to endure all weathers This kinde of Conscience cries A lion in the way I shall be torn in the streets This picks a quarrell at the Gospel for some Circumstances Prov. 26. 13 Why do thy disciples eat with unwashen hands and walk contrarie to the old Ceremonies of the fathers Mark 7. 2. This bird-eyed conscience as I may call it starts as the bird-eyed horse at every leafe shaking or bird flying and layes his Rider on his back or flings him into the dirt haply this is a pittifull weake conscience This was the conscience of the mixt multitude and of the ten spies they started at sight Num. 11. 4. of an Anakim and would not by any means Nu. 13. 31. advise the people to endanger themselves by adventuring forward This conscience is known by these ill Properties 1. It is apt to scruple things lawfull it eateth nothing but herbs Rom. 14. 2. 2. It puzzleth and perplexeth it self about businesses of no great moment about dayes meats c. Touch not taste not handle not Col. 2. 21. 3. It is apt to judge him that upon better grounds is not of his minde and practice Rom. 14. 3. Let not him which eateth not judge him which eateth which he is very apt to do 4. He is apt to stumble Rom. 14. 21. 5. Or to bee grieved and distasted Rom. 14. 21. Occasions whereof as it is the dutie of the strong and wise Christian to avoid so it is the propertie of the weak to bee subject unto 5. And a fift ill tenderness there is of the Conscience all awakened but such as cannot take any rest more Psal 77. 2 3 4. My sore ran all night and ceased not my soul refused comfort I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed Thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so troubled that I cannot speak So the like Psal 51. 3. My sin is ever before me Psal 38. 17. I am ready to halt and my sorrow is continually before me This is a sad and painful if not sometimes also a sinful tenderness when the soul sees nothing but sin guilt and miserie in it self nothing but anger wrath and frownes in God and no hopes of Redemption by Christ or of recoverie by the Spirit of Grace This is a sad Tenderness or Soreness or Bruisedness or woundedness of Spirit through too much sensibleness of sin tending apace towards fearfull distrust of God and despair of mercy This poor soul is as a man who hath all his bones broken and all his members dislocated and out of Order his heart melting like wax in his belly Psal 22. 14. his spirit even failing nor can he turn himself in his bed without pain A tendernesse this is but from disease not soundnesse Or as you see another man who hath a sore raw eye or an eye that hath been scalded or scorched in the fire it is very tender it cannot look upon the Sun or a Candle without offence it alwaies runs drops trickles and requires some soft silk or fine Linnen to bee before it So the conscience scorched with sin that hath not the fire taken out by the Eye-salve made of Christ his blood Rev. 3. 18. and hath not the fine silk and Linnen you read of Rev. 19. 8. is a sad Conscience though tender it is raw and running and sore and fierie Such a Conscience is tender indeed till it bee the worse again Thus Leahs eyes were said to bee tender it was small Commendation to her they were debiles weak as Junius renders it Rachel was more fair and more beloved her eyes were not so tender Gen. 29. 17. But the Right tendernesse of Conscience is that due Proportion of sense in an awakened ◠Right tenderness and self-observing spirit which labours to keep the soul guarded and unmolested He takes up the resolution of Job My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Job 27. 6. q. d. I can endure reproaches enough from any other hand I am so outwardly hardy but from my self and my own Conscience I love not to be upbraided with inward heart-burning and risings in my stomack I am inwardly so sensible This tenderness shews it self in respect of God Others Self 1. Of God in every thing to which God is In respect of God Ex. 10. 26. entitled and hath interest in Moses stands for a Hoof. Our Saviour tender of the least Jod or Title of the Law of God He was all in Mat. 5. 18. Joh. 2. 17. a flame with the zeal of God's house when he saw it perverted to uses of merchandize This is not to be called Strictnesse Scrupulousnesse or Rigidnesse but right Tendernesse and true Zeal The command of God to his People is Exod. 23. 13. In all things whatsoever I have spoken unto you be circumspect 1. Particularly and principally he is tender of those things wherein God's Glory and And Particularly 1. Of Gods Honor. Honour is concerned Our Saviour layeth down this for a Maxime Joh. 7. 18. He that speaketh of himself and acteth for himself seeketh his own glorie but he that seeketh his glorie that sent him the same is true and no unrighteousnesse is in him And he therein did vindicate himself against his calumnious Opposers Joh. 8. 49. 50. I honour my Father and ye dishonor me I seek not mine own glorie There is one that seeketh and judgeth This tenderness makes a man altogether regardless of self in respect of Name Credit Family Commoditie yea of Life I count nothing dear to my self so that God may be Act. 20. 24. magnified be it by my loss or life or death The Holy Martyrs counted nothing great or precious or base or hard in relation to God's Honour When the Christian women in Julians time were forbidden to sing their Psalms in their houses they sang out the louder especially when the Emperour was to pass by And they sang out those verses of the Psal 115. 4. 8. The Idols of the heathen are silver and gold the work of mens hands They that make them are like unto them and so are all they that trust in them Yea they added by the appointment of Publia the head and forwardest of the Company to their former wonted Psalms that vers of the 68. Psalm Let God arise let his enemies he scattered And Theodoret. lib. 5. c. 19. when the Emperour in a rage sent for her into his palace and commanded her
25. How much better were it if all could say with the Apostle John I write no nâ—w commandement unto you but the old commandement which ye had from the beginning and that old commandement he saith it again is the word which ye heard from the beginning 1 Joh. 2. 7. Truth is not to be looked upon as a Garment that may wax old and needeth to be new dressed and fitted to the persons and the times but as the Sun which retaines its first Light Luster and Majestie that though it bring forth the same Light and appear in the same Likeness every day yet is it every day welcome and looked upon with delight God's Servants have alwaies thought they could no wayes do better service then in seeking to stop new errors in their Course or to procure Libertie and encouragement to old Truths therefore have been content to lose Places Offices Life that Truth might not lose ground and would adventure any thing to help forward Truth There is a notable storie of One Terentius a valiant and Fortunate General under the Arrian Emperour Valens who for the many great services he had done was bidden by the Emperour to ask whatsoever he would for his Reward and he should have it But it is said he made no use of this large Offer to ask Gold Silver Lands or Offices but made this onely Request to the Emperour That one Publick Church might be granted to the Orthodox and sound Christians who were denied the Publick Exercise of their Religion The Emperour in a rage tore his Petition in pieces and bad him ask somewhat else but he gathered up the torn pieces of his Petition and made the same request again and said Oh Emperour you promised to grant me any Request that I should ask I have nothing else to ask but Magd. cent 4. cap. 3. this I will have this or nothing Thirdly Tenderness of spirit will shew it self as in regard of God's Honour and Truth 3. Of Gods commands which refer to God so in respect of whatsoever doth proceed from God as to yeeld and submit to every Command of God for he is the man of a contrite heart who trembles at his Word Isai 66. 2. One word of God prevailes more with him then a thousand stripes with a fool when God saith Go he goeth when come he cometh when do this he doth it when fly that he flieth it I must be about my Fathers business I came not hither Luk. 2. 49. Joh. 6. 39. to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me These were the words of the Son of God It was an excellent Expression of a gracious heart of Baldassar a German Divine in an Epistle to Oecolampadius Let the Word of God come let it come and we if we had Veniat veniat Verbum Domiâ—i submâ—â—â—mus â—lli sexâ—â—nâ—a â—obis si essent â—olla six hundred necks would put them all under it This man is now so tractable and easie to be ruled that even a childe with the Word of God in his hand may lead him as was foretold Isai 11. 6. Fourthly this gracious Conscience doth 4. Of Gods Threats ever yeeld and melt and break under any Threat of God's Word or sense of Gods Displeasure Thus you read that Josiah was affected upon the reading the Threats of the Law his heart was tender he rent his clothes he mourned and wept 2 King 22. 19. But when the like Roll of Judgment was read in the ears of Jehoiakim it is charged on them as a signe of their graceless obstinacie and securitie that not a man of them was afraid nor rent their garments neither the King nor any of Jer. 36. 24. his servants that heard those words This man saith Shall the lionroare and the beasts all tremble Am. 3. 6 8. Shall the trumpet sound and the people tremble and shall the Lord God speak and we not be afraid This gracious soul is like the waterie and dropping cloud which hangs low and is full of the Influence of Heaven and leaves a blessing where it falls whereas your high-flown secure persons and such as in their own account need no repentance but are past it or like those higher and brighter clouds which have nothing in them Fifthly he doth much more yeeld and 5. Under afflictions humble himself under God's mightie hand in affliction and if God put him into that furnace he comes forth as gold all melted and refined Job 23. 10. and with a new stamp I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes said Job 42. 6. whereas another uncircumcised heart will not be humbled nor accept of the punishment of his iniquitie but walk contrarie to God Lev. 26. 41. after he hath begun to walk contrarie to him Oh this is a desperate condition The Hypocrites in heart heap up wrath they crie not when he bindeth them Job 36. 13. Lastly this gracious frame of heart doth make the soul kindely thaw and melt under 6. Under the loving kindeness of God the sense of the free favour and abundant love of God As you see the Ice contracted and hardened with cold dissolves of it self under the warmth of the Sun This is right Evangelical Tenderness Shall not so much Love constrain me What cords shall draw me if these draw not After such deliverance as this shall we again break thy commands Wouldst thou not then be more angrie with us say those godly and Gospel spirits in Ezra's time Ezra 9. 14. This was the gracious Temper of that poor woman Luke 7. 38. dissolved into Tears by the warm over-coming Love of Christ Christ loved much shee mourned much Christ forgave much shee repented much This is the right Gospel Temper to fear the Lord and his goodness Hos 3. 5. Have you not seen the hardest Sugar dissolve of it self when dipt into the Cup of wine Nothing so powerfully breaks and dissolves a gracious heart or hath the like mollifying virtue as to bee steeped in the Love of Christ Lord thou hast ravished my heart with one of thy Eyes The Masters eye and heart of Love set Peters heart afire and his eyes a broach Just as you have seen the soft and gentle fire drawing out all the moisture of the ripened Rose and causing it to distill his dew in sweetest drops So is this Soul affected with the Love and Grace of God Shall I sin because Grace doth abound Shall I Rom. 6. 1. love the less because God hath loved me more Is this to requite the Lord to be most straitened when his bowels have been most enlarged Must not Judgements needs break whom Mercies cannot bend Is he not worthy to have Judgement without mercie that despiseth mercie And may not he exspect to finde grace turned into furie who hath alreadie turned Grace into wantonness This last is the Tenderness of filial Love as the former was of filial fear And so much of
was among his Disciples as one that served Luke 22. 27. He could wash their feet and stoope to any the meanest office to leave with them a never dying example of matchlesse humility in remembrance It is no argument of weaknesse said a learned man but of much strength Dr. Staughton to be able to bend the body backward and to recover ones self again so to stoop backward as it were to our brothers weaknesse implies much prudence and strength of grace in us 3. Nor are we to be so tender of the godly 3 Towards all men Phil. 4. 5. onely strong or weake but our moderation must be known to all The wicked himself must see we are tender of his good more then he is of his own good With meeknesse we are to 2 Tim. 2. 26. 1 Pet. 2. 15 instruct such as yet oppose themselves with well-doing not with ill speaking and contumelious reviling to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men and we are to labour to take away all occasion from such as seeke occasion to speak reproachfully of us 1 Tim. 5. 14. 4. But of all others we must shew our 4 Of those nearest to us Josh 24. 15 selves tender most of the good of those who are nearest to us that we and our houses may serve the Lord that all ours may be Gods Job disliked sin in others but was most fearfull Job 1. 5. of it in his children least they should in his absence curse God in their hearts Paul was especially jealous of his Corinthian Believers with a godly jealousie whom he had espoused 2 Cor. 11. 2 6. 11. to Christ because his heart was enlarged to them Austin saith of his mother Monica That it was as much to her as the new bearing of a childe whensoever any childe of hers did amisse Toties filios parturiebat quoties à Deo eos deviare cernebat This is right Religious tendernesse when we put no difference between sin in a friend and in an enemy or stranger unlesse this difference to be more plain in rebuking thy friend and dealing effectually with him to reclaime him If thy signet on thy right hand or thy friend Jer. 22. 24. in thy bosome that is as thy right eye cause thee to offend shew most love to him by the most dislike of his evill way Be not like Pharaoh who would have an Israelite beaten whether there was a fault or no but his own servants in whom the fault was must not be beaten but borne out in all they did Exod 5. 16. Thirdly In respect of selfe tender conscience 3 In respect of self hath much to do and will shew it self in these particulars First in respect of finne already committed his heart now smites him as oft as he sinnes 1 Sam. 24. 5. and 2 Sam. 24. 10. his heart gives him no rest till he hath made his peace with God by renewed repentance and with man by restitution or other satisfaction as Zacheus did This is a certain evidence of the life of grace within when so sensible of sin committed Thus was David after his foule sinnes his iniquities were ever in his eye Psal 51. 3. 38. 8. they cost him many a teare groane yea they made him houle out ere he had done he made his bed swim with teares his eye dimme with Psal 6. weeping and his flesh abate with fasting The like was to be seen in Peter after his shamefull denying of his Master Austin tels us what a change he saw in Confess l. 2. c. 1. Da castitatem da continentiam sed noli modo malebam morbum concupiscentiae expleri quam extingui Conf. l. 8. c. 7. himself after his conversion in respect of sin Exarsi aliquando saliari in inferis He said he could never have enough of it he could have gone to hel to fill his body with it no bread to him like those husks And though he was wont sometimes to think of his sinnes yet all his prayer was rather to have sin pardoned then purged and mortified and his hearts secret wish was that his lusts might be satisfied rather then extinguished He did pray indeed sometimes for continency and victory over his lusts but he was afraid he should be heard too soone But after he had put his hand upon the hole of the Aspe and had done playing before the Cockatrices Denne he tels us what his sins cost him Then he had enough of hell Rodebar intus confundebar vehementer pudore horribili quibus sententiarum verberibus flagellavi animam meam He then felt as he said an inward gnawing worme within him and a fearfull horrour of shame fell upon him that he fell out with himself that he did chide and rattle himself to the purpose in his privacy for his former folly and foule miscarriages 2. In respect of sin not yet committed He feares and departs from evill and shuns all occasions and provocations leading to it How can I yeeld to any such wicked act and sin against God saith Joseph to his immodest Mistresse Gen. 39. 9. whom he did flye from as from a Serpent he would not hearken to her though day after day sollicited by her either to lye with her or be in her company Austin also tels us what care he had after that happy change in him to keep himself from his wonted sins In illa grandi Rixa interioris domus quam fortiter Conf. l. 8. c. 8. excitaveram cum anima mea in cubiculo nostro corde meo c. That there was so much unquiet and chiding in his little house his heart between his lusts and his conscience they fell out so sharply that they must needs part and he would never harbour his wonted lusts any more A happy falling out and a happy parting 3. Tender conscience flies those which the world cals small sins as well as grosse sins He will not be found in a lye no not in an officious or excusatory lye such as Gehazi's was 2 Ki. 5. 25. Eccles 9. 2. Mat. 12. 36 He sticks at a thread and a shooelatchet he feareth an oath even a lawfull oath if not necessary He flyes your lesser Oaths as they are counted of faith and troth he takes heed of idle words wanton looks vaine thoughts wishes and motions he allowes not a light behaviour an unseemly habit he is watchfull against inordinate anger immoderate cares or labour even in his honest calling he knowes in much laughter and unseasonable mirth there is danger in loquacity and multitude of words there is no want of sinne He findes foolish talking and vaine jesting reckoned among sins and forbidden that jesting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which among the Morall Philosophers went for virtue and which common Christians account Eph. 5. 3. all their grace He is better taught then to call any sin little for there is no Poison little death little or Hell little He knowes
