are not so troublesome to the sea as guilt is to the Conscience Therefore as the way to calme the Sea is to calme the winds so the way to quiet and calme the Conscience is to purge and take away the guilt Guilt is in the Conscience as Ionas in the Ship out with him and Sea and Ship are both quiet But how then shall the guilt be purged out of the Conscience That we find Heb. 9. 14. How much more shall the bloud of Christ purge our Consciences from dead works We cannot have a good conscience till we be freed from an evill one The way to be freed from an evill Conscience is to have our hearts sprinkled from an evill Conscience Heb. 10. 22. But what is that wherewith the conscience must be sprinkled to be made good with peace and quietnes the same which we find 1 Pet. 1. 2. The sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ Heb. 12. 24. The blood of sprinkling which speaks better things than that of Abel So then the Conscience sprinkled with Christs bloud ceases to be evill becomes good and peaceable The same Christ that calmed the rage of the Sea by stilling the winds Mar. 4. 39. He arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the Sea peace and be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm the same Christ it is that stils the rage of the conscience by taking and purging away the guilt thereof with the sprinkling on of his bloud His bloud speakes Heb. 12. 24. And speakes not only to God but speakes to the conscience The voyce which it speakes is Peace and be still the same voyce which to his Disciples after his resurrection Peace be with you and then followes a great calme and peace makes the Conscience good But heare the Conscience will inquire how it may come to get this bloud sprinkled upon it to make it thus peaceably good and what is it that applies this calming bloud of Christ I answer therfore That it is the grace of faith therfore it was said before that faith in Christs blood makes peace in the Conscience Faith is the hand of the soule and as the hyssope sprinkle by which Christs bloud is sprinkled upon our Consciences Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evill Conscience And being justified by faith we have peace towards God Rom. 5. 1. Hence that conjunction of faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1. 5. of a good Conscience and of faith unfayned and ver 19. Holding faith and a good Conscience For faith it is that makes a good conscience by making a quiet consciēce Faith is not only a purifying grace Act. 15. 9. but it is also a pacifying grace Rom. 5. 1. It not onely purges our corruption by applying the efficacie of Christs bloud but specially purges our guilt by applying the merit of his bloud So that no faith no peace and no peace no good Conscience A defiled Conscience can be no good Conscience and what defiles the Conscience See Tit. 1. 15. Vnto them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure but even their mind and Conscience is defiled They that be defiled have their consciences defiled but how come they and their Consciences so To them that are defiled and unbelieving Therefore an unbelieving Conscience is a defiled conscience and a defiled conscience is no good conscience because it can have no peace so long as it is clogged with defiling guilt But contrarily faith purifying not onely from corruption but from guilt by the application of Christs bloud makes the conscience pure and peaceable both There can be no peace of conscience but where there is the righteousnesse of the person There is no peace to the wicked Isa 57. 21. as if he should say an evill unrighteous person cannot have a good conscience where the person is evill there the conscience cannot be good Now faith in Christs bloud makes a mans person good so the conscience becomes good It makes the person righteous and the person being righteous the conscience is at peace for the worke of righteousnesse is peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever Isa 32. 17. with which that of the Apostle sweetly sutes Revel 7. 2. First King of righteousnesse and after that King of peace Our persons must first find Christ a King of righteousnesse by justifying them from their guilt before our consciences can find him King of Salem pacifying them from their unquietnesse Our persons once justified by Christs blood from their guilt and unrighteousnesse our consciences are pacified and freed from their unquietnesse Wouldst thou then have a good conscience Get the peace of conscience Wouldst thou have Peace in thy conscience Get faith in thy soule Believe in the Lord Iesus and get thy soule sprinkled with his bloud and then Heb. 10. 2. Thou shalt have no more conscience of Sin thy Conscience shall be at quiet no more accusing thee nor threatning thee condemnation for thy Sin 2. Repentance from dead workes Though Christs bloud be that which purges the conscience from dead works and so workes peace yet that peace is not wrought in our apprehension neither do we get the feeling of this faith without some further thing Therefore to our faith must be joyned our repentance though not in the making of our peace yet for the feeling of it Many are ready to catch at Christs bloud and if that will make a good conscience they are then safe enough But as thou must have Christs bloud so Christ will have thine heart also bleed by repentance ere he wil vouchsafe the sense of peace A cōscience therefore that would be a conscience having peace must not onely be a believing but a repenting conscience Mat. 3. 2. Repent ye for the Kingdome of heaven is at hand the Kingdome of heaven shall be yours if you will repent ye shall have it immediately upon your repentance But wherein stands this kingdome offered to repentant consciences The Kingdome of God stands in peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. Repent and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Gbost Act. 3. 38. And what may that gift be The fruits of the Spirit are love joy peace Gal. 5. 22. Which though it be to be understood of peace betweene man and man yet also that peace which is betweene God and man is the fruit of the spirit and the love of God shed abroad into our hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5. 5. is the gift of the holy Ghost which he gives to all that by repentance seeke to get a good conscience Blessed are they that mourne that is which repent for they shal be comforted Mat. 5. 4. they shall have the peace of a good conscience which is the greatest and sweetest comfort in the world Many doe trust all to their supposed faith as a short cut and compendious
way to a good conscience but he whose faith doth not as well purifie the heart as pacifie it hath neither faith nor a good conscience It is idle to hope for peace by faith whilst thou livest impenitently in a sinfull course Thou canst have no peace of conscience so long as thou hast peace with thy sins Peace with conscience will be had by war with sin in the daily practise of repentance It it is but a dreame to think of a good cōscience in peace whilst a man makes no conscience of sin They that have a good conscience by Christs bloud may be indeed said to have no conscience of sin as Heb. 10. 2. But yet there is a great difference betweene having no conscience and making no conscience of sin To have no conscience of sin is to have a peaceable good conscience not accusing of sin being sprinkled with Christs blood To make no conscience of sin is for a man impenitently to live and ly in any sin Now let any judge whether these two can stand together that a man may live as he list and make no conscience of any sin and yet have such peace by faith as that he hath no Conscience of sin It is an unconscionable thing in this sense to lay all upon Christ an unconscionable request to have him take away our guiltinesse and yet wee would wallow in our filthinesse still How shall faith remove the sting when repentance removes not the Sin Men seeking peace by faith in Christs blood yet living and lying in their sins without repentance God will give them Iehues answer to Iehoram 2 King 9. 22. What peace so long as the whoredomes of thy mother Iezebel and her witchcrafts are so many So what peace of conscience so long as thine oathes Sabbath-breaches whoredomes drunkennes c. do remain and remaine unrepented of and unreformed It is true of all Sin which is spoken of Romish Idolatry Apoc. 14. 11. They have norest day nor night that is no peace of conscience to any of that religion so of all that live in any Sin they have no true rest day nor night that is as Isaiah interprets it There is no peace to the wicked Peace and wickednesse live not together under one roofe Wouldst thou then have a peaceable heart Get an humbled a mourning and a repentant heart for Sin The lesse peace with Sin the more peace with God and our owne Consciences 3. The constant and conscionable exercise of prayer An excellent meanes to helpe us to the sense of that peace which makes the conscience good Hee that hath a good conscience will make conscience of prayer And prayer will helpe to make a good conscience better Phil. 4. 