to suffer for Conscience onely one thing they could not endure viz. to suffer in and from Conscience And here might I write a whole Volume of the sufferings of Primitive and later times or transcribe many large Volumes of Ecclesiastical Histories treating of this subject in their Martyrologies They were deprived of States degraded of Offices yet did bear it they were imprisoned they were exiled yet did endure it they were slain racked tortured yet did they suffer it Some were hanged some headed some were burned some drowned some devoured of wilde beasts some pull'd in pieces by men more savage then beasts yet they did all bear it and rejoyced they suffered for Conscience and for God Attalus and Alexander were twice bayted with wilde beasts to be torn in pieces Eccl. Hist l. 5. cap. 1. by them as Eusebius reports Attalus escaping the beasts was reserved to other torments to be burnt to death in an iron chair heated red-fire-hot yet did hee bear all Macedonius Theodulus and Tatianus laid Socrat. hist l. 3. cap. 13. upon a Gredyron and broiled to death yet did they bear it Marcus Arethusius was stripped naked then had his bodie all over daubed with Broth Butter and Honey then hung up in a Cage in the hot scorching Sun to be eaten up with flies and stung to death with wasps yet did he suffer all rather then give one half-peny to re-edifie that Idol Temple in his diocess which he had formerly plucked down To be eaten up with flies and stung with wasps he did account farre more desirable that he might preserve his Theodoret. Lib. 3. cap. 6. Conscience in Puritie and Peace then to bee eaten up of horrour and stung with Hornets if to preserve his life he had delivered up his Conscience There were many Christians together stopt up in Lakes or Caves artificially made close which Lakes or Ditches were filled with a companie of Dormise kept hungrie to gnaw and feed upon the poor Christians they all the while bound hand and foot that they could not keep off those hunger-starved creatures which were kept Mag. Cent. 4. cap. 3. Ex Theodoreto without meat also purposely that they might fasten upon the bodies of those godly men which lingring and miserable death they under-went yet was not their faith and patience at all born down saith the Historian They chose much rather to lie in such a Lake artificially stopt and to be eaten up alive with those Vermin their Conscience being preserved then to yeeld up this Fort of Conscience for fear of any earthly torments to be eaten up while alive with guilt and horrour of Conscience And when dead to be bound hand and foot and cast into an infernal Lake of fire and brimstone eternally stopt up there to be conversant with filthy spirits and to be eaten up with those hellish furies Yea to make an end for it is impossible to mention all Lactantius saith not onely the men among the Cbristians and those of stronger years and hearts but even our women and little children saith he have Latrones robusti corporis viri ejusmodi lacerationes perferre nequeunt exclamant gemitus edunt Nostri autem ut de viris taceam pueri mulierculae tortores suos taciti vincunt expromere illis gemitum necignis potest Lact. 1. 5. cap. 13. endured all torments and been too hard for their Tormentors no rack no fire could fetch so much as a groan from them which the stoutest Theeves and Malefactors among their Persecutors could not undergo but they would roare and crie out through impatience and disabilitie to endure them But how little of this good Conscience is to be found now adaies when Christ saith Who is on my side who Our times have brought forth many a degenerate Christian silken and satten Christians Christians for the right hand and the left if Christ have any Kingdoms Mannours or Honours to bestow But if a Cross they all forsake him and fly and shift for themselves as the terrified Disciples did the night of his Passion Luther call's some of the Divines of his Time Theologos Gloriae they would not suffer Some faithfull Ones were called Theologi Crucis so have we many Saints now adaies who are rather Triumphant Saints then Saints militant Well we know who hath said He that is ashamed of me I shall one day be ashamed of him he that loveth his life shall lose Mar. 8. 38. it but he that loseth his life for my sake shall finde it Joh. 12. 25. There is no condition or sort of men have in Scripture more abundant and more excellent Promises then these that suffer And none in Scripture have more Cautions and Rules given then those set down to regulate and circumscribe our sufferings for all that suffer cannot say they suffer for Conscience and for God and then what thank can they exspect from God if they suffer for their own default they must as we say thank themselves There be four kindes of sufferings which a Four ill kindes of sufferings good Conscience can have no comfort in therefore must seek to avoid 1. That we put not our selves upon Voluntarie and Arbitrarie suffrings and place Religion and Conscience in it when we have done thus did the Baalists of old who did cur and lance themselves that the bloud followed 1 Ki. 18. 28. Thus do the blinde Papists at this day Pennance and Discipline themselves out of a superstitious opinion of merit or satisfaction but they have no thank of God because though it may proceed from some kinde of Conscience yet it is a blinded and deluded Conscience not that Conscience towards God which Peter spake of Therefore 2 Pet. 2. 19. God will say to them Who required this at your hands Isai 1. 12. And as to them who offered their sons and daughters to Moloch It never came into my heart neither did I command them saith the Lord Jer. 7. 31. These things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will-worship and humilitie and neglecting of the Col. 2. ult bodie not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh But these are not the sufferings of Christians nor can these say They bear these as the marks of the Lord Jesus in their bodies Gal. 6. 17. 2. That we pull not upon our selves Vnnecessarie and unwarrantable sufferings by a preposterous and precipitate intermedling in businesses out of our way and calling This is to suffer as busie-bodies in other mens matters But that in the Apostles Language is clean another thing then to suffer as a Christian therefore he doth oppose them and is all one as to suffer as an evil doer therefore they are joyned together 1 Pet. 4. 15 16. 3. That we pull not upon our selves Necessarie but deserved evil sufferings from the hand of Justice for our evil doings These may say with the Thief suffering with Christ we have the same Crosses that he
against the poor to make empty the soul of the hungry and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail Isa 32. 6 7. Conscience knows it is bound in duty as much to shew charitie to neighbour as love to God and to the poor neighbour this love of beneficence and compassion as to God the love of obedience and complacency This is indeed cum aliis scire to know and feel the heart of a stranger and widow and Exo. 23. 9. to say with Adrian What I would have the rich be to me were I poor that must I do to him my self being rich Yea this is cum Deo scire who considers the poor and needy relieveth the stranger He doth execute saith Moses Deut. 10. 18 19. the judgement of the fatherless and widow and loveth the stranger in giving him food and raiment Love ye therefore the stranger for ye were strangers in the Land of Egyp But alas the ill consciences of these times What meaneth the bleating of the sheep and lowing of the exen shall I say Or What meaneth the beating of the poor to pieces and grinding of their very faces saith the Lord Surely he will enter into judgement with the Antients of the People and with the Princes thereof because the spoil of the poor is in their houses Isa 3. 14 15. What judgments do you read threatened in all the Prophets for this unmercifull neglecting or oppressing of the poor Amos 2. 6. God threatens Israel not to turn away their punishment because they made no more of the poor man and his cause then of a pair of old shooes The like Micah 3. 3 4. Surely this is one of the crying sins of our times that the cause is not judged the cause of the poor and the right of the needie But Jer. 5. 28 29. may we not say Hath not the Lord begun to visit for these things and shall be not be avenged on such a Nation as this ere he hath done Rom. 14. 15. When the Apostle in a certain case would tell a man he walks not conscientiously he tels him Thou walkest not charitably What is it therefore to walk charitably but undeniably to walk conscientiously I conclude this therefore with the Apostles exhortation Col. 3. 12. Put on as the Elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of minde c. And 2 Cor. 8. 7 9. As therefore ye abound in other graces in faith utterance and knowledge see ye abound in this grace also for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poveâ—ty might be rich This is to be like-minded unto Christ you see 2. There is another charity of benevolence 2 To thy Neighbour to be shewed to thy neighbour whom thou art to love as thy self this is the second great Commandment which so great a part of the Law and Prophets do hang and comment upon Hast thou a friend then shew thy self friendly Mat. 22. 39. Pro. 18. 24. Rom. 13. 8. owe no other debt to any man but this to love one another and this we must owe to every man yet owe it so as to be also paying the debt and pay it so as also to be yet owing the duty alwaies owing and alwaies paying Debts of Justice must be so payed by every honest man that they may be no longer owing but debts of charitie though daily paid must daily be acknowledged and yet we are daily in debt till we come thither where the love of God and brother shall be consummate and where love shall be all in all O what a pleasant and delightfull sight it is to see neighbour with neighbour brother with brother living in this mutuall unity and benevolence there is best living there is best air there is best earth Psal 133. 1 2 3 4. There is best aire perfumed with like ointment to that which Aaron was consecrated with like which none other for any use was to be Exod. 30. 32. compounded and there the best and richest Soile As the dew of Hermon and as that dew that fell upon the Hills of Sion There the Lord commandeth his richest blessings and life for ever But what stinking Aire is Meshech and what noisome Earth is Kedar Ill dwelling with those that hate peace and are still for war Psal 120. The third Charitie and Love is to thy Enemies a love of forgiveness at least and a 3. To thy enemie contending with him for the most glorious victorie not to return him like evil for like or greater for less but to overcom any evil he hath done thee with all that good which thou canst do for him This is the hardest and therefore highest pitch of Love A Lesson not to be learned in the Philosophers Schools Rom. 12. 20 21. Luke 6. 27 28. or in the Pharisees Synagogues but in Christs Sanctuarie and is one of the highest points of Gospel Divinitie and Christian Perfection The Pharisees of old had said Thou must love thy neighbour but corrupted the Text with another addition Thou maiest hate thy enemie Our Saviours command is that thou Love also thy enemie that thou bless them that curse that thou pray for them that revile and persecute yea that we reach out the hand to help those who have lift up the heel to hurt us What thank is it to be but as Heathens and Publicans Mat. 5. 46. Luke 6. 32 33. They are friendly to their friends yea this may be found in Hell Satan is not divided against Satan the devil himself will carrie it fair with those who correspond with him But to cross thy nature and to overcome thy self first that thou maist overcome thy enemie at last Nobile vincendi genus hoc This is a divine and heavenly Spirit and a divine kinde of Love this is to be like Our Father which is in heaven who is kinde to Luk. 6. 35. the unthankful and unkinde and like to his Son on Earth who praied for his enemies and gave his life for those who sought his death Therefore the Apostle addes Col. 3. 12 13. to bowels of mercies and kindeness which we should put on humbleness meekness long-suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any as Christ forgave you so also do ye This Love then must not bee a bare negative Magna virtus est si non laedas cum à quo laesus es Magna gloria si cui nocere potuisti parcas Nobile vindictae genus est ignoscere victo Bern. de inter domo 2. Inward and Ecclesiasticall and Non-revenging Love not to render railing for railing inâ—urie for injurie vim vi repellere but it must bee an over-flowing over-coming and a Non-removed and unabated Love that when hee doth strive to weare out thy patience by continually reiterated and new provocations thou maiest
second Temple of our latter Reformation And that we should finde that observation of Austin made good who moving the question Whether Peace or War devoured more Christians resolved Peace Pax cum bellâ— de crudelitate certavit vicit Peace and War once strove saith he who should do most mischief in the Church and Peace carried it Thus have I given the Description of these ten Good Consciences and shall name no more There are more I confess then these ten to bee found in the Word But this I am bold to say If these ten were to be found in the world in this age in this Nation God would deal with us yet as he had done with Sodom had hee found ten Gen. 18. 32 Righteous men there wee should not bee destroied but this whole Nation spared for these Tens sakes yea doubtless had not the Lord reserved a very small Remnant in whom these ten properties of Good Conscience have been found wee had alreadie been made as Sodom and should have Isai 1. 9. been as Gomorrah before this time CHAP. XV. Of the Excellencie of a good Conscience and the benefits thereof HAving hitherto spoken of the nature of good Conscience in generall and of these severall kinds of good Conscience in particular I shall now proceed to give such reasons and use those arguments which may provoke us to get and keep such a good conscience Which reasons are drawn from three generall heads 1. From the excellency in and beneâ—â—t gotten by a good Conscience 2. From the danger and mischief of an evil Conscience 3. From the difficultie of getting and keeping a good and escaping a bad Conscience This Chapter shall speak of those excellencies which are in and the benefits gotten by a good Conscience Which appears in five particulars 1. The excellency of good Conscience appears The excellencie of good Conscience both in the Honourable Title given it above all other graces and the reall Preheminence it hath if compared with all other things 1. It hath this proper Epithite and denomination given it ordinarily of good Conscience Act. 23. 1. 1 Tim. 1. 5. 19. 1 Pet. 3. 16. 21. whereas other graces excellent in their place and kinde seldom called thus When do you reade of good faith good repentance or love or holiness or obedience but still conscience is called good Conscience There is surely some eminent and superlative goodness yea much communicative goodness in it It is good it self and makes the good faith and good love and repentance and obedience c. which all cease to be good when separated from good Conscience Then compare it with all other good things and it hath the better of them What Quid prodest plena bonis Arca si inanis sit Conscien tia good is there in a chest full of goods when the Conscience is empty of goodness said Austin What is a man better if he have all goods and want this one good what if he have good ware in the Shop good stock in the ground houshold in the house clothes on his back and good credit abroad and have not a good Conscience in his heart all this were like a rich suit on an ulcerous body This man is like Naaman a rich man 2 Kin. 5. 1. but a Leper a great and honourable man but a foule man What are all great Parts and excellent Gifts and Abilities of minde without good Conscience but as so many sweet flowers upon a dead man wrapt up in fair linen He is a drest man but a dead man outwardly sweet inwardly smelling or like a sounding brasse and tinkling Cymball This is above knowledge alone Adde Con to Science and you have the compleat Christian Omnibus numeris perfectum Take away Con and leave all Science you leave nothing but Cyphers Though saith Bernard many seek Knowledge and desire Science few care for Multi scientiam quaerunt pauci Conscientiam Conscientia autem quam scientia citius apprehenditur utilius retinetur Bern. Conscience yet is Conscience gotten with more case and kept with more advantage then all your Knowledge This is above All Faith alone therefore they oft go together in Scripture 1 Tim. 1. 5. and 19. and 3. 9. when Conscience is put away the text saith Faith is cast away and shipwrackt Nothing profits alone without this not Baptisme 1 Pet. 3. 21. not coming to the Lords Supper Heb. 10. 22. not Charitie 1 Tim. 1. 5. not any serving of God 2 Tim. 1. 3. not our subjection and obedience to men or Magistracie Rom. 13. 5. not all our sufferings 1 Pet. 2. 19 20. Take any man with all endowments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dirt kneaded with bloud as they call'd Tiberius Nero. without Conscience you have but the carcaese of a man without the soul What is the learned Philosopher and eloquent Orator without Conscience but a rational brute or a speaking beast who may like Balaams Ass open his mouth to rebuke another more mad yet is beaten himself What is a Magistrate without Conscience but as the Gyant without his eye or the eye without his sight Let all Duties be performed and Conscience not regarded you have but an Hypocrite let all gifts remain and Profession stay if Conscience go you have but an Apostate Bernhard saith excellently to this purpose It is better running to Conscience then to all your wisdom unless you mean by your Vtilius est currere ad conscientiam quam ad sapientiam nisi cadem sit sapientia quae conscientia wisdom nothing but Conscience The unlearned man with his good Conscience saith Austin will get the start of thee and be in Heaven before thee when thou with all thy learning and abilities wilt be cast into hell Surgunt indocti rapiunt regnum Coelorum c. 2. Consider the absolute Necessitie of a Good Conscience to the very esse and being of a Christian when many other things serve onely to the melius esse better being And this will shew you a higher Excellencie in Good Conscience which should set us upon getting it This constitutes the Christian and is that sine quâ non To suppose a Christian without Conscience were to suppose the Sun without Light or fire without heat this is of the very same consequence to spiritual life as the sense of feeling is to natural life which compared with the rest of the senses hath the preheminence in sundrie particulars as the Philosopher laies down in his Axiomes all applicable to Conscience 1. Tactus Origine primus they say Feeling Conscience to the soul is as sense of feeling to the bodie in four respects is the first sense in being So is Conscience the primum vivens and ultimum moriens in the new Creature Life discovers it self in the soul first in his sensibleness and tenderness as in the childes feeling appears the first of natural life the childe beginneth to feel when it
Conscience doth not onely bear up the Spirit with invincible Patience under all Pressures but it anoints the head with oile and causeth the cup to run over with Joy and Consolation His excellencie herein is beyond all expression Good Consciences Peace is the Peace that passeth understanding It makes a Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tam sunt Dies ejus jucundi quam si quotidiè lautissimè aleretur Junius in Ioc. on earth a continual feast Prov. 15. 15. The merry heart our late Translation readeth it hath a continual feast Bonus corde Ar. Montanus Laeti corde Junius He hath Benjamin's Mess before him his fare is far above the ordinarie The bread he hath to eat others know not of nor doth the stranger intermeddle in his joy He hath Jehojakim's Provision Every day a rate from the Kings Pro. 14. 10. Table all the dayes of his life even to the day of his death Jer. 52. 34. His feast is beyond Ahasuerus Royall feast which lasted the longest of any feast we read of an hundred and fourscore dayes Esth 1. 4. but then ended This maintains the heart as Salomon did his subjects with continuall undisturbed peace all the dayes of his life not by force and sword but by Prudence and Counsell This makes thee live Halcyon-dayes in life and sing the Swan-like note at death and leades thee into a new year of Jubile after the expiring of the former year of Sabbath The Good Conscience is it self the Conscientia bona titulus est Religionis Templum Solomonis Ager Benedictionis Hortus Deliciarum Aureum Reclinatorium Gaudium Angelorum Arca Foederis Thesaurus Regis Aula Dei Habitaculum Spiritus Sancti Liber signatus clausus in die Judicii aperiendus Nihil jucundius tutius ditius bona Conscientia Bern. de in t domo greatest Good a man can have and is the Procurer and Entertainer of all that Highest good that man is here possibly capable of It is the onely Paradise which God loves to walk in the onely Throne which Christ sits in the onely Temple which the holy Ghost dwels in it is the golden Pot which the bidden Manna is kept in the white Stone which the new Name is written in the Ark which the Tables of the Covenant are laid up in the earthen Pot where all our writings and Evidences are preserved in it 's Gideon's fleece which all the dew of Heaven falls on it is the soft bed which the wearie soul sleeps in it is the Top of Jacob's Ladder reaching unto Heaven Stevens Perspective looking into Hic est Lectus Animae in hoc requiem capit Bern. Par. Sermon Heaven Moses Nebo where first a view is taken of all the promised Inheritance and thence a few steps higher and he was in heaven it is indeed our Penuel God face to face 5. The Good Conscience is so extensive and communicative a good that it is not onely a real Good it self but makes all other things better where it hath to do whence it deserveth that denomination of good Conscience which it commonly is honored with Other things are called Good as Riches Honors Learning Eloquence c. which are not so really but onely in opinion nor do they make any man the better This makes all Good and Good better where it comes Your Riches Honours Great Parts you call them good but who is made good by them if Good Conscience be not there to do it Bad men may have them and bad they finde them and as bad or worse they leave them But this is that which is inconsistent with any badness no bad man can have a Good Conscience This makes all good it meets with and leaves them good whom it found evil It findes some sinful but leaves them holy findes some proud leaves them humble unmerciful it findes some leaves them charitable covetous it findes some leaves them content unjust and dishonest it findes men but makes them just and honest ere it hath done with them it findeth men unprofitable and good for nothing it leaves them profitable it findes some sad leaves them merry poor and leaveth rich dead and leaveth alive What a change doth this one thing make in the world It mends a Magistrate it mends a Minister it mends rich it mends poor for it mends all This alone would mend ill times mend ill Officers mend ill Lawes mend ill execution of good Lawes mend Church mend State and mend all What Plato said long ago of Common-wealths Tum demum fore beatas res publicas cum aut reges philosopharentur aut philosophi regnarent It would never be well in the world till either Philosophers were Kings or Kings Philosophers we may certainly say It will then be well with Common-wealths and not till then when they that are most conscientious are put in publike place and made Magistrates Rulers Commanders Officers Ministers c. or when they that are in such place be most conscientious Good Conscience is the Treasurie of good which therefore brings forth nothing but what is so Good Communication to edifie the hearer Good Conversation to edifie the Beholder yea Conscientiae ea est vis c. saith Dr Ames that it alters the nature of things it makes Actions in their own nature indifferent become good and Actions good become better as Conscience when not good makes lawfull and indifferent actions sinful and displeasing yea the most holy Action is turned into sin the sacrifice is abomination offered with a wicked heart Prov. 21. 27. How mightily doth it concern us to get this Good Conscience which hath so much of Good Epitomized in it which maketh Learning Parts Riches Honour Good yea makes Faith Repentance Praier Alms Holiness Obedience all Good when Good Conscience there which all cease to bee good if it were not for good Conscience commending them Therefore did Irenaeus well to resemble the Good Conscience to the Altar which sanctifieth the gift that is upon it Non sacrificia sunt quae sanctificant hominem sed conscientia ejus qui offert sanctifiâ—at sacrificium pura existens It is not sacrifice which can sanctifie a man and commend him to God but it is Good Conscience which sanctifieth and commendeth the sacrifice it self CHAP. XVI Of the danger and mischief of an evil Conscience THe Excellencie and Benefit of the Good The danger and mischief of an evil conscience Conscience is not so great but the evil and mischief of the evil Conscience is as great which is our second consideration and this will appear in three particulars 1. Here commonly is the first decay as in the Text you see Hymeneus and Alexander no sooner had put away their Conscience but they sink their faith when once Conscience is tainted and become corrupt then presently the Judgement then the Affections then the Life and what not Corruption in the Conscience is as poison in the spring head this fountain corrupted all the streams run muddie
slaughter This sleepie Conscience makes a man like Nabal when he went drunken to 1 Sam 25. 36 37. bed unsensible of any danger yet is it a great Judgement to be thus drunken with sin to rejoyce and sleep a perpetuall sleep and if these go sleeping to Hell which is to die like Lambs as the world saith The judgement is the greater Or else this Conscience now asleep will arise and crie out like a Isai 42. 14. travelling woman it will destroy and devoure at once Sin will not alway be kept out of doors but will break in and lie down with thee in thy distress Job 20. 11. Josephs brethren had their Consciences asleep long but at last it awakened and stared in their faces and made them tremble Jonahs Conscience was once asleep in the midst of his sin when he was out of Gods way he was asleep also in the midst of the storm but God would have him awakened ere he had done with him He shall be cast out of the Storm into the Sea to awake him and out of the bellie of the Sea into the bellie of the Whale to awake him and out of the Whales bellie into the Bellie of Hell and there he awakes And there he cries Out of the bellie of Hell I Jonah 2. 2. cried and thou heardest my voice Awakened guiltie staring Conscience is Hell opened here is crying in this Hell and there may be hearing and mercie for these These are indeed in Purgatarie and for such souls praiers may be made Ex hoe inferno redemptio But the sleeping Conscience is hell shut up and sealed there is no crying and therefore no hearing When Peter was asleep though he had a guard set upon him and was laid in irons and had the doors shut and the Keepers before it and the warrant sealed for his Execution the very next day he was quiet but all that while in Durance and Danger But when he was to be delivered from the danger the Angel comes and not onely opens the doors as if to carrie him out in a sleep but he smites him and awakes him and warns him and hastens him and leads him and leaves him not till he come to himself Act. 12. 6 7 8 11. How many men are there who use all art to charm Conscience and to make it drunk that they may bee rid of it as David did to 2 Sam. 11. 13. Gen. 38. 23 Vriah or as Judah concerning Thamar Let her go enquire no more after her least we be ashamed But Conscience may bee snib'd cannot be extinguished oppress it you may suppress it you cannot it will lie at the door and will not be gone or beaten away Vriah slept at his masters door and was at 2 Sam. 11. 9 13. Gen. 38. 24 25. hand Tamar proves with childe and Judah must father it How do men ordinarily bless themselves in their quiet Consciences and reckon of no hell but in an unquiet Conscience whereas the still Conscience is the worst hell What pains do many take to make themselves Conscience-proof and their Conscience hell-proof that they may not be tormented before their time They do by hellish magick make their Conscience as impenetrable as the young man had by his charms made his bodie whom Luther said he saw thrusting a naked sword with all his might against his naked Vidi ipse ego adolescentem qui stricto gladio in ventrem nudum fixo tam validè urgebat adversum scipsum donec capulus reversus copulareâ—ur acumini super ventrem nihil laesus gladium rursum remisit Luth. Conc. in 1m. Praecept bellie with that force that the point bowed to the hilt again yet was the wretched young man not hurt at all The charmed quiet Conscience is the unsafe Conscience the troubled is the better where the strong man is disturbed and angrie and resisted Then the flood is cast out of the Dragons mouth when the woman is delivered to drown her and her childe Revel 12. 15. The Dog never howls till he be shut Mr Rutherford out of doors said a learned Divine nor doth Satan rend and tear but when hee is going out Mark 9. 26. The third ill quiet Conscience is the deluded 3. The deluded Conscience Conscience the Conscience deluded by Satan or his Instruments dreams nothing but visions of Peace Luke 11. 21. Lam. 2. 14. When the strong man armed keeps possession All is peace As in a town close besieged and beset round with the enemie the commander within labours to keep them in blinde obedience and at hard dutie by concealing from them the enemies strength their own weakness and want of provision and is vigilant in preventing any Intelligence with the enemie as long as possibly he can till either necessitie force them to quit the service or they without shoot in arrows with letters giving notice how they are bonght and sold by their Commanders for their own ends and offers of mercie and fair quarter upon submission and coming in or of putting all to the sword without mercie if they still stand out Then do the souldiers and inhabitants resolve to rise up against such a Commander they seize on him and to make their own peace throw over his head as they 2 Sam. 20. 22. did Sheba's once in such a case Such is Satans policie to keep poor souls in obedience by promising them securitie till God in his mercie be pleased to shoot in arrows of deliverance upon submission or of destruction upon contempt of grace offered Then doth the soul rise up against Satan resolves to seek out for his own safetie by casting himself on the mercie of God and will go out though he die for it for he sees he is a dead man else if he fit still Ahab deluded speaks 1 Kin. 22. 27. of nothing but Peace and victorie Keep Micajah in prison till I return in peace Satan was a lying spirit to entice him to go on that he might fall Micajah shot in an arrow of deliverance if he would have submitted I saw all 1 Kin. 22. 17. Israel scattered let them return every man to his own house in peace Ahab stood out still and would go on The next arrow was an arrow of destruction a fatal arrow came and pierced ver 34. his armor in the joynts of it He was now a dead man The whole world is full of quiet Consciences because full of deluded Consciences The Angels account when they returned was That they walked to and fro thorow the earth and behold all the earth sitteth still and is at Zech. 1. 11. rest The most of men are setled on their lees and have this belief in their heart That God will neither do one thing or other neither good or evil what-ever men do Zeph. 1. 12. How ordinarie is it for most men to flatter themselves in their own eyes and to say I shall have peace still though I