7. In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made knowne unto God and marke what shall be the fruit thereof And the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keepe your hearts and minds through Iesus Christ See Iob 33. 26. He shall pray unto God and he will be favourable unto him and he shall see his face with joy It is many times with mens consciences as it was with Saul hee was vexed and disquieted with an evill spirit but Davids Harpe gave him ease Prayer is a Davids Harpe the musicke whereof sweetly calmes and composes a distempered and disquieted conscience and puts it into frame againe As in other disquiets of the heart after prayer David bids his soule returne unto her rest Ps 116. 4. 7. So we may in these disquiets of conscience do no lesse The way to get a good peaceable conscience is to have acquaintance with God and when wee have acquaintance with him then shall we have peace Iob 22. 21. Acquaint thy selfe now with him and be at peace Now acquaintance is gotten with God by prayer Zech. 13. 9. They shall call on my name and I will heare them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God Loe how in prayer acquaintance is bred betweene God and his people and acquaintance breedes love and peace and peace a good Conscience Iudge then what pitious conscience they must needs have that make so little conscience of seeking God in this duty of wicked ones the Psalme speakes They call not upon God Psal 14. as much as Isaiah sayes There is no peace to the wicked they are utterly voyd of good Conscience CHAP. V. Integrity of Conscience how procured ANd thus we have seen how the conscience may be good for peace It followes to consider how it may become uprightly good with the goodnesse of Integrity The goodnesse of Integrity is gotten and kept by doing five things 1. Walke and live as Paul in this Text Before God Set thy selfe ever in all thy wayes as in the sight and presence of God who is the Iudge and Lord of conscience Of Moses it is said that he saw him that was invisible Heb. 11. 27. Therfore it is that men walke with such loose and evill consciences because they think they walke invisibly And they think that God sees not them because they see not God An upright conscience is a good conscience and this is the way to get an upright one Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be upright To have God alwayes in our eye will make us walke with upright hearts So Psal 119. 168. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies that is in effect I have kept a good Conscience but how came he to doe it for all my wayes are before thee Conscience as we saw before is a knowledge together that is together with God Now then this is an excellent meanes to get and keepe a good conscience to be carefull to doe nothing but that which we would be content God should know as well as our selves Think with thy selfe before every evill action Am I content that God should know of this But how then may a man bring himself to this Set thy self alwayes in Gods presence and see the invisible God and see thy selfe visible in his eye and know that thou doest nothing which he takes not notice of This well thought upon and laid to heart would make men make much conscience of their wayes The contrary to this is rash walking Lev. 26. when a man walkes so loosely and heedlesly as if there were no eye upon him to view him in his actions 2. Frame thy whole Course by the Dirige gressus secundū verbum tuum Quid est Dirige secundum verbum tuum Virecti sint gressus mei quia rectum est verbum tuum Ego inquit distortus sum sub pondere iniquitatis sed verbum tuum est regula veritatis me ergo distortum à me corrige tanquam ad regulam hoc est ad verbum tuum Au. de ver Apo. ser 12. rule and shape it by the directions of the word of God Gods Word is the Rule of conscience Gal. 6. 16. As many as walk according to
conscience that he ought and it was his safest course to goe out to the Chaldeans questionlesse his conscience prest him to it and bids him goe out Why then goes he not He is afraid Ier. 38. 19. that he shall be mockt Such consciences as will not preferre their owne good word a comfort before the good or ill words of the world Such consciences as more feare the mocks and flouts of men on earth then they doe the grinning mocks of the devils in hell Such as will not preferre the peace of conscience before all other things are meere strangers to good conscience The seventh and last note remaines 7. Note of a good conscience Constancie in good And that is in the Text Vntill this day Constancie and Perseverance in good is a sure note of a good conscience Paul had beene young and now was old and yet was old Paul still still the same holy man hee was Time changes all things but a good conscience and that is neither changed by Time nor with Time Age changes a mans favour but not a good mans faith his complexion not his religion and though his head turne gray yet his heart holds vigorous still Vntill this day And this day was not farre from his dying day And how held he out to his last day Heare as it were his last and dying breath 2 Tim. 4. 7. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith He sayes not I have finished my faith I have kept my life as many may but I have finished my course I have kept the faith He kept his faith till he had finisht his course not only here untill this day but there untill his finishing day So long hee kept the faith and therefore so long a good conscience for as the losing of them goe together 1 Tim. 1. 19. so the keeping of them goe together therefore keeping the faith he also kept a good conscience till he finisht his dayes Vntill this day And yet one would wonder that hee should keepe it to this day considering how hardly he had been used before untill and now at this day the most of those things 2 Cor. 11. 23. were before this day Often under stripes in prisons oft and yet stands constant in the maintenance of the liberty of his conscience vers 24 25. Thrice I suffered shipwracke c. and yet made no shipwracke of a good conscience vers 26 27. in a number of perils in perill of false brethren and yet his conscience playes not false with God neither is it weary of going on in a religious course Here then is the nature of a good conscience and the tryall of it A good conscience holds out constantly in a good Cause without Deflection and in a good Course without Defection 1. In a good cause Let a good conscience undertake the defence of a good Cause and it will stand rightly to it and neither grow weary nor corrupt It will not make shewes of countenancing Pauls cause till he come before Nero and then give him the slippe and give him leave to stand upon his owne bottome and shift for himselfe as well as hee can A conscionable Magistrate and a Iudge who cut of a conscience of the faithfull discharge of his place takes in hand the defence of a good or the punishment of a bad cause will not leave it in the suddes will not be wrought by feare or favour to let Innocency be thrust to the walls and Iniquity hold up the neb but will stand out stiffe and manifest the goodness of his conscience in his Constancie 2. In a good Course A man that is once in a good course having a good conscience wil neither be driven nor be drawn out of that good way to his dying day There be tentations on the right hand and there be tentations on the left but yet a good conscience will turne neither way Pro. 4. 27. but keepes on fore right and presses hard to the marke that is set before it Try it with tentations on the left hand Try it by the mockings and derisions of others whom it sees in good wayes will this stagger or stumble it and make it start aside not a whit but it wil go on with so much the more courage rather Iob 17 6 7 8 9. He hath made me also a by-word of the people and aforetime I was a Tabret Was not this enough to shake others to see such a prime man as Iob thus used thus scorned and mocked not a whit for all this The righteous shall hold on his way and hee that hath cleane hands be stronger and stronger Try it by mockings and derisions personall Si reddere beneficium non aliter quam per speciem injuria potero oequissimo animo ad honestum consilium peâ— medium infamiam â—endam Nemo mihi videtur pluris virtutem nemo illi magis esse devotus quam qui boni viri famam perdidit ne conscientiam perderet Senoc epi. 82. by personall infamy and reproach let a mans owne selfe be derided be defamed this will goe neerer than the former what will this move him out of the way No He will lose his good name before his good conscience See Ps 119. 51. The proud have had me greatly in derision yet have I not declined from thy Law And though Michol 2 Sam. 6. play the flouting foole yet David will not play the declining foole but if to be zealous be to be a foole he will be yet more vile And though Ieremy was in derision daily and every one mocked him yea and defamed him yet he was rather the more than the lesse zealous Ier. 20. 7 9 10. The righteous Psal 135. 1. are like Mount Sion that cannot be removed but abides for ever What likelihood that a puffe of breath should remove a Mountaine When men can blow downe Mountaines with their breath then may they scoffe a good conscience out of the waies of godlinesse and sinceritie Mount Sion and a good conscience abide for ever But these happily may be thought lighter trials put a good conscience to some more smarting and bleeding trials then these pettier ones are and yet there shall we find it as constant as in the former Let the Lord give the Sabeans ChaldeaÌ„s and satan leave to spoile Iob of his goods and children will not then Iob give up his Integrity doe ye not thinke that he will curse God to his face So indeed the devill hopes Iob 1. 15. But what is the issue what gets the devill by the triall onely gives God argument of triumph against him in Iobs constancie Iob 2. 3. And still he holdeth fast his integrity As if he had said See for all that thou canst doe in spight of all thy spight and mischievous malice he holds fast his Integrity untill this day See the terrible trials to which they were put Heb. 11. 37. They were stoned sawne asunder c. and