adde drunkenness to thirst Deut. 29. 19 No observation among all the Proverbs is more often verified then that of Every mans way being good in his own eyes when the end thereof proves the way of death Prov. 14. 12. and 16. 25. Yea there be many that live and die in this condition and go away without any horrour and roaring of Conscience whom the world calls blessed saying they die like lambs having no bands in death nor trouble upon Psal 73. 4. Conscience Whenas they die rather like Salomons oxe who goes to the slaughter or the fool who goes to the stocks when neither is aware Prov. 7. 22. Or if you will have them die like lambs like Jeremie's Lambs they die Jer. 51. 38 39. They are drunken with delusions and sleep a perpetual sleep before they die therefore they rejoyce and are secure but I will bring them like lambs to the slaughter c. saith the Lord And they shall not awake till they are awakened in hell It is given to him to be in safetie for a little while saith Job and he resteth in it but they shall be cut off as the tops of the ears of corn These Job 24. 24 persons die so securely not because the sting of sin is taken out which were their happiness but because the sting of Conscience is taken out which is their miserie This is therefore a dangerous quiet Conscience Let me rather die the most dreadful death of the righteous then the most hopeful and easie death of the wicked Happier a thousand times to be fetcht away in an instant in Elias his fierie 2 Ki. 2. 11. charet and in a whirlwinde into heaven then to have Nabals lingring fit of the stone and to 1 Sam. 25. 37 38. lie ten daies before his death as if he had been asleep When these are interred wee may as well say Stone to Stone as Earth to Earth and Dust to Dust There is another ill quiet Conscience still 4. The hardened conscience which is the hardened Conscience This treasures up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2. 4 5. The hypocrites in heart heap up Job 36. 13. wrath they cry not when God smiteth Then this there is not a greater plague on Earth or Judgement in hell It is a sin that hath as much miserie and a miserie that hath as much sin in it as can be imagined Now there is a six-fold hardness of Conscience A six-fold hardness as you may observe so many several expressions in the Storie of Pharoah's heart-hardness 1. There is a natural hardness and insensibleness 1. Naturall hardness in Conscience which is part of the sin and punishment of Original sin which is in all alike This is that heart of stone which is in all till by Regeneration it be changed into an heart of flesh This made Paul say he Ezek. 36. 25. was alive once without the Law Rom 7. 9. His heart had then this hardness on it he saw no such sinfulness in sin as afterward therefore did he apprehend no danger Thus Pharoahs heart was at first before ever Moses came It might be said Pharoahs heart was hard by natural and original hardness 2. There is an attracted and acquired hardness 2. Attracted voluntarie hardness Acquired by the crebrous and iterated acts of sin which by degrees by the latent deceitfulness in it and the secret curse of God upon it withall brings the soul over to a dedolencie and unsensibleness therefore doth the Apostle warn some Heb. 3. 13. To exhort one another daily least the heart be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin And he doth report of others Ephes 4. 17 18 19. who by walking in the vanitie of their minde had the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindeness or hardness of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves over to laseiviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness Where you have the steps by which the poor soul goes down to hell and the blinde winding-stairs by which you are going down to the chambers of death if you take not heed 1. The first step is vanitie of minde Therein we commonly think there is little hurt Thought is free Phancie will be working c. So long as we do no evil or speak not vainly what would you have us do Remember that vanitie of minde is the first step to Hell 2. The second step is Darkness of understanding which ever follows upon vanitie of minde and this darkness of understanding leads you to the third step Alienation in affection from the life of God having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God Alienated actively on their part they loathing God a sinfull alienation And alienated passively and on God's part His soul abhorring them Zech. 11. 8. a Judicial alienation 4. This alienation leadeth to more darkness still and Excaecation stricken with blindeness of ignorance One sin begets another in infinitum Darkness of Understanding caused heart-alienation from God That again produceth ignorance alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them 5. This ignorance leads next step to hardness not naturall and simple but double and judicial because of the hardness of their heart 6. This hardness carries you on next step to insensibleness who being past feeling 7. Insensibleness brings on Desperateness being past feeling they have Given themselves over Here you may give them over for lost when they come once to this seventh step to give themselves or sell 1 King 21. 25. themselves as Ahab did to work wickedness Here is their love of sin they give themselves over to it when nothing is to be gotten by it 8. This desperateness leads to brutishness and turns a man into a beast They give themselves over to lasciviousness They have 2 Pet. 2. 14 Jer. 5. 8. Rom. 13. 13. Phil. 3. 19. 2 Pet. 2. 12 Eyes full of adulterie and are like fed horses in the morning neighing after their neighbours wife their life is chambering and wantonness their bellie their god their end destruction like beasts they live like beasts they die which are made to be taken and destroied 9. This brutishness leades to laboriousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the working of uncleanness They will labour as a horse in a mill to commit iniquitie They draw sin with cords and iniquitie with cart-ropes Isai 5. 18. As in a gracious heart love of God puts upon any labour for God so love of sin makes men drudges to their lusts and to the Devil 10. This laboriousness next step carries them to unsatiableness which is the next step to Hell They gave themselves over to work all uncleanness nothing comes amiss to them so it bee uncleanness All uncleanness Rom. 1. 23 25. in sinful though natural acts and in more sinful unnatural acts of
uncleanness 11. And lastly this insatiableness leads into the midst of Hell which is delightfulness in sin and there it leaves him to commit all uncleanness with greediness what can be worse in a Devil Thus have we shewed you the eleven steps of Satans Ladder That reacheth from the Top of sin to the Bottome of Hell and tels us by what degrees a man is transformed into a beast at first and into a Devil at the last And thus do you see the second kinde of hardness of Conscience following upon the former Thus it is said of Pharaoh that Pharaoh hardened his own heart Exo. 9. 15 32. Adding to naturall hardness voluntary attracted and augmented 3. Then is there left nothing but Judiciall 3. Judicial hardness by Seducers 2 Thess 2. 10. hardnesse such are all the foure following kindes As that then is the Conscience or heart further hardened by Impostors and Seducers Thus it is said further that Pharaoh's heart was hardened by the Magicians Exodus 7. 22. The Magicians turned the waters into blood by their Inchantments and Pharaoh 's heart was hardened c. God gave them over to worke their lying wonders and gave him over to believe their lies and to be hardened by them God doth still the same in his just Judgement to this day giving men over to strong delusions to believe a lie who had cast off the love to the truth whereby they should have been saved In this respect it is that God is said to lay a stumbling-block before the Apostate Ezek. 3. 20. to deceive the false prophet Ezek. 14. 9. And to have put a lying spirit into the mouth of all Ahab 's Prophets c. 1 King 22. 23. This is a Judiciall and fearfull hardness following upon the voluntary and attracted 4. Then is there a Ministeriall hardening 4. Ministeriall hardning God lets men injoy the Gospel and the means of Grace but they having added to naturall hardness of heart voluntary and to contempt of truth their love of errour God sends leannesse into their soules under fatness of Ordinances barrenness under fruitfull Ordinances Go tell this People saith he Psal 106. 15. to Isaiah the most Evangelical Preacher under the old Testament Isa 6. 9 10. Hear ye indeed but understand not and see but perceive not make the heart of this People fat and their ears heavy and shut their eyes c. Then doth the preaching of the Apostles themselves prove but a savour of death to death 2 Cor. 2. 16. Then doth the best Gospel Preacher become but a hardening preacher hard he found them harder he leaves them asleep he found them asleep leaves them deceived he found them and he cannot undeceive them Thus Moses also hardened Pharaoh's heart viz. accidentally and occasionally Pharaoh grew worse and worse by every precept by every reproof by every sign by every plague by every deliverance and by every mercie 5. Besides these there is a most dreadfull 5. Divine hardning hardening of God's part a Divine hardening a Poenal hardening by Divine Vengeance This God calls the sending of all his plagues upon the heart Exod. 9. 14. A heart hardened by the curse of God is an Epitome of all plagues in the world yea all the plagues of Exo. 10. 1. 20. 27. hell are in it Thus is God said often to have hardened Pharaoh's heart which what it doth particularly implie I shall not here enquire How far God doth act in the Judiciall hardening of a sinner to sin yet is not the Authour or approver of the sin It cannot be meant that God doth infundere malitiam but that he doth not infundere mollitiem Thus is God said to lay stumbling-blocks before men Eze. 3. 20. as was said before to blinde their eyes to harden their heart that they should not be converted c. Joh. 12. 40. To send strong delusions upon men 2 Thess 2. 10. To give men over to vile affections and to a reprobate minde Rom. 1. 28. All these five forementioned Consciences may be quiet and still Consciences but are wretched and unhappy in their quietness Lastly none will make question but there 6. Satannicall hardning is another who had a prime hand in hardening Pharaoh's heart viz. Satan though it be never said expresly that Satan hardened Pharaoh's heart But certain it is that Satan hath his first or second hand in every sinfull act and had a hand in the first hardening to the last He brought in the first naturall hardness he brings on from that to voluntary hardness he subornes Deceivers to harden further he steals away the Word when the Gospel preached Mat. 13. 19. should soften And when God hath tried all means and finds men desperately wicked having pleasure in unrighteousness he gives over striving any longer then comes Satan with full Commission of power and efficacie of lies and errors to perswade and prevail also 1 Kin. 22. 22. The like expressions the Scripture also useth as touching the spirituall blindness of minde 1. We are said to be born blinde blinde we are naturally in spirituall things 2. Then to close our eyes wilfully Matth. 13. 15. 3. To have our eyes closed Ministerially Isa 6. 9. 4. To be led blindfold by Seducers The Mat. 15. 14 blinde leading the blinde those blinde whose eyes God hath put out leading such blinde whose eyes themselves have put out 5. Then doth God close mens eyes Judicially Joh. 12. 40. Rom. 11. 8. And lastly Satan is said to close the eyes of them to whom the Gospel is hid 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. Now to end this Discourse the world is full of Consciences that are bardened either by naturall or voluntary or Judiciall hardness Judicially I say either by godly Ministers accidentally or by wicked Seducers purposely or by Satans instigation or by Divine indignation But howsoever it comes all these are quiet Consciences and the more hard the more quiet the less trouble and noise is in the Conscience the less life and soundness ordinarily This Conscience is quiet till the worse again We all complain the world is hard and that times were never more hard and less quiet and never more full of troubles Thus all complain But God complaineth men and Consciences were never so hard though never more quiet and less troubled for sin under Gods wrath fearfull judgements mighty signs wonders temptations deliverances confusions and the hewing of his Prophets and Deut. 29. 3 4. Hos 6. 5. his own slaying us by the word of his mouth and melting us under Mercies Ordinances and offers of his Grace and intreaties of his Ministers yet do we as our stiff-necked and uncircumcised-hearted Acts 7. 51. Fathers alway resist his Grace and Spirit till there is almost no remedie Therefore 2 Chro. 36. 16. no wonder for all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Isa 9. ult Yet there is a quiet Conscience that is
he not be able to finde it out 3. It prefers a supposed fictitious Revelation before written and clear Revelations as did the deceived prophet 1 King 13. Now all Divine Revelations coming from the Spirit of Truth ever are consonant to the word of truth which is the Rule to trie all Revelations by 2 Pet. 1. 19. 4. It prefers a strong impulsion from his own thoughts before Gods own thoughts Jer. 7. 31. God said what they did never came into his minde to approve it yet would they do it because it was their Conscience and it came into their minde But the strongest impulsion of our spirits though gracious Spirits can be no Rule David had a very strong impression once to build God a house he consults with Nathan a Prophet he hath the 2 Sam. 7. 2 3. same apprehension of the work Go on for God is with thee yet was it not therefore good in Gods eyes because good in both theirs David had another vehement and impetuous Motion to be avenged on Nabal for his inhumanitie 1 Sam. 25. 22. and uncivilities towards his servants sent in his name he backs that motion with an Oath yet upon Abigails submission he changeth his minde blessing both ver 33. God and her and the counsell given to stay him from proceeding so fiercely according to the wilde light of an erring Conscience God did appoint his people under the Law Numb 15. 39. to wear fringes on their garments that they might remember Gods written Commandments and not seek after their own heart after which they were apt to go a whoring He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool the wise man Pro. 28. 26 saith And Job gives a serious Item in this case Let not him that is deceived trust in vanitie for vanitie shall be his recompense Job 15. 31. 5. Erroneous Conscience interprets difficulties and discouragements as a discharge from dutie The time is not come say they to build the House of God nor is it any more our dutie because the Kings of Persia forbad and the adversaries hindered it Hag. 1. 2. But this is the sluggards Conscience when he seeth a lion in the way Prov. 26. 13. 6. It conceives a fair intention or a good end may legitimate an unwarrantable action Now though true it is That the goodness of the end propounded hath a great influence upon an action to make it theologically good yet can no good end alter the nature of an action that is materially bad to mend it To do the greatest good to an evil end as to pray to be seen of men and to do the least evil to attain the best end as to lie for God are Job 13. 7. alike abomination Our Rule from the Scripture is not to do the least evil to gain the greatest beneficiall good or to avoid the greatest penall evil Rom. 3. 8. 7. Lastly this fool so rageth and is so confident that he dare appeal to God to patronize his exorbitancies Jo. 16. 3. They think they did God greatest service when they did the Church the greatest dis-service in killing the Apostles So did Pauls erring Conscience once stimulate him Out of zeal persecuting the Church Phil. 3. 6. Jehu could not look upon it as any other then true zeal to God when he saw himself so violent in rooting out Ahabs house and Baals priests Come see my zeal for the Lord saith he And were there not fourty zealously enraged against Paul who had made a religious vow not to eat again unless they had killed Paul Act. 23. 12. Quantum Religio poterit suadere malorum what so evil that erroneous Conscience will not call good It puts bitter for sweet and darkness for light familiarly 7. The next mistake is of them who mistake a scrupulous Conscience for a good Conscience whenas all their scruples are about minute and triviall matters about indifferent or impertinent things overlooking things of greater consequence they stand upon Tythe Mint Annise and Cummin and neglect the weightie matters of the Law Mercie Justice Faith Strain at a gnat swallow a camel stick at joyning with a Christian Congregation in the commanded duties of publike worship and Communion but never stick at joining with scorners in sinful communion or in conforming to the fashions of the world Surely we may say as Paul to his Ephesians But ye have not so learned Christ Ephes 4. 20 21. if ye have heard him and have been taught by him c. These make ado about washing pots and cups and outsides when the heart is brim full of pride hypocrisie malice censoriousness rapine and all iniquitie scruple rubbing ears of corn when hungrie but not swallowing a poor widows house The high Priests were troubled in Conscience and rent their clothes when Christ said he was the Son of God but when themselves blasphemed Christ and resisted the holy Ghost there was then no rending hearts nor renting garments When Judas brought back the money and threw it down they would not once touch it and into their Corban it must not come it was the Price of blood now but when they drove the bargain with Judas and told him out that very money then it was not the price of blood out of Corban it might lawfully come but into Corban again it must not go Oh painted sepulchres and whited walls 8. Such again on the other side who think that scruples and strictness and tenderness are the onely arguments of an ill Conscience and that Libertie and bold adventurousness are the best arguments of a good Conscience And so all the world is of a sudden become very Conscientious and our Reformation brought unto perfection All men crying Conscience Conscience Libertie Libertie But shall we go down and see whether they have done altogether according to this crie Gen. 18. 21. Is this the onely good Conscience that the world hath left Must wee needs leave Jordan and go wash in Abano and Pharpar that we may be clean Must we beat down one altar and set up many altars going the clean contrarie way to Hezekiahs Reformation to make sure that our Reformation shall not be Legall must we say that uniformitie is the onely slaverie That one heart one waie one faith one Baptisme and one Table of the Lord is too little under the Gospel That Jerusalem is not the place it is too much to meet all in one place Dan and Bethel may do as well private places are as good as publike The meanest of the people as fit as the most learned Well we see the one part the worse part of that prophecie fulfilled Micah 4. 5. for all people will walk every one in the Name of his God when shall we see the other and better part fulfilled which followes And we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever Shall this serpent Libertie eat up all our other Rods Must all the legitimate sons of Gideon be slain
and love death Good Conscience is the Prov. 8. 39. charge we travell with whatever danger we may meet with in our way we must run or fight or die or fly for it rather then deliver up such a charge Good Conscience is the Ship in which we embarque and adventure all we have Credit State Libertie Life and Soul too as Noab put all into one Bottome all his Familie all the Catholike Church and the Reserve of the whole world and all was safe This Vessel or Man of war must never be yeelded up but rather we must sink and perish in the defense of it Good Conscience is our strong Fort which we must upon no terms capitulate to deliver up to the enemie but chuse rather to die upon the ground Secondly look upon Timothie as a Minister and this doth further inform us That a good Conscience is the good Ministers great Charge This charge I commit to thee Son Timothie to hold Faith and a good Conscience These are Arma Ministri The Ministers weapons The Minister must be a man of Conscience and for Conscience wholly This is the floore he must daily purge This the garden which he must dress and keep The living stone which he must hew and polish to make Temples for Christ of This the Sanctum Sanctorum into which the Gospel-Minister must daily enter Faith and good Conscience are his principall weapons he must be most expert in and exercising at both in Person and Pulpit This is to preach the whole counsell of God to preach Faith in God and Conscience in men To say that Conscience is a Dutie is too little it is the Summe of all Duties To call good Conscience a Grace is too little it is the Summe of all Graces It is Totum Dei The whole Command of God It is Totum homi is The whole Dutie of man Good Conscience is the Contents of the whole Bible and all the Scripture bound up in a small Volume Will you hear in one word the summe of all Keep Faith and a good Conscience This is the whole dutie of man The summe of the first Table is Epitomized in one word Love God with all thy heart Of the second in another word Love thy Neighbour as thy self But the summe of both Tables of the Law and all duties of the Gospel is reduced to this one word Conscience Hast thou Conscience Thou dost fulfill the first hast thou Conscience Thou wilt fulfill the second Thou O man of God look well to thy Charge thy own and thy Peoples Conscience Herein must thou daily exercise thy self as a workman who needeth not to bee ashamed to keep thy self pure and to keep thy peoples Conscience without offense to God and man warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus Col. 1. 28. The Heathen Priests and Aruspices were to be skilfull in the Entrails of the beasts and by inspection into the Sacrifices they were wont to make their observations The Gospel Minister his Inspection must be into the inwards of his flock The best Christian is he who is most versed in his own Conscience and the best Minister is he who is best acquainted and hath most to do in his peoples Consciences Bernard hath an excellent saying of Conscience Vnicuique suus est Libellus Conscientia propter hunc Libellum omnes alii libri inventi sunt Every mans Conscience is his own Book and Bible and for this little Books sake all the good Books in the world yea the Bible it self were written All Divines Sermons All Divines writings treat of this Book And whatsoever Books are in the world if they no way tend to this end to inform or direct or satisfie or better Conscience it were better that the world wanted all those books How happie were it in these times if Conscience was preached more and Controversies less Whatever is the man that preacheth Conscience would be the matter preached and spoken off whatever be the Auditorie Conscience would be the Argument whatever the Occasion Conscience the Subject of the Discourse whatever be the Text Conscience would be the Doctrine handled whatever the Doctrine Conscience would be the Vse whatever the Companie Conscience would bee the Conference Else I am bold to say whatever be the Preacher or Hearer or Text or Doctrine or Reason or Vse or Conference nothing is spoken fit for the Preacher or pertinent to the Matter or Auditorie or Occasion or Text or Doctrine or Vse or Companie Conscience is the Lay-mans onely Book he can read no other It is the Ministers Concordance which he must peruse and studie most He is not a Preacher that is not well verst in this This little Book is like that little Book given to the two Prophets Ezekiel in the third of Ezek. v. 3. and St John Revel 10. 9 10. which both are commanded to eat and to receive inwardly into their bellie not into their mouth or head or hand Son of man cause thy bellie to eat and fill thy Qui legem Dei recte interpretantur referunt eam ad rectum finem seu scopum qui est charitas ex puro coâ—de conscientia bona fide non simulata at isti doctores non referunt legem ad hunc sinem sed ab istis commemoratis rebus tanquam à sâ—â—po aberrant ergo non rectè legem interpretantur sed ad vaniloquentiam deflectunt bowels with this Roll which I give thee But with this difference that to the godly and faithfull Minister it is like Ezekiels Roll as Honey for sweetness but to an unsound and man-pleaâ—ing Minister it is like John's Book Sweet in the mouth to discourse of Bitter in the bellie displeasing when it comes to practise This is the mark we should aim at saith Piscator upon that place 1 Tim. 1. 5 6. The end of the commandment is charitie out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of faith unfained which some having swerved from have turned a side unto vain jangling That is the right interpreting of the Scripture when we referre all to this end to promote Charitie and Puritie and Faith and Conscience to leave these is to miss the mark and to become Janglers not Preachers Thirdly this informes us in particular how it comes that so many daily break in Citie and Countrey making shipwrack of Credit of States and Families the matter is they were broken at home first in their Consciences then they must needs break abroad Break Conscience and thou art broken none thrive after it This makes the worst bankrupts it makes a man to be out of Credit with God and in his own heart A moth or worm in Conscience is commonly followed with a moth and worm in the estate The inheritance hastily gotten is as soon wasted From the hire of an harlot if it came to the hire of an harlot it returns Micah 1. 7.
of the house may be consumed and another end of it kept up standing But here no part of ship or goods or persons preserved all fare alike and perish together 6. There if friends cannot help they can condole and lament their impoverished neighbours condition which is some comfort to them Here is none to help none to comfort none to pitie or so much as to pray for thee 7. There when the fire hath done his worst the ground yet remains where a new house may be built again somewhat there is to be seen though but heaps of Ashes that tells the Passenger Here stood such a house But here all is swallowed up in an instant and their place no more seen 8. There the man commonly out-lives his calamitie and through the blessing of God and charitie of neighbours the house is rebuilt the state is repaired the man recovers himself and lives as well again as ever he did before Here the man and his goods and his Vessell perish all together But yet if any shipwrack be in any thing more lamentable then fire This metaphoricall and spirituall shipwrack is infinitely more dreadfull undoing and irrecoverable then any other shipwrack And yet how many such ill Accidents as we call them have befallen this rich merchandizing Island in these late tempestuous times Many fearfull shipwracks of Conscience have been made by Persons of all Qualities and Professions not onely to the hazard and loss of all their own former comfortable state the loss of Grace and Peace and Hopes yea which is above all their Souls sinking in Eternall perdition but also to the damage and detriment of the whole What loss hath there been of men who for their parts might have been exceeding usefull in Church and State had they not miscarried who can summe up the value our goods lost amount unto not onely outward goods of Peace Plentie Riches Wealth Treasure Power Credit lost and gone but of richer and choicer goods goods of Grace our former Faith Love Sinceritie Unitie Holiness Zeal and common Interest in Church-Reformation and withall the loss of those rich and precious Comforts they sometimes had of inward Joy and spirituall Peace besides the hazard of their Souls eternall safetie But which is of more common concernment The Ship it self in which we are all embarqued being endangered to be cast away Both Church and State by such mens means put into so doubtfull a condition The truth is our Ark is not yet settled upon the mountains of Ararat Gen. 8. 4. And if we had not had a few names in our Rev. 3. 4. Sardian-like State who have kept their Garments pure and held fast their Integritie We had ere this both lost our Crown and Candlestick The Lord Jesus seemeth to say to us not onely as to the Ephesine Angel Remember whence thou art fallen and repent and Rev. 2. 5. do thy first works But as to the Sardian Strengthen those things that remain that are ready Rev. 3. 1 2 3. to die for I have not found thy works perfect before God Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee Christ will not onely spew such out of his mouth as he threateneth the Laodicean Angel for their lukewarmness but will become as a thief or an enemie to strip us of all that we yet have left Be zealous therefore and repent And again I say remember how thou hast received and heard and hast been taught and how thou hast professed and engaged and hold fast and watch Or there will follow more Vses and greater Causes of Lamentation May not we passionately complain as Jeremie sometimes did for their wasted Church Lam. 2. 13. What thing shall I take to witness for thee or what shall I liken to thee or what shall I equall to thee O daughter of Sion or wherewithall shall I comfort thee for thy breach is great like the sea who can heal thee thy loss like a shipwrack who can recover thee they that passe by clap their hands and hisse and wag their head saying Is this the City that men call the perfection of beauty the joy of the whole Earth Is this the perfection and beauty of a long Reformation Surely we may take up more of his complaints and say How is the gold become dim how is the most Lam. 4. 1 2 7. 8. fine gold changed The stones of the Sanctuary are in the tops of every street The precious Sons of Sion comparable to fine gold formerly now esteemed as earthen pitchers Our gold proving now dross and our wine corrupted with water Their Nazarites they said our Professors we may say were purer then snow they were formerly more white then milke they were more ruddy in body then Rubies their polishing was of Saphir But now their vizage is blacker then a coal they are not known in the streets their skin cleaveth to their bones it is become like a stick They who formerly were the beauty of the Churches and the glory of Christ for a Diadem in the eyes of God and men for matchless Piety cannot now be known from common men or sons of Belial their visage is so much altered CHAP. XXI The third use is for Reproof FRom the Lamentation we proceed to Reproof which Reproof like the long flying Roule in Zachary with his Curse annexed striketh two sorts of Persons Zach. 5. 3 4 1. Those that have no Conscience yet as on this side 2. Those that have lost their Conscience as on that side First how many are justly to bereproved who have no care to get good consciences when as they are desirous as Austin said to get all other good things saying Who will shew us any good Good Conscience is not put into their Inventory nor reckoned among their goods How do men enquire for good purchases good bargains good houses good wives good portions good wares good credit yea a good servant and a good horse they would have all good yet care not what their conscience is they get rich cloathing on their backs saith Bernard but have miserable Induuntur purpura Byssâ— subinde conscientia pannosa jacet fulgent monilibus sordent moribus Ber. ad Vir. Soph. poor ragged and tattered consciences Now the godly man saith there is nothing so necessary for me to get as a good conscience and therefore as he makes Solomon's choice so his prayer Give me a good heart rather then a Kingdom Solomon was more solicitous how to carry himself in his Kingdom then another would be how to get into the Throne Lord give me a large heart and a 1 Kings 3. spirit of wisdom to guide me So doth the godly man Give me the heart to know how to goe in and out rather then
on part of the Covenant where this written Law is not in the heart which is another and former part of the Covenant The High Priest might not go into the Sanctum Sanctorum unlesse Sanctified and sprinkled outwardly with the bloud of the appointed expiation nor shall any enter into Heaven whose Conscience is not first sprinkled and purified with the bloud and Spirit of Christ The Persian King had none came in unto him but they were first purified prepared a whole twelve moneth before There shall Esther 2. 12. certainly be admitted into Gods presence and Kingdome nothing that is defiled and uncleane But all must be in some good measure Reu. 21. 27 purified that they may be made meet to be partakers of that inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1. 12. In the second place it doth much more reprove those that sometimes had some kind of Conscience and have now lost it This is the losse of losses If a man have losses at Sea he takes on if lost a child he mournes if lost an eye or an Arme he grieves if by a Dead Palsie he hath lost the use of a side he sees Death on himself and reckons himselfe halfe dead what is it thinkest thou to have lost thy Conscience If Quae laedunt oculos festinas tollere si quid est animumi differs curandi tempus in Annum any Moat or Dust be in the eye he Rubbes and wipes his eye and cannot be quiet till he get it out If but a thief in the candle he takes it out but who is sensible of the losse and spoyle of Conscience which is the greatest losse Now a man may recover most losses or beare any losse but this and not be miserable This he cannot sight may be lost and recovered a child may be lost and thou mayst have another credit may be broken and regained as Iosephs state broken and repayred as Iobs liberty lost and regained as Iehoiakins life lost and be redeemed and a better given for it but this is the undoing loss this breaks a man for ever and makes a Bankrupt of him he never recovers This was Iudaas's Rupture This man falles downe Headlong Breakes in pieces in the midst all his bowels fall out with this fall and to his place he hastens The man that hath lost his Conscience may justly cry out with Micha's complaint what have I moreto lose I have lost my God Jud. 18. 24 I have lost my Priest I have lost my Conscience which was to me as both and what have Vt in portum perueni amus regendus est bona Conscientia navigationis nostrae cursus I more I have lost my Jewels and all my goods shall any stop my mouth and say what aylest thou losse of Conscience is like the losse of a Pylot to the Ship or the losse of Card Compasse Sayles Anchors to the Pylot they are at mercy of the Sea and in the next storme in danger of being cast away It s a sad and fearefull sight to see a man in a Phrensie that hath run out of his wits and hath lost his understanding he is now besides himselfe he knowes not friend from foe nor mindeth what he does nor what comes of him what a Phrensie is the man in that is run out of his Conscience He hath lost his Right minde indeed and is quite Distracted and beside himselfe A man cannot be called Compos mentis as a Christian if he be not Compos Gonscientiae It is the Countrimans observation as a Prognostick of an Ill and stormy day to follow If the Sun Rise and appeare betimes and go to bed againe as they call it then they looke for ill weather ere night you may observe it while you will it never fayles If Conscience in a young Professor be up betimes and then go to bed againe such a man hath sorrowes and miseries following upon his spirit and many an ill storme he must expectere he die The losse of Conscience to a man is like the losse of the sting to the Bee shee gathers no more Honey but becomes a Drone and is expelled out of the Hive Losse of Conscience makes a man to be as Nabuchadnezar when he had lost his Reason It was the losse of his Kingdome He was Deposed from the Throne driven away by Dan. 4 33 34 36. his people acknowledged no more for a King nor looked upon as a man but a fit companion for Beasts till he looked up to God and received his reason againe A man rejecting Conscience is like Saul rejecting the word of God rejected and cast off by God for it 1 Sam. 15. 26. Thou hast rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord hath rejected thee Because thou hast despised knowledge God hath despised thee Hos 4. 6. The losse of Conscience to a man some time acquainted with it and guided by it is like the losse of the Star to the Wise men Mat. 2. it is as much as the losse of all thy Grace and of all thy Peace all thy comfort is worth It is the losse of Christ They had not their joy againe till they saw the Star again nor could they go to Christ without it CHAP. XXII The use of Terror to four sorts of men THe next Use speaketh Terror and that in particular to four sorts of men 1. To such as have no care to get or keep a good Conscience nor to avoid an evill All the diseases of the soul are bred first in an evill and vicious Conscience all the torments miseries of Hel are epitomized in an unquiet and self-tormenting Conscience Suam secum Gehennam Portat Ipsa testis Ipsa judex Ipsa Torter ipsa carcer This man carries his Hell along with him where ever he comes or goes he carries his offence his accuser his witnesse his Judge his Jaylor his tormentor with him This is the sad melancholly Ague which will set thee a shaking that no fire can warme Sua quemque fraus suum facinus suum scelus sua audacia de sanitate ac mente Deturbat Hae sunt improrum furiae hae flammae hae faces Cicero Cur tamen hos tu evasisse putes quos diri conscia facti mens habet attonitos surdo verbere caedit occulto quatīente animo tortore flagellum Juvenal Sat. 13. thee nor canst thou get any heat within thee and though it may intermit and leave thee for a day or two it is but gathering strength to assault thee more fiercely when the next fit comes None can altogether excuss and extinguish Conscience let him do what he can snub'd it may be betrayed it may be as Sampson was Imprisoned it may be you may cut his locks put out his eyes make him grinde and be thy slave and drudge thou maiest be so secure as to make sport with him yet will his locks grow againe his strength will returne and he will be revenged