my choice of your Patronage of this Treatise It would have bin an incongruity to have had the name of a person of an evill Conscience prefixed before a booke of good Conscience I desired a Patron sutable to my subject I presume the very subject shall make the Treatise welcome to you Be you pleased to afford your acceptance as I will afford you my poore prayers that the Lord who hath already set upon your head the crowne of the Elders Prov. 17. 6. Childrens Children and one Crowne of glory here one earth Age found in the Prov. 16. 1. wayes of righteousnes would also in his due time give you that incorruptible crowne of righteousnes and eternall glory in the heavens which that righteous Judge shall give to you and to all those that in the wayes of a good Conscience waite for the blessed appearance of the Lord Iesus Your Worships in all Christian observance IER DYKE The Contents of this TREATISE The Text containes thee Maine Heads The first maine head Pauls Protestation of a good Conscience where five things are considered 1. What Conscience is 2. What a good Conscience is It is good with a twofold goodnesse 1. With the goodnesse of Integritie and this integrity is threefold 1. When being rightly principled by the VVord it sincerely judges and determines of good evill 2. VVhen it doth excuse for good and accuse for evill 3. VVhen it urges to good restraines from evil 2. VVith the goodnesse of Tranquillitie and Peace Here are three sorts of Conscience discovered not to be good viz. 1. The Ignorant Conscience 2. The Secure 3. The Seared 3. The means of getting keeping a good Conscience 1. To get and keepe the Conscience good peaceably or with the goodnesse of peace three things required 1. Faith in Christs blood 2. Repentance from dead workes 3. The conscionable exercise of Prayer 2. To get and keepe the Conscience good with the goodnesse of integrity and to have it uprightly good five things required viz. 1. VValking before God 2. Framing ones Course by the Rule of the VVord 3. Frequent examination of the Conscience 4. Hearkning to the voice of Conscience 5. In cases of questionable nature to take the surest and the safest side 4 The markes and notes of a good Conscience and they be seven 1. To make Conscience of all sinnes and duties 2. To make Conscience of small sinnes duties 3. To effect a Ministery that speakes to the Conscience 4. To doe duties and avoid sin for Conscience sake 5. Holy boldnesse 6. To suffer for Conscience 7. Constancie and Perseverance in Good 5. The Motives to a good Conscience and they are five 1. The incomparable comfort and benefit of it in all such times and cases as all other comforts faile a man and wherein a man stands most in need of comfort The Cases or times are five 1. The Time and case of Disgrace and Reproach 2. The Time of common feare cōmon calamity 3. The Time of sicknesse or other Crosses 4. The Time of Death 5. The Time and day of Iudgement 2. That a good Conseience is 1. A feast for 1. Contentment and satisfaction 2. Ioy and Mirth 3. Societie 2. Better than a feast for 1. The Cotinuance 2. Independency 3. Vniversalitie 3. Without a good Conscience all our best duties are nought 4. It is the Ship and Arke of Faith 5. The misery of an evil one 1. In this world in respect of 1. Feare 2. Perplexitie 3. Torment 2. in the world to come The second Maine Head Ananias his insolent injunction Whereout is observed 1 What is the respect a good Consciēce finds in the world 2. The impetuous injustice of the enemies of good consciēce 3. Who cōmonly be the bitteest enemies of good conscience 4. That Vsurpers are Smiters 5. What is a sad fore-runner of a Nations Ruine The third maine head Pauls Answere and Contestation Whereout is observed 1. That Christian patience muzzels not a good Conscience from pleading its owne Innocencie 2. The severitie of Gods Iudgements upon the Enemies and Smiters of good Conscience 3. The equity of Gods administration in his execution of Iustice GOOD CONSCIENCE ACTS 23. 1. And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell said Men and brethren I have lived in all good Conscience untill this day 2. And the high Priest Ananias commanded them that stood by to smite him on the mouth 3. Then said Paul unto him God shall smite thee thou whited wall CHAP. I. The Introduction of the Discourse following THere is no complaint so generall as this that the world is naught His experience is short and slender which will not justifie the truth of this complaint And what think we may the Cause be of the generall wickednes of our Times Surely nothing makes Ill Times but Ill men and nothing makes Ill men but Ill consciences Ill Conscience is the source and fountaine Hominum sunt istae non Temporum Sonec ep 98. from whence comes all iniquities which makes times here so ill How well should hee deserve that could amend ill times There is a course if it would be taken that would do the deed and so cease the common complaint Elisha's course in healing the waters of Iericho must be taken They said of their waters as wee of our times The water is naught and the ground barren 2 King 2. 19. What course now takes Elisha for healing of the waters He went out unto the spring of the waters and cast the Salt in there ver 21. So the waters were healed ver 22. The spring and fountaine of all actions good or evill is the Conscience and all actions courses of men are as their Consciences Out of the heart are the issues of life Prov. 4. 23. the heart and Conscience is the fountaine every action of a mans life is an Issue a little rivelet and a water passage thence Are these waters then that issue thence Naught The way to heale them Nō erit fructus bonus nisi arboris bonae Mutacor mutabitur opus Aug. de ver Dom. Serm. 12. is to cast the Salt into the spring Mend the Conscience and all is mended Good Consciences would make Good men and Good men would make Good Times Lo here a project for the reformation of evil times Were this Project set on foot and a good Conscience set up how should we see prophanation of Gods holy Name and Day Injustice Bribery Oppression Deceit Adulteries and Whoredomes and all other Iniquities how should wee see all these as our Savior saw Satan falling downe like lightning from heaven How should we see them come tumbling downe like so many Dagons before Gods Arke yea tumbled downe and broken to the stumps The onely Arke that must dash and ding downe these Dagons is a good Conscience And if we would well weigh the matter what is there equally desirable with a Ecce quid prodest plena bonisarca cum sit inanis
latitude within the compasse whereof I will bring both those forenamed and all other materiall points which this Protestation doth afford CHAP. II. Conscience described THe maine subject of this Protestation and the ayme of this following discourse being concerning a good Conscience for the more orderly handling thereof consider these specialls 1. What Conscience is 2. What a good Conscience is 3. How a good conscience may be gotten and kept The meanes of it 4. How a good Conscience may be knowne The marks of it 5. The Motives to get and keepe a good Conscience 1. What Conscience is It may be thus described Conscience is a power and faculty of the soule taking knowledge and bearing witnesse of all a mans thoughts words and actions and accordingly excusing or accusing absolving or condemning comforting or tormenting the same I know there be other definitions given by others more succinct and neat but I rather chuse this though it may be not altogether so formall to the rules of Art The rules of love and profit many times may make bold to dispence with rules of Art So I may be profitable I care the lesse to be artificiall It may suffice that this description is answerable to that Auditory for whose sake it was first intended A plaine familiar description agrees well enough with such a people For the better conceiving of it let it be taken in pieces and every parcell viewed severally It is a faculty or power of the soule It is therefore called the Heart 1 Ioh. 3. 20. If our heart condemne us Eccl. 7. 22. Thine own heart knows that thou thy selfe likewise hast cursed others that is thine own Conscience knowes It is also called the spirit of man 1 Cor. 2. 11. For what man knowes the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him And Rom. 8. 16. The spirit it selfe beares witnesse with our spirit that is with our Conscience Not that Conscience is a spirit distinct from the subject of the soule as Origen mistooke but because it is a faculty of the soule therefore the name that is oft given to the soule is given to it If it be asked in what part of the soule this facultie is placed we must know that Conscience is not confined to any one part of the soule It is not in the understanding alone not in the memory will or affections alone but it hath place in all the parts of the soule and according to the severall parts thereof hath severall Offices or acts Taking Knowledge Eccl. 7. 22. Thine owne heart knowes Conscience is placed in the soule as Gods spy and mans superiour and overseer and inseparable companion that is with a man at all times and in all places so that there is not a thought word or worke that it knowes not and takes not notice of So that that which David speakes of God himselfe Psa 139. 3 4. Thou compassest my heart and my lying downe and art acquainted with all my wayes for there is not a word in my tongue but loe thou knowest it altogether Whither shall I goe from thy spirit If I ascend up to heaven c. The same may be also said of conscience Gods deputy it is acquainted w th al our waies not a motion in the mind nor a syllable in the mouth to which it is not privy yea it is thus inseparably present with us not only to see but also to set downe to register and to put downe upon Record all our thoughts words and works Conscience is Gods Notary and there is nothing passes us in our whole life good or ill which Conscience notes not downe with an indeleble character which nothing can raze out but Christs Nam quocuÌ„que me verto vitia mea me sequuntur ubicunque vado conscienscia mea me non deserit se praesens adsistit quicquid facio scribit Idcirco quaÌ„quam humana subterfugiam judicia judiciuÌ„ propriae cons â—ugere non valeo Et si hominibus celo quod egi mihi tamen qui novi maluÌ„ quod gessi celare nequeo Bern. de inter Com. cap. 31. bloud Conscience doth in this kind as Iob wishes in another Iob 19. 23 24. Oh that my words were now written Oh that they were printed in a booke That they were graven with an iron pen laid in the rock for ever Conscience prints and writes so surely so indelebly yea it writes mens sins as Iudah his sin was with a pen of iron with the point of a Diamond and they are graven upon the Table of their hearts Ier. 17. 1. Conscience doth in our pilgrimage as travellers in their journey it keepes a Diary or a journall of every thing that passes in our whole course it keepes a booke in which it hath a mans whole life pend In regard of this office conscience is placed in the memory and is the Register and Recorder of the soule And bearing witnesse This we find Rom. 2. 15. Their conscience also bearing witnesse Rom. 9. 1. My conscience also bearing me witnes 2. Cor. 1. 12. This testimony of our conscience And this the end of the former office of the conscience For therefore it is exact and punctuall in setting downe the particulars of a mans whole life that it may bee a faithfull witnesse either for him or against him For a faithfull witnesse cannot lie Prou. 14. 5. This office it is ready to doe at all times Peccata mea celare non possum quoniam quocuÌ„que vado coÌ„sc mea mecum est secum portans quod in ea posui sive bonum sive malum servat vivo restituet defuncto depositum quod servanduÌ„ accepit Bern. Med. de vot cap. 14. of triall affliction and most of all at the last day the day of iudgement when it shall be more solemnly called in to give in evidence Rom. 2. 15. 16. Their conscience bearing witnes c. In the day when God shall iudge secrets of men At that day it shall especially witnes either for or against a man if our life and actions have beene good it will then doe like the true witnesse Pro. 14 25. A true witnes delivers soules If wicked ungodly it will deale with it as Iob complaines God did with him Iob 10. 17. Thou renewest thy witnesse against me It will testifie according to every mans deeds And this testimonie of conscience is without all exception for in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand and conscience as our common saying is is a thousand witnesses for it is an eye-witnesse of all our actions yea a pen-witnes bringing testimonie from the authentique Records and Register of the Court of Conscience Concerning this testifying office of Conscience that place is worth the noting Esa 59. 12. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee our sins testifie against vs for our transgressions are with vs and as for our iniquities we know them By which place wee may know the
meaning of the word Conscience Conscience is a knowledge together How together First a knowledge together with another person namely with God when God and a mans heart know a thing there is Conscience knowledge together Rom. 9. 1. My conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Co-witnessing witnessing together How together God knows it and witnesses and my conscience together with him knowes witnesses Secondly a knowledge ioyned together with another knowledge for there is a double act of the vnderstanding First that wherby wee thinke or know a thing Secondly there is a reflecting act of the soule wherby we thinke what we thinke and know what we know and this is the action of the Conscience and this ioyning of this secōd knowledge to the first giues it the name of Conscience As here in this place As for our iniquities wee know them that is we know that wee have had evill thoughts and our knowledge tels vs witnesses to vs that we have done so This agrees with Bernards definition that Conscientia est cordis scientia Conscience is the knowledge of the heart namely passively It is the knowing of what the heart knowes which others in better termes have expressed thus Conscience is the recoiling of the soule vpon it self Sutable to that of the Apostle 1. Cor. 4. 4. I know nothing by my selfe As if he had said I know not any thing that I know against my selfe my Conscience doth not witnesse against mee And this second office of Conscience in bearing witnesse is also in the memory And accordingly accusing or excusing absolving or condemning These acts of Conscience we finde Rom. 2. 15. Their thoughts accusing or excusing one another Rom. 12. 22. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that he allows The ground of these acts is this Conscience before actions are to be done determines of their lawfulnesse and unlawfulnesse iudges of them whether they be good or evill And if it iudge them good it inuites stirres vp vrges and bindes to the doing of them Rom. 13. 5. Ye must be subiect for conscience sake that is because Conscience determines it to be good vrges bindes thereunto Hence that phrase in common speech my conscience vrgeth me to it or he was vrged in conscience to do it and I am bound inconscience to doe it Certainly if it judge determine actions to be evill unlawfull then it binds from them So much that speech implies 1 Cor. 10. 27. Eate asking no question for conscience sake So that conscience hath a power to bind to and to bind from Now then when a man in his particular actions doth follow the Prescriptions Dictates Injunctions Prohibitions and Determinations of Conscience and hearkens to the incitements therof then conscience excuses him acquits and absolves him But if in his actions he go against any of these then Conscience accuses him of offence condemns him for that offence The accusation of conscience hath respect unto a mans guilt the condemnation of it unto a mans punishment Accusation is an act of Conscience passing sentence upon a mans action as when conscience tels him This was ill done this action was sinfull Condemnation is an act of conscience passing sentence not onely upon a mans action but upon a mans person as when it tels him Thou deservest Gods wrath for this Sin Conscience in accusing shewes what is the quality in condemning what is the desert of a mans actions And these actions of conscience are in the mind and understanding part of the soule The act of the conscience in the memory determins de facto and tels us what wee have done or not done The act of Conscience in the understanding determines de jure and tels us whether we have done well or ill and so accordingly either excuses or accuses acquits or condemns Comforting or tormenting the same these be the last acts of conscience following the former If Conscience determining prescribing and inciting to good be hearkned unto then it excuses acquits thereupon followes comfort joy hope 2 Cor. 11. 