his head this is the day it hath longed for and the place where it desires to be heard 1 Joh. 3. 20 21. Hereby we know saith the Apostle that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him for if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence or boldnesse before God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Libertatem aut audaciam quid vis dicendi This will make the Godly man in that great Audit to give up his account with joy and not with grief 4. To all Eternity Conscientia bona perfectè tranquilla et laeâ—a est formalis essentialis beatitudo sanctorum in vita futura Ames de Cons l. 1. c. 15. Lastly which is above all it leads him the way ad Gloriosè Regnandum aeternùmque Triumphandum It is the step to the highest glory and is the state of highest Beatitude To be feasted with the fruits of a good Conscience this is Angels food and one of the sweet-meats of Heaven As the evil accusing and tormenting Conscience is one of the greatest miseries in Hell causing the fire never to be quenched because their worm never dieth So the good Conscience is one principal Delicate in Heaven Therefore in that day Christ will not onely tell the Godly how much he hath done and suffered for them but he will tell his Father what they have done and suffered for him I was hungry these have fed me thirsty these gave me drink These have kept the word of my Patience These were not ashamed of my Name where Satan had his Throne These have kept their Garments unspotted therefore they shall walk with me in white Hence it is that the Crown of Glory is not onely called a Crown of Grace because the gift of God But the Crown of Righteousnesse because the Reward of this warfare for faith and good Conscience Then shall the Godly be satisfied from himself and the fruit of his hands shall be given him Then shall flow Pro. 12. 14 forth from the belly of each Beleever Riverâ— of living water rivers of Peace Joy Comfort to all Eternity where Repentance and Faith and Hope and Patience and Knowledge and Tongues and Prophecying shall cease there shall good Conscience continue and in it Life and Joy and Glory Consider on the other side the miseries of an ill Conscience in every condition both in Mot. 4 life death and after both First in life In midst of prosperity he can have no security Job 20. per totum read especially ver 16 17 22 23 24. He shall suck the poyson of Asps the Vipers tongue shall slay him He shall not see the Rivers the Flouds the Brooks of Honey and Butter In the fulnesse of his sufficiency he shall be in straights Every hand of the wicked shall come upon him when he is about to fill his belly God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him and shall rain it upon him while he is yet eating c. and so Job 15. 21. A dreadful sound is in his ears in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him As Adonijah in the day of his Coronation riseth from the table he and all his Guests fly and shift for themselves a short Reign a mourning Feast Or as Belshazzar in his Banquet when he sees the Hand-writing dread and horrour seizeth on him And as the Syrians upon a secret noise God caused 2 Kin. 7. 6. them to hear fled disorderly from their Tents leaving all their wealth and good chear a booty to the hunger-famished Israelites What torment like that of an ill Conscience of which that forenamed Authour Dr. Stoughton ubi supra excellently speaks All outward blessings saith he cannot make that man happy that hath an ill Conscience no more than warm cloathes can produce heat in a dead carkasse if you would heap never so many upon it There is no peace to the wicked Aut si pax bello pax ea deterior For this man in his greatest fortunes is but like him who is worshipt in the street with cap and knee but as soon as he is stept within doors is cursed and rated by a scolding wife Like him that is lodged in a Bed of Ivory covered with cloth of Gold but all his bones within are broken Like a book of Tragedies bound up in Velvet all fair without but black within the leaves are Gold but the lines are bloud O the rack O the torment O the horrour of a guilty mind There is no hell so dark as an evill conscience Secondly but much more in adversity ill Conscience that hath long lien silent and quiet is apt to cry out and fly in the face as Josephs Brethren in their distresse were forced to cry out Gods hand was just upon them Their sin which was before Peccatum susurrans is now Peccatum clamans such cry out as Saul in his distresse I am sore distressed the Philistims make war upon 1 Sam. 28. 15. me and the Lord hath forsaken me and answers me no more then poor soul he goes to hell for comfort and accordingly he sped Such have neither Joy in Life nor Hope in death Vtrinque timidi as Eusebius Euseb l 6. cap. 42. speaks of some in the time of the Persecution under Decius Cowardly and unsound Christians who were timidi cum ad moriendum â—um ad sacrifiâ—andum A lamentable case neither would their Conscience serve to let them Sacrifice to the Heathen Idols nor would their heart serve them to die for refusing So were they in a miserable strait between two dangers of losing Life and wounding Conscience and could no way satisfy themselves whereas good Conscience had seen in such a case what was presently to be chosen Ill Conscience never made good Martyr yet But there are three times especially wherein ill Conscience proclaimeth Terror and Rev. 8. 13. as the Angell in the Revelation flies over the head of a sinner crying Woe Woe Woe First One Woe in life Secondly Two Woes at death Thirdly But Three Woes at the day of Judgement 1 Woe in this life The first woe is in this life But this how dreadfull soever is the least because the shortest and hath an end in a little space of a few dayes or years therefore it is said the first woe is passed but behold two worse woes come shortly upon it Rev. 9. 12. The Second woe is at death This is a great 2. Woe at death woe double to the former the furnace is heated seven times hotter than it could be in this Life And as the Apostle saith of the Godlies afflictions all the sufferings of this present time are not to be compared to that Glory that is to follow so may we say all the sufferings of this life to the wicked whether in Body or in Spirit are nothing to be compared to those that follow This is a long lasting woe But yet of the second woe it is also said
his Wine to wash cleanse and search it if defiled his Oyl to mollifie supple and heal it if bruised festered This is the first and great Experiment to be used The second is like unto it namely this 2. The Spirit of Christ to get and seek the Spirit of Christ which is the next principal ingredient in or efficient of a good Conscience It is the Spirit of God with our Spirit that makes the good Conscience In this sense we may allow that of Origen That Conscience is another Spirit in the soul therefore the Apostle saith of his Conscience that it did bear him Rom. 9. 1. witnesse in the Holy Ghost The single Testimonie of natural Conscience is not much to be regarded in many cases but when Conscience is cleared by the Spirit and seconded with the Spirit the Testimony of these two is great and weighty the Spirit of God witnessing thus to our spirit is the clearest Testimony of Rom. 8. 16. of our Adoption and Salvation which thy Conscience alone is not to be credited in for what could the light of our body the eye see and discern if it were not for the light of the Heaven the Sun we should have a continuall Night So without the Spirit the light of God what can Conscience our light see and discern of the things of God Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2. 10 11 12. that God doth reveal unto his servants the deep mysteries of the Gospel by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him So the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we may know the things which are freely given to us of Cod c. So that wheresoever the spirit of God is there is the good Conscience where it is wanting Conscience cannot be good Where the naturall enlivening Spirit is absent or departed there is no life or vegetation or sense or reason or motion but all death darkness coldnesse c. So where the enlivening Spirit of Grace is wanting to the soul there is no life sense motion comfort but all is dead within and all the works are but dead works But where the Spirit is there is life there is light there is liberty and there is purity there is peace and there is grace there is comfort and there is Conscience there is indeed all 2 Subservient means The subservient means are thirteen whereof the first six direct us what to do the other seven what to avoid First of all those subservient means next to Christ Jesus himself and his Spirit which are the principal Faith is to be sought to 1. Faith make thee a good Conscience Thefore how often do we find faith and good Conscience joyned This next to the bloud of Christ and the purifying water of the Spirit hath the greatest cleansing virtue Act. 15. 9. Christ hath given faith for this end to purifie the heart Where faith is pure the Conscience is pure this makes the good and mends the bad Conscience Faith and good Conscience are made one for the other as the woman and the man to be fellow-helpers each to other Faith is Consciences Keeper Conscience again is Faiths These two like Jonathan and his Armour-bearer may discomfit a whole Hoste 1 Sam. 14. of Philistins when they keep together nothing is hard for them to undertake or like Saul and Jonathan lovely in life and undivided in death Faith and good Conscience do many a good office each for other and are forced to unite in a league offensive and defensive In an offensive league as Simeon and Judah Jud. 1. 3. the one must help the other to expell the Canaanites out of his Coast first and then proceed to expell them out of the others Coasts after Good Conscience helps to expel the Canaanites of fear distrust and despair out of Faiths coasts and to slay Sheshai Ahiman and Talmai these Jud. 1. 10 three sons of Anak and faith again layes to his helping hand to expel the Canaanites of fear guilt deadnesse dulnesse erroneousnesse and Scrupulousnesse out of Consciences coasts And in a defensive league they are joyned as David said to Abiathar Abide with me fear not so saith Faith to Conscience Abide with me Conscience for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life but with me thou shalt be in safety 1 Sam. 22. 23. Faith is the white Alabaster-box in which Consciences pretious Oyntment is put Faith is the bottle into which the wine of good Conscience is poured So again Conscience doth as much for Faith Faith is the light good Conscience is Faiths lanthorn the lanthorn shews forth the light within the lanthorn defends the light from winds and weather without that it be not blown out Conscience holds forth the light of Faith to be seen of men Conscience defends faith that it be not put out Faith is the Apple or sight of the eye Conscience is the eye-lid no eye-lid can see or doth it profit the body at all without the sight within nor can the eye see long if it have not the eye-lids to defend it from Sun dust smoak and the like annoyances and to keep the sight clear So what is Conscience without Faith but a blind and blundering Conscience And what is Faith without Conscience but as a naked weak raw sore eye A three-fold faith necessary to good conscience 1 Justifiing Faith Now this Faith that makes and keeps a good Conscience is three-fold First Justifying Faith there must be apprehending and applying the bloud of Christ Act. 15. 9. This is principally necessary to be sought this fides quâ creditur is the fides qua vivitur the fides quae creditur is not sufficient without this Secondly Doctrinal faith this is the faith 2 Doctrinal Faith here spoken of Hold faith and a good Conscience that is the sound Orthodox faith contend for it continue in it From this Hymenaeus and Alexander swerved and then left the plain path of good Conscience Say not any man is sound in faith and of a good Quam tu secretus es Deus solits magnus lege infatigabili spargens paenale â—caecitates super illicitas cupiditaâ—eâ— Aug. Conf. l. 1. Conscience who is unsound in Judgement and opinions Corrupt opinions breed corrupt Consciences and corruption in morals usually follows the corruption in intellectuals Here begins commonly the first step backward to all Apostacy and the first step forward to all impiety It is a sad story of the Emperour Valens who while he was among the Orthodox had gained much Glory in the Church he had stood firme in the time of Julian the Apostate together with his Brother Valentinian chusing rather to lay down all his Military Honours and imployments than
Christ and the Spirit Good Conscience must observe the eye voice beck finger and every motion of Christ Judas hereby shewed himself to be a man of no Conscience unlesse a seared that he could stand all those throwes and never shrink for the matter he was nothing moved at the sop given nor those plaine expressions in words at length and not in figures He to whom I give this dipped sop is the man whose heart is dipped in Treason and Bloud to be my betrayer and murtherer Wo be to him by whom the Son of man is betrayed It had been good if that man had never been born He stood all these he stayed he puts off all these with an impudent Is it I He swallows the Sop he could now drink up Jordan out he goes and out goes Conscience and in goes Satan first hastening him to his sin then posting him to ruine All this came upon a non-advertency to hints and warnings and checks and reproofs As it is a fearful judgement Cains judgement to fear where no fear is so it is as foul a sin Judas his sin not to fear where fear should be What a hell is it for a man to be Conscience-proof or for Conscience to be Sermon-proof Terror-proof Correction-proof Thou hast smitten them O Lord Jer. 5. 3. but they have refused to receive correction They have made their faces harder than a rock they have refused to return These come to be past reproof and then to be given over to a reprobate Rom. 1. mind To be like the Smiths dog who is so long accustomed to the sparks flying and the noise of the bellows that he sleeps under them But Solomon hath a sad warning to such He that being often reproved hardneth Pro. 29. 1. his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy But on the other side Peter recovers Conscience by a wise observing these hints Christ had fore-warned him Ere the Cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice he lays up these words yet being surprized on the sudden through infirmity he falls Repentance awakens him he hears the Cock crow his heart trembles he reflects on himself casts his eie back upon his Master then sees his Masters eye fixed on him He minds the eye he reads the meaning he leaves the place goes out weeps and recovers himself and is again received by Christ Observe thou still the looks and calls and smiles and frowns of Christ and learn to say This is the Voice of my Beloved this is my duty this is the voice of the Rod and this is the meaning this is the writing of Christ and this is the reading Listen as attentively next to the hints 4. Means of Christ to the mutterings and whisperings of thy own Conscience learn the language and observe the discourse of thy own Conscience mind what intelligence it brings thee home There is more in this than every one is aware of Many deal with suggestions and checks of Conscience as Josephs Brethren did with him when he told them of his dreams they accounted them one while as the wild notions of an idle brain then they derided him and called him the Dreamer another while Gen. 37. 11. they looked upon them as the malipert evaporations of an aspiring mind then they envied him But his Father thought there was something in it therefore he marked and observed his sayings Take notice what news Conscience brings thee home every day as Joseph did to Jacob of his sons Be not afraid to speak with thy self face to face Decline not this personal Treaty with thy self Send Amaziahs challenge to thy Conscience Come let us see one another in the face 2 Chron. 25. 