2. This is our rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience Contrarily if Sic in domo propria ◠propria familia habeo accusatores testes judices tortores Accusat me conscientia testis est memoria volūtas carcer timor tortor oblectamentum tormentum Bern. Med. de vot cap. 13. the dictates of Conscience be not regarded it accuses and condemnes and then torments with feare griefe dispaire and violent perturbations in all which is that worme Mar. 9. 44. And these actions of the conscience are in the will and in the affections And thus according to the divers parts of the soule the acts and office of conscience are divers In the memory it hath the office of a Notary Register Witnesse In the understanding it hath the office of a Iudge and an accuser of a Felix and a Tertullus In the affections either of a Comforter or Tormenter The summe of all may be thus knit up Conscience containes three things 1. Knowledge practicall 2. Application of that knowledge to our particular estates and actions 3. Those affections which arise thereupon Now the speciall worke of Conscience consists in the second in the applying our knowledge to our estates actions Now in this application it looks on things past or present simply as things and so it witnesses of them to be done or not done Eccl. 7. 22. Or else it looks at the good or evill of things past present and to come Super nos etiam posuit ad custodiēdum si deliquissent qui accusarent qui testificarentur qui judicarent qui punirent consc quippe est accusatrix memoria testis ratio judex timor carnifex Bern. hom de vill iniq If things past or present seeme good it excuses if evill it accuses bites Rom. 2. 15. If things to be done seeme good it excites urges and bindes to the doing thereof If evill it urges and binds therefrom Now according to these severall acts there follow in us divers affections joy hope feare griefe and the like The whole processe of the worke of Conscience fals within the frame a of practicall Syllogisme as for example Every one that sins in betraying innocent Conscientia Synteresisest qua victi voluptatibus vel furore ipsaque interdum rationis decepti similitudine nos peccare sentinuis Hieronym in Eccl. ca. 1. Synteresis est promptuarium principiorū seu regularum practicarum ejus officium est regulas legis divinae proferre cōsc subministrare ut illarum ope possit censorem agere de propriisactionibus Alsted Theol. Cas cap. 2. bloud is worthy of Gods wrath But I saith Iudas have sinned in betraying innocent bloud therefore I am worthy of Gods wrath Here the Major is knowledge practicall the rule law by which conscience keeps her Court This is Synteresis The Minor that is Syneidesis the proper worke of Conscience applying that knowledge and generall
rule for a mans particular estate or action Here Conscience witnesses concerning the fact judges of the quality of it and accordingly accuses or excuses The Conclusion is the sentence of conscience absolving or condemning and accordingly cheering or stinging comforting or tormenting a man CHAP. III. A good Conscience what it is false ones discovered VVHat Conscience is wee have seene The second thing considerable is what a good Conscience is The Conscience that is good must be good with a double goodnesse 1. With the goodnesse of Integrity 2. With the goodnes of Tranquillity Vprightnesse and Peace these two are required to the constitution of a good Conscience First it is good with the goodnesse of Integrity when it is an upright cōscience This is that which Paul cals A pure Conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. which Phrase a man would almost think in his conscience that the Holy Ghost used on set purpose to stop the mouth of the iniquity of the latter times that should seeke to disgrace all good Conscience with the sarcasme of purity Now the conscience is good with the goodnesse of Integritie and Puritie three wayes 1. When it being informed and rightly principled by the word of God the only rule and binder of Conscience it doth truly and sincerely judge and determine evill to be evill and good to be good As contrarily the conscience is sinfully evill when it doth not determine that to be evill which is evill nor that to be good which is good but call evill good and good evill Such as are the consciences of Ignorant persons who wanting the knowledge of Gods Word and having their consciences blinded through ignorance are not able to judge of good or evill nor to discerne and determine which is which So that knowledge is necessarily required to the goodnes of conscience Rom. 15. 14. Yee also are full of goodnes filled with all knowledge The conscience cannot be good where the soule is naught and that the soule be without knowledge it is not good Prov. 9. 2. 2. When it doth excuse for that which is good and accuse for that which is evill being sanctified by the spirit of grace for the accusation of conscience though it follow upon sin yet it is not sinfull and evill in it selfe but only painfull and troublesome and so opposed to the goodnes of peace not to the goodnesse of uprightnesse according to that trite distinction of Bernard of a good Conscience and not quiet a quiet conscience not good It is the property of a conscience uprightly good to accuse upon any sin committed As contrarily the conscience is sinfully evill when it doth not excuse for good nor accuse for evill The superstitious person omitting his fopperies should be excused by his Conscience wheras he rather receives blame from his Conscience therefore his Conscience is sinfully evill The secure persons conscience is naught because he having cōmitted sin his Conscience is silent and lets him alone and brings in no accusation against him therefore it is sinfully evill It is a witnesse that hath seene and knowne evill and doth not utter it therfore it shall beare its iniquity Levit. 5. 1. 3. When it doth incite and urge us to doe good and doth stay and hinder from evill It is uprightly good when it spurs to good and bridles from evill Heb. 13. 18. For we are assured that we have a good Conscience viz. A conscience that is neither silent to perswade to that which is good or disswade from that which is evil If a man go about or be ready to yield to any thing that is sinful how wil it muster up legions of Arguments how will it wrastle and struggle with a man It will say as Abner to Ioab 2 Sam. 2. 26. knowst thou not that it wil be bitternes in the later end or as Abigail to David 1 Sam. 25. 31. It shall be no griefe nor offence of heart unto thee another time not to have done this evill If a man be negligent or carelesse and drowsie in good duties it comes to him with that voice Ephes 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest or with that Isa 30. 21. This is the way walke in it When it doth thus it is uprightly good Contrarily it is sinfully evill when it doth not incite us to that which is good nor hinder us from doing evill This is a dead and a seared conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. Having their consciences seared with an hot yron 2. It is good with the goodnesse of Tranquility And that is when the conscience is at peace and doth not accuse us because it hath not wherewith to accuse us either because not guilty of such or such a particular fact 1 Cor. 4. 4. I know nothing by my selfe or else because it is assured of pardon in the bloud of Christ by which we come to have no more Conscience of Sins Heb. 10. 2. That is no more Conscience to accuse or condemne for Sin it being done away in the blood of Christ and this is the purged Conscience Heb. 9. 14. which brings Hope Ioy Comfort and confidence with it 2 Cor. 1. 12. This is our rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience Then is the Conscience good when it is peaceable As contrarily then it is evill painfully evill when it is turbulent and troublesome in the accusations thereof and binds over to judgement and so leaves us in shame feare perplexity and griefe 1 Ioh. 3. 20. If our heart condemne us This is a wounded a troubled conscience This is oft the evill conscience of evill men Isa 57. 21. There is no peace to the wicked saith my God Yet may a man have his Conscience uprightly good which is painfully evill for a good mans Conscience may be unquiet and troubled Thus then wee see what a good conscience is that which is uprightly honest and quietly peaceable This being so it serves to discover the dangerous errour of divers sorts of people that are in a dreame of having good consciences and yet having nothing lesse There be three sorts of consciences which because they are in some sort quiet and sting not their owners would have to goe for good ones and yet are starke naught and they are the Ignorant the Secure and the Seared Conscience 1. The Ignorant Conscience Men judge of their ignorant consciences as they do of their blind dumbe and ignorant Ministers Such neither doe nor can Preach can neither tell men of their sins nor of their duties Aske such a blinde guides people what their cōceit is of him what a kind of man their Minister is ye shall have him magnified for a passing honest harmlesse man and a man wondrous quiet amongst his neighbors They may doe what they will for him hee is none of those troublesome fellowes that will be reproving their faults or complaining of their disorders in the Pulpit oh such a one is a quiet good man indeed Thus judge many of their Consciences If their
Consciences be quiet and lie not grating upon them and telling them that their courses are sinfull damnable and that their persons are in a dangerous condition but rather by their silence ignorance and vaine pretences doe justifie them and tell them all will be well enough Oh then what excellent good Consciences have these men They make no Conscience of Family duties once in the yeare to come to the Sacrament serves the turne they are common swearers in their ordinary communication make no conscience of sanctifying Sabbaths c. and their consciences let them alone in all these doe not give them one syllable of ill language oh what gentle good natured Consciences think these men they have But alas what evill consciences have they A good Conscience must be upright as well as peaceable And an upright Conscience is enlightned with the knowledge of the Word and by that light judges what is good what evil when it finds mens actions not to be good and warrantable deales plainly and lets them heare of it A good Conscience hath good eyes and is able to discerne betweene good and evill Now these mens Consciences are quiet and have their mouths shut but whence is it Because their eyes are shut and they are dumbe because they are blind Right Idoll Consciences they want mouths to speake because they want eyes to see So that it may be said of such Consciences as the Prophet speaks of those Watchmen Isa 56. 10. His watchmen are blind they are all ignorant they are all dumbe dogs they cannot barke Their blindnesse bred dumbnesse and their ignorance silence Thus it is with ignorant Conscience What is the reason they barke not but are dumbe and are thus quiet Meerly because they are blind and ignorant But yet as good as men account these consciences now the time will come that it shall fare with them as it did with Adam and Eve after they had eaten the forbidden fruit Then their eyes were opened So the time will come when these Consciences shall have their eyes opened and then also shall their mouths be opened yea wide and loud opened and these now quiet consciences shall both bark and bite too Doe not therefore flatter thy selfe in thine ignorance as if thy condition and Conscience were good because quiet Never account that true Peace which is not joyned with uprightnesse Integrity and ignorance can no more stand together than light and darknesse Integrity of Conscience may be without Peace Peace can never be without Integrity Dumbe Ministers go in the world for good Ministers because quiet ones but the day will come that men shall curse them for having been so quiet So ignorant and tongue-tyed consciences go for good ones but the time will come that men will curse this peace of their Conscience for bringing them so quietly to hell The Masse goes for an excellent good Service because Missa non mordet honest toothlesse devotion it never fastens fang in the hearers flesh So many have Masse-like Consciences toothlesse and tonguelesse Consciences but yet the time will come that as Masse-mongers shall curse their toothlesse Masse so ignorant persons that now glory in their peace shall curse their toothlesse Conscience yea they shall gnash their teeth because Conscience had no teeth and shall gnaw their tongues for anguish of heart because their consciences wanted tongues to tel them of the danger of their wicked wayes that have brought them to so miserable a condition 2. The Secure Conscience As the blind Conscience was like the dumbe Minister so the secure Conscience is like the flattering Minister that Ier. 6. 13. heales the hurt of his people with sweet words and cries peace peace where there is no peace This Conscience wants not an eye but only a good tongue in the head It sees its master to doe evill and knowes it to be evil but either cares not to speak or else is easily put off from speaking sometime it cares not to speake being sleepy heavie and drowsie like those Prophets Isa 56. 10. They are all dumbe dogs they cannot barke What is the Reason Sleeping lying downe loving to slumber A sleepy and heavy-eyed Curre though he see one come into his masters yard or house that should not yet barkes not as loath by his barking to disquiet himselfe A sleepy secure conscience sees many a Sin to enter the soule that should not and yet lies still and sayes nothing is loath to breake his sleepe And yet such Consciences men count good Sometimes it may be it offers to speak as a sleepy dog may open once or twice at a strangers entrance yet is soone snibd the least word of the master of the house makes him whist and quiet So secure Consciences upon the greene wound begin to smart and upon the fresh commission of Sin begin to mutter and to have some grudgings but their master answers them as the friend in his bed did his neighbor desiring to borrow three loavs Luk. 11. 17. Trouble me not for I am in bed I pray thee be quiet let us have no wrangling and brawling it shal be so no more I will cry God mercy I will hereafter find a time for repentance c. and so Conscience being secure is easily put off with a few good words and so closing her eyes and mouth againe gives her master liberty to take his rest And thus the secure Conscience because it is so easily husht and stilled is counted a good Conscience as Nurses counted them good children which though they are ready to cry at every turne yet are easily quieted with some toy But this Conscience is as far from a good Conscience as Securitie is from Integrity Sin indeed sleeps but yet it sleeps but dogs sleepe yea though it sleepe soundly yet it cannot sleepe long Gen. 4. 7. Sin lies at the doore Sin lies asleepe in the Conscience as a Mastife lies at the doore A place where a dog cannot sleep long The doore is the common passage into and out of the house every one is passing to and fro that way and keep such a clattering with the opening and shutting of the doore that there can be no sound or at least no long sleepe No better is the sleepe of secure Consciences which at length like mad band-dogs and fell mastifes will fly in the face of the sinner ready to pluck out the very throat and heart of him The secure conscience can be no good Conscience because it hath neither uprightnesse nor peace both which were before required to the temper of a good one Vprightnesse hath it none for it is not faithfull in its office it doth not witnesse it doth not accuse as it becomes an honest upright conscience to doe Peace it hath none There is a great difference between a peace and a truce in peace there is a totall deposition both of Armes and Enmitie all hostile affections are put off In a truce there is but a suspention
and a cessation of Armes for a season so as during the same there is still provision of more Force and a preparation of greater strength A truce is but a breathing time to fit for fiercer impressions The truce being ended the assaults are rather fiercer than they were before The secure Consciences are quiet not because there is peace for there is no peace to the wicked Quomodo tranquilla cum mundi hujus prosperitas alludit illudit cum laudatur peccator in desiderijs animae suae Born de Conse saith my God Isa 57. 21. But because there is some truce the world smiles upon them and they have outward hearts ease and this brings them asleepe but if any affliction crosse or sicknesse come then they see how far they are from peace Conscience is sometime at truce with secure sinners but during this truce Conscience is preparing Armes and Ammunition against them is levying of fresh forces against them and assoone as the truce is ended be it sooner or be it later have at them with more violence fury fiercenes than ever before And the truce once ended it will easilie appeare what a wide breadth of difference there is between a secure and a good Conscience 3. A Seared Conscience That which Paul speakes of 1 Tim. 4. 2. A cauterized Conscience That is as Beza translates and expounds it A Conscience cut off as it were with a Chirugions Instrument An arme or a leg cut off from the body stab it gash it chop it into gobbets do what you will with it it is insensible it feeles it not Or else as our translation hath it Having their Consciences seared with an hot iron A comparison borrowed from Chirurgerie When a limbe is cut off Chirugions use to seare that part of the Body from whence the other is taken with an hot iron and sometimes they do cures by searing the affected parts with hot irons Now these parts upon their searing have a kind of crusty brawninesse which is utterly insensible which though it be cut or pricked it neither bleeds nor feeles Thus is it with many mens Consciences commit they whatsoever sins they will yet their hearts are so hardned through long custome in sin that they feele no gripings pinches or bitings at all but are growne to that dead and dedolent disposition Ephes 4. 