17. Commune often with thy own heart Psal 4. and thus David tells us he himself did Psal 77. 6. when he had been much out of order his spirit overwhelmed his mind troubled he thought his Conscience might have somewhat to say to him he desires a right Vnderstanding may be had therefore he seeks a conference I communed with my own heart saith he and my spirit made diligent search I heard what Conscience had to charge me withal and Conscience made a search and heard what I could say for my self These Soliloquies are our best disputes and the most usefull conferences Such Solitude is better than Society sometimes Man is best company for himself Be thou daily in this Counting-house and take a turn every evening in old Isaacs walks Go out and meditate Gen. 24. 69 shall I say or go in and meditate Wee read Gen. 1. that God viewed every dayes work what it was before it passed out of his hands and saw that it was good ere he left it and before the Sabbath he took a review of all he had done in the six dayes before Observe thou each day what were thy actions this day what were thy passions See what words fell from thee what purposes and thoughts were in thee Didst thou well or no to be so angry or to be so merry So to be silent or so to speak Didst thou not vainly discover thy self as one of the vain fellowes use to discover themselves Especially before 1 Cor. 11. 28. the Sabbath or the Sacrament view all thy works and take thy self to task by a serious self-examination Be not a stranger to thy self live much Non venitur ad bonam Conscientiam nisi per cordis custodiam Bern. at home nec te quaesiveris extra Fear not to be alone whomsoever thou trustest to be thy Cash-keeper be thou thine own Conscience-keeper If any be so ungracious as to say who made me my Brothers Keeper Tremble thou to be so unnatural as to say who made me my own Keeper what an ill account of his Stewardship will that man give up who can say I have been diligent in all things which I took in hand but my own Vineyard have I not kept I presse this the more because Cant. 1. 6. it is so necessary and near a way to a good Conscience I say again be sure to be well versed in thy own heart feel thy own pulse how it beats wind up this Watch every night see how it goes every day see if it be not down and have done going Be not like the Elephant who loves not as they say to see his own face therefore never drinks but in muddy waters Be not as was said of Cain Cordis tui fugitivus A vagabond from God and a runnagate from thy self Hear thou when Conscience speaketh that God may hear thee when thou speakest else Conscience will tell thee though thou wilt not hear it speak to thee now he will be heard before thy betters another day what it hath against thee What a shame is it to thee if thy own Conscience can give no better testimony of thee than Nabals servants did of him Our master is such a man of Belial that none i Sam. 25. 17. may speak
to him Be sure to carry it fair with thy self and keep peace at home that thy house be not divided against it self and so end in ruine Miserable it is if man and wife live at discord God is not there What is it when a man disagrees with himself Or be sure if there be any discontent here to get all composed Deliver thy self as the Roe see whether thou be in fault or thy Conscience Austin tels us how he had many Quae non ad me dixi quibus verberibus flagellavi animam meam a round bout with himself after that God had shewed him his sin He went aside and chode himself Then into a private Garden he got where none might interrupt him and there his Conscience and he were wrangling till God agreed them and made them friends These fallings out breed the strongest friendship both with God and thy self In hortum abiit tum in illa grandi rixa domus interioris quam fortiter excitâram animam meam in cubiculo nostro corde meâ— in hortulum abstulerat me tumultus pectoris mei ubi nemo impediret ardentem litem quam mecum aggressus eram Aug. Conf. l. 8. c. 7. 8. Fifthly yet so we must hearken to and The fifth Means Vnicuique suus liber est Conscientia c. Et ideo scribi debent libri nostri ad exemplar libri vitae si sic scripti non sint saltem corrigantur confer amus itaque libros nostros cum libro vitae â—â— forte in illa ultima discussione abiiciantur si non fuerint emendati de Consc lib. 1. cap. 9. confer with Conscience as also to confer Conscience with the Scripture That is the Book of life as Bernard saith and according to that our Conscience must be copied or corrected Let us therefore saith he compare and confer our books with Gods book lest in that day our books be rejected as false and faulty when they come to be examined See therefore if thy Copy be according to the Original The Christian grows judicious when he reads not Scripture cursorily but when he diligently conferreth place with place and Scripture with Scripture Conscience is to be compared with the Bible and examined by it The able and expert Divine rests not in perusing a Translation be it never so good bur confers the Traslation with the Original Conscience is but a Translation at the best and in most the most corrupt Translation this vulgar Translation had not need be made authentick and Canonical But thou must search the Scriptures and not trust thy own judgement too far Keep thy Watch still going as I said before but see thou that it be right set not by thy neighbours clock or thy own guesse but by the Sun-dial Conscience is indeed unto a man a kind Solis Canonicis libris debetur fides caeter is omnibus judicium Luther of Scripture yet at most but Apocryphal not Canonical Apocryphal it is therefore not to be denied reading Canonical it is not therefore not infallible Nothing is to be taken Dogmatically from the Apocrypha say we unlesse it be contained in the Scripture So far we receive them as they consent with Scripture no further So far receive thy Conscience A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is not so as it should be heard for it self but it is secundariae authoritatis lectionis allowed it may be when it holds a consonancy with the written word The grossest Idolatry in the world saith a learned Divine is to make thy self the Idol and as bad a Rutherford Papacy as that at Rome to make a Pope of thy own Conscience Thy Conscience is indeed thy Rule but it must then be Regula Regulata it may not be Regula Regulans et primaria that is it is a Rule ruled by another not giving Rules but when from that other Rule Conscience is to every man his Law to himself Rom. 2. 15. but this law is to be written out as the King was commanded Deut. 17. 18. 19. to write his Copy out of Gods law and then to read therein all the dayes of his life Conscience may be to thee thy Aaron in stead of a Prophet but it must then have his Moses with it to be to it in stead of God This consideration alone well weighed would resolve what is to be done in many cases and may direct in many passages Nothing is more ordinarily pleaded than Conscience Conscience It is my Conscience say most what ever is their practise or opinion and if Joab take Sanctuary here he thinks himself safe secure that none may remove 1 Kin. 2. 28 31. or trouble him but a Solomon will fetch him thence or he may die there It is my Conscience saith the Papist the same saith the Jew the same a Mahometan and I will die for my Conscience The same may an Antinomian an Arminian or Anabaptist say and I will not goe against my Conscience c. I but is it a good Conscience a well informed and enlightned Conscience My Conscience bids me do thus say men often I but what doth God bid Conscience do Had not Adam fallen we should have needed no other Rule but our own Conscience Now we have a Law written and Proclaimed we must not make Conscience the Supream Law but the subordinate In the integrity of my heart may Abimelech say when it was but Gen. 20. 3. a blind integrity And Jonah being challenged for his frowardnesse Doest thou well Jonah to be angry he replies yea so well as Jonah 4. my Conscience is satisfied that I could die in this mind and thus I would do if it were the last thing I should say or do Chrysostome blamed those that are curious and choise what money they take who will refuse to take that which they know not Nisi ipsi videant numeros calculos constare they wil look for the figures and for the right Stamp But in matters of Conscience and in points and practises of Religion â—re easily over-reached Simpliciter se huc illuc ferri patiuntur Cum sint ab autore spiritu sancto dicuntur autoritatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 veritatisque 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chamier de canon fid l 4. c. 1. Cui subjic iÌ„ oportet omnem pium intellectum Aug. 6. Means Vel Deum interpellet inquirat aut consulat nam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is the highest honour and perfection of the holy Scriptures that they coming from an infallible hand and written by the divine inspiration of an un-erring Spirit have this Prerogative above all other persons writings and opinions that they are of undubitate and unquestionable Authority and of infallible certainty to which every thought and reasoning of man must be brought into subjection Conscience is indeed to have a negative voice so that nothing is to be done without his assent and good liking
But Conscience must not challenge an Arbitrary and illimited power to act or determine any thing without advice with his great Councel the Law and the Prophets The last of those means to be used is Prayer which is a great friend to good Conscience The good Conscience makes many a good Prayer There is the particular 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and demand of a good Conscience spoken of 1 Pet. 3. 21. which learned Beza understands of prayer Quo fit ut bona Conscientia interroget Deum he renders it The good Conscience never undertakes any thing saith he without prayer and asking counsel at the mouth of God Good Conscience hath ever one eye Conscientia sanctificata ab uno Deo pendet illum invocat nihil nisi eo consulto et ore ipsius interrogato aggreditur Beza in 1 Pet. 3. 21. Act. 10. 2. Job 27. 10 upon God to observe his precepts and the other to beg his direction Conscience cannot be kept sweet but in this perfume of Prayer Observe and you will find the man frequent in prayer ordinarily a man of Conscience But the man of Conscience ever a man of Prayer This was the Testimony given of Cornelius that he was a Devout man fearing God with all his house gave much alms to the People and prayed to God alwaies But the Hypocrites saith Job doth not delight himself in the Almighty nor pray alway to God There can no Conscience be made of any thing where Conscience is not made of Prayer They call not upon God saith David what is Psalm 14. he then lesse than a practical Athiest And Job again makes the highest pitch of impiety this to say to God depart from us we desire Job 21. 14 15. not the knowledge of thy wayes What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit shall we have if we pray unto him Dost thou then desire a good Conscience Pray with Salomon O Lord give me above 1 Kin. 3. 9. all givings a wise and understanding heart that I may know how to go in and out before thee And with David Lord Create in me Psal 51. a new and a clean heart and renew in me a right spirit Lord be thou still searching and keeping this my heart it is too much for me to keep it is too deep for me to search it is too subtil slippery and deceitfull for me to know Lord try my reins Lord make me know my self O Lord keep me and my Conscience with all keeping keep me as thou wouldest keep the apple of thine eye that thou keeping my Conscience my Conscience may keep faith that faith may keep Christ that Christ may keep my soul in perfect peace Without peace what is life worth Without Christ I can have no peace without faith no Christ without Conscience no faith and without thy keeping no Conscience and without prayer no hope of thy keeping O Lord set thy Angel with his flaming drawn two-edged sword turning every way before the door of my Conscience to keep and guard it from being either forced or defiled Prayer and Conscience make such another association as Judah and Simeon did Help me Jud. 1. 3. good Prayer saith Conscience to drive out the Canaanites out of my Coasts to expell Erroneousnesse deadnesse and hardnesse the three sons of Anak out of my Lot and Territory and I will help thee Prayer to drive out fear distrust and despondency out of thy Lot As those six already mentioned are to be practised to the getting or keeping of the Seven things to be avoided good Conscience so there be seven other things to be avoided 1. Beware even of committing smallest Non solum gravia sed et levia peccata sunt sins and of many things which go for lawfull Wink not at small faults in thy self for so saith Piety In others thou must often so commandeth Charity The least spark may consume the greatest house the least leak vitanda Bern. sink the greatest ship One unclean spirit makes way for seven worse Call not Faith and Troth small Oaths they are more then yea and nay Refrain idle words rash anger vain mirth foolish jeasting yea to say so much as Racha to thy brother that is saith Spanhemius Chrysostomus et illius abreviator Bulgaâ—orum Episcopus statuerunt Raca designare idem quod TU per contemptum Spanhem in Dub. Bern. to say so much as Thou to him in contempt Conscience must beware not onely of telling a malicious lie but of the officious also not onely the pernicious lie to be detested but even the joculatory to lie in jest to please thy companion to excuse thy friend to save thy self is to be refrained Every kind of lying is sinfull because no lie is of the truth Abhor not onely to calumniate and back-bite thy worst enemy but to flatter and sooth thy best friend The greatest spoil made in Conscience had at first but small beginnings Qui otiosum verbum non reprimit ad noxia citò transit et vanus sermo est vanae Conscientiae index Davids carelesse glance and roving eye corrupts his heart there the fire begins he is drawn away presently after and enticed then lust conceives and brings forth sin sin shortly becomes perfect and bringeth forth death A dart striketh through his liver death seizeth on his souls vitals and so low is he brought by this Consumption as to the dust of death Principiis obsta is a good rule How soon were all Peters good purposes promises Protestations forgotten and laid aside he being once ingaged among ill company They all speak against Christ he resolveth not to stand up one against so many to speak in his defence They deny him he denies him they swear he swears they curse he curseth as fast How soon doth the thief in the candle consume it How fast do lesse sins not thrown out vastare Conscientiam and make it flare out presently Peters faint denial first time fetcheth out an Oath next time to back it then he that hath once pawned his Faith to hell by a false oath may now sell his Master for nothing and himself for nought Pèter casts off fear he cuts off his own legs drinketh dammage Lie Swear Curse Lord it is time for the Cock to crow and for thee to look and for Peter to be gone Oh look to beginnings cast out as Pharaoh did the young Children motions to Exo. 1. 16 sin when they are first born Shun occasions Come not nigh unto her corner Stick at a thread and a latchet There are more ill husbands undone as I said before by losse of time neglecting their callings by a little sleep and a little slumber by slight expences now a penny and then a penny then by a hundred pound at a clap these sink suddenly none pittying them the other fall at length but by degrees none observing them Bernard tels us how insensibly by degrees sin grows
set at liberty them that are bruised to proclaim the acceptable yeare of the Lord. And withall to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God But it is noted of them that blessed the people they caused them to erre and they who were so blessed were destroyed Christ commanded repentance to be preached and Es 9. 16. then remission of sinnes to be promised And Lu 24. 47 Acts 20. Paul tells us all his Doctrine was bound up in two Chapters The first repentance towards God The second faith in Jesus Christ But Luther tells us he observed two sorts Theologus Crucis dicit id quod res est Theologus gloriae dicit malum bonum bonum malum of Divines in his time there was one the poore Divine whom he called Theologus Crucis the Divine for the Cross he saith Luther preacheth plainly and tells men how things stand The other Divine is Theologus Gloriae the Divine for the Crowne for preferment Praise The Glorious Divine This saith he is a dangerous and unsound Divine he calls evill good and darknesse light And Luthers prayer was that God would deliver his Church from such glorious A theologo gloriae pastore contentioso â—nutilibus questionibus liberet suam Ecclesiam Dominus Luther Divines The men of thy peace said Obadiah v. 7. Have deceived thee and prevailed against thee they of thy bread have laid a wound under thee c. See therefore if thou wishest well to thy soul whom thou must chuse for thy minister him that is most faithfull most powerfull whose fan is in his hand who is a conscience-convincing a Conscience-scouring and searching man such a one is like to be well skilled in the art of curing and comforting Conscience who seekes to discover the diseases and maladyes of Conscience Affect that ministry then that speaketh more to thy heart then to thy fancy that preacheth more to thy Conscience then thy concupiscence and whose Preaching driveth more at Purity then Liberty But in these dayes how few are found who at all stand upon the ministry of the Word what it is whether Preaching or non-Preaching whether sound or unsound Preaching Heretofore the question was Where dwels the Seer Now a dayes if any be to make a remove and to change his 1 Sam. 9. 9 18. dwelling They make Lots choice enquiring what the Earth is for their Cattle not Gen. 13. 10 what the Ayre is for their Soules and so prefer a Sodom before a Canaan or doe as the Num. 32. 4. 5. Reubenites who because of their Cattle and little ones desired to sit downe on the other side of Jordan though they were further off from the Tabernacle and Temple preferring a Bashan before Jerusalem And if any doe at all regard the Preaching Minister yet how doe they then for the most part make choice of that Ministery that will prophecie to them of Peace and speake smooth things In the first dayes of the Gospell when Christ was new borne there were some Mat. 2. Christian-Gentiles the wise men who that they might finde our Saviour observed diligently the direction of that moving Star of Heaven which went before them and when that not seene enquired for further directions from the standing Stars on Earth the Scriptures they followed both and so were conducted to the place where Christ was whom they found saw and worshipped But now in these last dayes of the Gospel wee have some whom we may call Gentile-Christians who neither regard the moving Stars the Ministers or the standing fixed Stars the Scriptures But without both these Rev. 2. 1. finde out new wayes and follow strange new lights as those who when the Son of man was to be betrayed into the hands of men followed a false Apostle with Lanthorns Torches Fire-brands and weapons as if they meant not to worship but apprehend Christ The former did finde these lost Christ They did honour these put him to open shame they Deify These Crucifie him they Adore these Destroy him They opened their Treasures and give him all they had these strip Christ of all he hath They usherd him into his Kingdome and into the hearts of the Godly these drive him out of the world they prefer'd an Infant obscure Christ before a King before Herod these prefer before a Grown Known and a now famous Messias an Infamous flagitious Barabas About a seven yeares agoe both Parliament and people came in the language of Act. 16. 9. Macedonia to the Godly Ministers come over and helpe us and then they were received Jam. 5. 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. Joh. Baptist among the Jewes or S. Paul among the Galathians as an Angell of God or as he and Barnabas at Act. 14 12 Lycaonia once one was Jupiter another Mercury The double honour was then thought but due There is since a sad change som where that the same men should be looked upon as the chiefe troublers of Israel now made a spectacle to the world Angels 1 Cor. 4. 9 11 12 13. and Men esteemed rather disesteemed as the off scouring of all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is well enough The disciple is no worse yet then his master nor the servant then his Lord. Yet if dust might speak to dust and the Thistle in Labonon say any thing at all to the Cedar in Lebanon I would say that there seemes to me to be more danger to the men of this Generation from the silent dust of the feet of the despised Godly ministers who Jer. 17. 16 neither fight nor threaten nor yet desire the evill day then from all the armed hands and enraged hearts of the most desperate malignants which though they breath out slaughter and cruelty have been but like the Es 7 4 smoaking Tayles of easily quenched fire-brands 4 Take great heed to him whom thou makest thy bosome freind know him well and Oh nimis inimica amicitia Aug. know him to be good Mans wisedome is not seen in any one thing more then in making choice of his company and friend Ill acquaintance hath undone many The instance in the Text tells us how one sinner destroyes much good One corrupt man corrupts another Hymenaeus and Alexander coupled Vvaque livorem conspecta ducit ab uvâ. together They had one infected the other Hymeneus and Philetus 2 Tim. 2. 17. Phygellus and Hermogenes More ill couples still Alexander it is likely marred Hymenaeus Hymenaeus marres Philetus and so comes the Gangrene Gen. 7. 2 to spread Evill persons and seducers as Noabs unclean Beasts go together in couples Simeon Levi brethren in evill Ananias and Sapphira conspire together Amnon had never accomplished his bestial unclean Lust if he had not had the head of Jehonadab to set him in the way Jehonadab was a very subtle man it 2 Sam 13. 3 is said Oh come not into the way of the sinner nor enter
deluded and inchanted with Endoxius an Arrian Bishop he soon cooled in his affections and so staggered in his judgement that they could not tell what to make of him he was neither Fish nor Flesh neither Arrian not Christian But after he fell wholly from his Religion and gave toleration to all manner of Religions to every Nation his own Religion Judaism Paganism all Idolatrous and whatsoever wicked practises were permitted freely onely to preach and professe the Apostolick doctrine prohibited a bitter Persecutor he proved and at last renouncing God to the Oracle he went to enquire of the Devil who should be his Successor 2. To draw to an end The other part of the Exhortation concerns the Minister particularly The Text being a charge or exhortation from a Minister to a Minister from Paul to Timothy to hold Faith and a good Conscience Which the Minister must make good 1. Personally 2. Doctrinally He must be a man of Conscience for his person a man for Conscience in his doctrine 1. In his personal carriage he must be Conscientious that he may be an exemplary pattern to his flock If he be thus a Burning light he shall also be a Shining light to others The Minister must strive to excel others in every spiritual gift in this especially A City set on a hill cannot be hid He must so walk that they may see the law in his steps as well as in his lips He is to be as the Sun the light of the inferiour world is therefore to move regularly steadily uniformly that the Dials and Clocks below may be set right when they go along with this Sun It is said that nothing cuts the Diamond but the Diamond I am sure none is so fit to work upon the Conscience of a man as the man of Conscience The ministers lips then must disperse knowledge to the People but his heart must retain Conscience to himself This little volume Conscience he must be exactly read in whatsoever other volumes he be a stranger to whatsoever language he be defective in he must be well acquainted with that of Conscience It was an excellent speech that of Jerome Discamus in terra quorum Ad Paulin. scientiá nobis perseveret in Caelo Those things are worth learning on Earth the knowledge whereof will be of use in Heaven A saying which famous Paraeus ever had in his mouth and caused to be written in the publike Schooles where he read his Divinity Lectures Learned Beza tels us what was Calvins counsell Cum te 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non vulgari donatum esse videam quâ saepe ad moximos decipiendos viros abusus est Satanas velim te diligenter cavere nè te ullis inanibus arguti is irretias usually to younger Divines in whom he saw any pregnancy of parts to take heed of abstruse Questions and unnecessary controversies lest they should be catched and insnared in the Toyles of wit and so prove unhappy instruments of Satan to pervert others And he further reports he had given the same counsell to himself which he had observed to his dying day and did exceedingly blesse God for The want of observing this counsel was the utter undoing of that Conradus Vorstius a man otherwise of much acumen who carried away with the fleetnesse of his wit and the nicenesse of his spirit after he had read Socinus and such other corrupt writings became a pernicious corrupter of the younger Students who were his hearers and an occasion of much mischief to the Church And since that I am speaking to the Minister I desire to speak two words apart to two sorts of persons that are now in the Ministery The first is to our younger Timothies who as they are to be the Successors of our 1 A particular Exhortation to Timothy elder Pauls when they die so are they their hopes and delights while they are alive To these we can say nothing but good Watch you in all things stand fast quit you like men be strong despise afflictions for the Gospel Look well to the Charge of God the Charge of Faith and of a good Conscience Take heed to your selves and your doctrine Avoid prophane jangling vain bablings oppositions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 6. 21. 1 Pet. 2. ult 1 Pet. 5. 4. of science Pseudo science Study to shew your selves men of God approved workmen that need not to be ashamed Your work and charge is great but your promised assistance greater your reward and crown is greatest I mean not from men but from the hand of the Arch-bishop and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he is called in the day of his great visitation Remember that famous Apophthegm of Mr. Perkins which he wrote in the frontis-piece of all his books Minister verbi es hoc age Thou art a Minister of the word mind thy businesse well Be sure to hold fast the form of sound words as being wel nourished up in the words of faith and good doctrine wherin you have made so great a pro-proficiency Read over over your Directory Pauls Epistles to Timothy and Titus It is the Jesuites instruction to their younger Preachers when they have to do with some persons as Princes and great ones to instill Principles into them quae liberiorem reddunt Conscientiam Abominate ye such policie and compliance as greatest impiety In freer and looser times let your principles be the stricter not the slacker It is the reproach of some Lawyers that it may be said of them they have venalem linguam a tongue to set to sale Take heed that it be not said of any Divine that he hath linguam mercinariam animam venalem a tongue to be hired and a soul to be sold Though you may be younger men for Cum ad edificium arbusta succidimus ut prius viriditatis humor exsiccari debeat expectamus ne si eis recentibus fabricae pondus imponatur ea ipsa curvarentur confracta citius corruant quae immaturè in altum levata videbantur Cur non in hominibus ad animarum curas admitiendis custoditur quod in Lignis Greg. l. 4. ep 95. yeares seek to grow past Neophytes and younger plants which may be easily plucked up by the roots from the ground they stand upon or be bent and bowed by any hand as they stand Gregory very elegantly warneth concerning such as are young and tender Plants That they be not like green unseasoned Timber which if put into a piece of building will warp and bow and break that no weight may be laid upon them Secondly here I must crave leave to give 2. To Hymenaeus and Alexander an Item to Hymenaeus and Alexander who of late Disciples are now become all on the sudden above their Masters more than ordinary Ministers who not sent yet run not being called yet they go and having Jer. 23. 21. left the Anvile and the Forge have taken the sacred Hammer in hand Is
cannot say though he have the better Sword but his enemy may have the better Cause that the other cause may after carry it Fourthly The Conqueror may pay so dear for his victory that he doth not greatly joy in it Ezek. 32. 27. Fifthly The Conqueror may when all is done go down to Hell with his sword by his side and his weapons of war under his head though he was the terror of the mighty in the land of the living and then his iniquity shall lie heavie on his bones But we are more than Conquerours we have overcome to day and shall to morrow our cause is a victorious cause carries not Fortunam Caesaris but Honorem Christi therefore shall go forth conquering and to conquer and let Satan and all his Confederates unite their forces Principalities Powers height depth we fear them not all we are secure of victory and safety O glorious and happy condition when a man hath lost all he is as if he had gained all the world when killed all the day long as if he was triumphing all the day long I suffer and am bound saith the Apostle but the word of God is not bound my Cause is not bound my Conscience Dr. Stoughton in his Sermon before K. James is not bound a man takes no hurt while Conscience is safe Excellently Dr. Stoughton to this purpose Job was more happy when he fate upon the dung-hill than Adam when he sinned in Paradise because though his body were dissolved into worms and every worm acted by a Devill as Origen would have it to increase his torment yet he had not eaten the forbidden fruit which bred this worm of Conscience and made him fly from God The Bride that hath good Chear within and good musick and a good Bridegroome with her may be merry though the hail chance to rattle upon the tyles without upon her wedding-day Though the world should rattle about his ears a man may sit merry that sits at the Feast of a good Conscience Nay the Child of God by virtue of this in the midst of the waves of affliction is as secure as that child which in a Shipwrack was upon a plank in his mothers lap till she awaked him securely sleeping and then with his pretty countenance sweetly smiling and by and by sportingly asking a stroke to beat the naughty waves and at last when they continued boystrous for all that sharply chiding them as though they had been but his play-fellowes O the innocency O the comfort of Peace O the tranquility of a spotlesse mind There is no Heaven so clear as a good Conscience So that learned Doctor Good Conscience is to a man his closest and dearest friend that like Baruch to Jeremy will visit him in prison and will keep his Evidences safe for him in a time of common conflagration and calamity Jer. 32. 11 14. Or rather it is that Earthen vessel wherein alone our Evidences of our heavenly state are put and preserved from being corrupted both our Evidences our sealed Evidence and our open Evidence for a Christian must have two the sealed Evidence of Justification and the open Evidence of Sanctification are kept in this Vrne as Baruch was commanded to put both Jeremies Evidences of his purchase the sealed and the open in an Earthen vessel Yea good Conscience is not onely the Non est utilius remedium nec certius testimonium futerae beatitudinis bonâ Conscientiâ Bern. de in t domo preserver of Assurance but is a part of it for what is Assurance of Salvation but in the originall an Act of Grace passed in favour of a poor repenting and beleeving sinner in the Court of Heaven entred and ingrossed in the Book of Life which because procured by the Price of Bloud is written out in the precious Blood of Christ signed and sealed by the impresse of the Spirit of promise which is the Fathers and the Sons Agent on this behalf and attested by good Conscience as that which sets to his his seal next God and is then delivered into the hand of Faith as Gods Act and Deed for the sole Use and Benefit of a rightly purified Conscience Or Assurance is a Transcript taken out of the book of life that sealed book sealed in the bosome and counsell of the Father now unclasped by the hand of the Lamb written fair out in his Bloud attested by the Spirit of God within and endorsed without with the graces and fruits of the Spirit and at last passed in the Court and entred in the Office of good Conscience This this is the Assurance of the Saints when Gods Spirit attests to our Spirit and again our Spirit doth withal consent with the Spirit of God The other benefit of good Conscience 2 At Death here is at death when as it enables and directs ad benè beatèque moriendum an undertaking that all Philosophy could never make good nor did attempt but did onely promise the way ad benè beatèque vivendum yet fell short of that Conscience is the way to well-living it is the onely way to well-dying This gives rejoycing as the Apostle saith to him that is under the sentence and stroke of death and is now despairing altogether of this life 2 Cor. 1. 9. Good Conscience as it is sweeter than life so it is stronger than death and the good man and his Conscience are like Saul and Jonathan lovely in their life and which is above all in death they are not divided Hujusmodi comparandae sunt opes quae cum naufragio simul enatent Prideaux History pag. 247 The goods embarqued in good Conscience are the onely goods which will be saved when there is any shipwrack of State or Life And those are the goods we should get said the Emperour Lewes of Bavyer which in a shipwrack can swim out as well as thy self A saying also which Q. Mary is said to have Englished and much delighted in These are two great Benefits in this Life here But there are two greater for hereafter Conscience helping Ad tutò intrepidèque comparendum Ad Gloriosè aeternèque triumphandum 3 At judgment Conscience hath two other kindnesses which it will doe for the Soule beyond those two fore-named in life and death It will stand a man in stead when he is to make his appearance before the Tribunal of God Where Courage dares not shew his face nor Eloquence open his mouth where Majestie hath no respect and Greatnesse no favour and as the Martyr said Where money bears no mastery There good Conscience is known and befriended there it dares appear thither it doth appeal when the King and the Captain and the Great man and the Mighty man and the Chief Commander and the Rich and the Bond and the Free cry to the mountains to hide them and to the rocks to fall Rev. 6. 15. 16. on them that they may not appear Then doth good Conscience lift up