19. Who being past feeling c. It is with such mens consciences as with labouring mens hands which through much labor have a brawny hardnesse growing upon them which is without any feeling One may thrust pins into it pare it with a knife and yet without any trouble or griefe at all Such callous Consciences have many that though they be wounded and gashed with never such foule sins yet their consciences shrink not feele not awhit Their Consciences are like Gally-slaves backs so bebrawned over with often lashing that an ordinary lash will not make them so much as once shuck in their shoulders You have many that can sweare not onely your more civill oathes of faith and troth but those ruffianly and bloudy oathes of bloud and wounds and it never wounds their hearts awhit You have many that can commit foule sins with lesse touch than others can heare of them You shall have black Smiths that are used to the frequent and daily handling of hot iron hold an hot firecoale in their hands and laugh whilst another would roare out There be those that can be drunke day after day that consecrate whole Sabbaths to Venus Bacchus and give themselvs up to foule villanies yet not one twitch at the heart not a snib not a crosse word from their Consciences Estrich-like they can concoct iron and put it off as easily as another weake stomacke can doe gelly They have brought their hearts to that passe the drunkards body is in Pro. 25. 35. They have striken me and I was not sick they have eaten me and I felt it not Their seared Consciences have no more feeling than our sotted Drunkards have in their drunkennesse who though they have many a knocke and sore bruise yet feele it not To this fearefull condition and senselesse and seared stupiditie of Conscience many growe and when they have thus crusted and brawned the same then they have their Consciences at a good passe becavse they heare them not brawling within them Alas how farre are such from goodnesse of Conscience In some sense those have worse Consciences than the Devill himselfe who beleeves and trembles whose Conscience yet is not so seared but it trembles at the thoughts of his deserved damnation And howsoever these seared Consciences are quiet yet there will come a day that this seared crustinesse shall bee scaled off and those Consciences which were not sensible of sinne shall be most sensible of paine though they were past feeling in the committing of sinne yet they shall be all feeling in suffering punishment for sinne God will pare off that brawninesse from their Consciences and will pare them so to the quicke that they shall feele and most sensibly feele that which here they would not feele Tremble therefore at the having of such a Conscience in which there is neither uprightnesse nor peace neither integrity nor tranquility but a senslesse and fearfull stupidity Thus we have seen what a good Conscience is CHAP. IV. Peace of Conscience how gotten IT followes now to know how a man may get and keepe a good one which is the third point which was propounded to be handled A point well worth our inquiring after A good Conscience is the most precious thing that a Christian can have a thing of that esteeme that where it is wanting wee account a man without a Conscience So of a man that hath an ill Conscience we use to say he is a man of no conscience Not that he hath no Conscience the Devils themselves have a conscience and happy it were for them they had none but when a man hath not a good one we esteeme of him as having none at all There is no greater good we can seeke after than a good conscience Let us enquire then how we may get and keepe this so great a good A good Conscience then consisting in Peace and Integrity these two being gotten and kept wee shall get and keepe a good Conscience First then to make the Conscience peaceably good these things are required 1. Faith in Christ and his blood The conscience cannot be at peace till it be purged from its guilt An impure conscience cānot but be an unquiet conscience and every guilty Conscience is impure Guilt is the same to the Conscience that the winds are to the seas Isa 27. 20. 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up myre and dirt there is no peace to the wicked Now that which makes the sea so troublesome and ragingly restlesse is the violence of the blustering winds that trouble tosse it to and fro The winds
this Rule Men must then walke by rule and the Word must be this rule Ps 30. 23. To him that orders his conversation all Christians must be regulars and must live orderly But what is that Rule by which their conversation must be ordered That same Ps 119. 133. Order my steps in thy Word Hee that orders his course by that rule which is the rule of conscience shall be sure to keepe and get a good conscience Hee that will make good worke will work by his rule wheras hee that workes by guesse must needs make but ill worke Whatsoever is not of faith is Sin Rom. 14. 23. That is whatsoever a man doth and hath not warrant for it out of and from the rule of the Word makes a mans conscience in that particular to be evill And therefore v. 5. Let a man be fully perswaded in his owne mind How happy should men be in getting and keeping good consciences if they would lay their lives actions to the Rule The want of this is it that makes men men of so ill consciences Some live by no Rule some by false Rules hence come mens consciences to be so Anomalous Some live by no Rule but doe whatsoever seemes good in their owne eyes goe as their lusts lead them and follow his beck that rules in the Ayre This is also to walk rashly Lev. 26. He that doth things without rule goes rashly to worke Hee that walkes irregularly walkes rashly and no marvell if men have crooked wayes and crooked consciences when they will not live by Rule Some againe live by false Rules and that not onely Popish fictitious Regulars that live by superstitious Rules of their Dominick Francis c. But amongst our selves many have a Rule they doe live by but that Rule is not the Word but some false Rules of their owne devising Such as are these Great mens practice or some learned Inter causas maloruÌ„ nostrorum est quod vivimus ad exeÌ„pla nec ratione coÌ„ponimur sed coÌ„suetudine Quod si pauci facerent nollemus imitari cum plures facere coeperunt quasi honestius sit quia frequentius sequimur recti apud nos locum tenet error ubi publicus factus est Sen. Ep. 124. mans opinion the custome of times and places wherein they live the example of the multitude or some secret blind and self-conceived principles which they keepe to themselves and by which they live All which being crooked Rules must needs make crooked Consciences wheras if men would live by Davids Rule Ps 119. 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and in every action would have an eye and a respect unto the Commandements as he had Psal 119. 6. then should they make straight paths for their feet Heb. 12. 13. and keepe upright Consciences in every spirituall action therefore have an eye to the Word question it whether it be justifiable and warrantable by the Word or no and meddle no further than that will authorize and beare thee out If this course were taken such a good course would make and keep a good Conscience And why should not men be willing to take this course why will we not make that Word our Rule which must be made our Iudge The word which I speak shall judge you in the last day Ioh. 12. 48. The Word shall judge our consciences therfore let it rule and order them And if it have the ruling of our consciences it will make them good consciences and when they are good they need not feare what Iudge they come before nor what judgement they undergoe In summe if we would have good consciences we must make more conscience than is commonly made of reading and searching the Scriptures The ignorance and neglect of this duty is it which banes so many consciences in the world Integritatis tuae curiosus explorator vitam tuam in quotidiana discussione examina Attende diligenter quaÌ„tum proâ—icias vel quantum deficias qualis sis in moribus qualis sis in affectibus quam similiâ— sis Deo vel quam disimilis qua prope vel quam longe c. Redde ergo te tibi si non semper vel saepe aâ— saltem interdum Bern. med de vot cap. 5. 3. Keep a daily and a frequent Audit with thy conscience often examination of the conscience conduces much to the goodnes of it The Prophet complains of his people Every one turned to his course as the horse rusheth into the battel Ier. 8. 6. Here were men far from a good conscience but what was the reason of it He gives it in the former words No man repenteth him of his wickednesse saying what have I done There was no examination of their consciences and courses what they were nor how they were and from hence comes this mischiefe This was Davids course Psa 119. 51. I considered my waies and turned my feet unto thy testimonies When a mans feet are in the wayes of Gods testimonies then hee walkes with an upright conscience and marke how David came to doe so I considered my wayes he used to examine his Conscience The first step to get a good conscience is for a man to know that his conscience before reformation is evill How shall that be knowne without a search When a search hath discovered what it is that makes the conscience and course evill then will Conscience be ready to labour a man to the reformation of that which is amisse and will not cease to urge and ply a man till it be done Frequent examination as it helps to the making of Scholars so to the making of Consciences good Hence mens lying in so grosse neglects of good duties in so many great evils because men and their consciences never reckon Men take not themselves aside into their closets and chambers and there set not up a privie Sessions to make inquiry into their own hearts and wayes and therefore are their wayes and consciences so much out of order Many a man thinks his estate in the world to be very good and thinkes hee growes rich and wealthy when his estate indeed is weak and growes every day worse than other Now what is it that causes so great a mistake Nothing but this that hee never lookes over his bookes nor casts over his reckonings If he had done this he should have seene that his estate was not answerable to his conceit and the knowledge of his misconceit would have made him have lived at a more wary and thrifty rate and have kept himselfe within such a compasse as might have kept up his estate whereas now the not examining his books puts him into a conceit of wealth and this conceit beggers and undoes him It fares no better with too many in their Consciences Laodicea thought well of her selfe Thou sayest I am rich If she had examined her conscience she should have seene that which Christ saw that she was poore blind
naked and miserable and the sight of this would have made her to have sought after that counsell which Christ there gives her Revel 3. Men would have far better consciences if they knew in what ill case their Consciences stand and examination would help them to the knowledge of this If men would but over-looke the booke of their Conscience and see how many omissions of good how many sinfull cōmissions stand registred there it would both make them marvellous sollicitous how to get them wiped out and wondrous wary how any more such Items came there Often reckonings Omni die cum vadis cubitū examina diligenter quid cogitasti quid dixisti indie quomodo utile tempus spatium quod datum est ad acquirendū vitam aeternam dispensasti Et si bene transavisti lauda Deum si malè vel negligēter lugeas sequenti die non differas confiteri Si aliquid cogitasti dixisti velfecisti quod tuam conscientiam multum remordeat non comedas antequam confitearis Bern. form vit honest Suavius dormiunt qui relinquunt curas in calceis would blot out and keep off the score Here is then wisedome for such as desire to keepe good consciences Doe with the workes of thy conversation as God did with the works of his Creation He not onely surveyed at the sixt dayes end the whole worke of the weeke but at each dayes end made a particular survey thereof Doe thou so not onely at the weekes end at thy lives end search thine heart and examine thy course but at every dayes end looke backe into the day past and examine what thy carriage and behaviour hath beene This being done a man shall find his workes either good or evill If good how shall his conscience cheere him with its peace If evil then if conscience have any life or breath in it it will make a man fall to humiliation and to a godly resolution of watching over his waies for the future so shall conscience bee much holpen for integrity Davids counsell is good Ps 4. 5. Examine your hearts upon your beds and his resolution is also good vers 8. of the same Psalm I wil lay me down and sleep in peace Who would not be glad so to sleepe and to take his rest so would we sleep upon Davids pillow sleep in peace then hearken we to Davids counsel to examine our selves upon our beds There is nothing makes a mans bed so soft nor his sleep so sweete as a good conscience It is with Sins as with Cares both trouble a mans sleep both are troublesome bed-fellows as they therefore sleep sweetly that leave their cares in their shooes so they sleepe with most peace that let not sin ly downe to sleepe with them who are so farre from lying downe in their sinnes that by their good will will not let the Sun go downe upon their sin but by examination ferret out the same This being done it may be said as Prov. 3. 24. Thou shalt ly downe and thy sleep shall be sweet Nay further examine thy conscience upon thy bed and thou shalt not onely sleepe in peace but thou shalt awake and arise the next morning with an upright frame of heart disposed to the more caution against Sinne the day following So much David seemes to intimate in that forenamed place Tremble and sinne not That is be afraid to sin take heed ye sin no more But what course may one take to come to that integrity of conscience as to feare to sinne Take this course Examine your hearts upon your beds But alas how rare a practice is this and therefore are good consciences so rare Many thinke this an heavy burden and a sore taske and count the remedy a great deale worse than the disease there is nothing they tremble at more than a domesticall Audit and this reckning with their consciences They say of conscience as Ahab of Micaiah and care as little to meddle with conscience as Ahab with Micaiah I hate him for he never speakes good to me 1 King 22. So they thinke the conscience will deale with them They know their conscience will speake as Iob sayes God wrote Thou writest bitter things against me Conscience hath such a stinging waspish tongue that by no meanes they dare indure a parly with it It is with many and their consciences as with men that have shrewish wives Many a man when hee is abroad hath no joy at all to come home nay he is very loath to come within his owne doores he feares he shall have such a peale rung him that hee had rather be on the house top as Solomon speakes or in some out house and lodge as our Savior at Bethlem in a cratch or a Manger than come within the noise of her clamorous and chattering tongue So many thinke conscience hath such a terrible shrewish tongue that if they shall but come within the sound thereof they shall be cast into such melancholly dumpes as they shall not be able in haste to claw off againe How much and how seriously are they to be pitied that to prevent a few houres or dayes supposed sorrow and sadnesse by which they might come to procure both peace and integrity of Conscience will adventure the rack and eternal torture of conscience in Hell Remember that there is no melancholly to the melancholly of Hell CHAP. VI. Two further meanes to procure integrity of Conscience IN the fourth place deale with thy conscience as God would have Abraham doe by Sarah Gen. 21. 12. In all that Sarah shall say unto thee hearken unto her voice So here if we would get and keep a good conscience in all that it shall say unto us being enlightned and directed by the word hearken unto it Conscience being enlightned hath a voyce and no man but sometime or other shall heare this voyce of conscience Conscience is Gods Monitor to speake to men when others cannot or dare not speak Sometimes men cannot speak as not being privie to other mens necessities and failings Sometimes they may not be suffered to speak as Ahab will not indure Micaiah to speake to him Sometime if a man speake hee may have rough and angry answers as the Prophet had from Amaziah 2. Chron. 26. 16. Art thou made of the Kings Counsell forbeare why shouldst thou be smitten God hath therefore provided every man even great men which may not be spoken to he hath provided them a bosome Chaplein that will round them in the eare and will talk roundly to them one that will be of their counsell in despight of them one that feares no fists dreads no smiting yea one that fears not to smite the greatest 2 Sam. 24. 10. And Davids heart smote him after that he had numbred the people It may be many there were about David that had not the hearts to smite Dauid with a grave reproofe though hee gives leave to the righteous to doe so Ps 141. Let the
righteous smite mee but yet whilst others it may be are fearfull and timorous to doe him that good office conscience is at no demurre upon the point that feares not but smites David for sin Gods Ministers are oft slighted and light set by preachers caÌ„not be regarded but God hath given men a Preacher in their own bosom and this Preacher will make many a curtain sermon wil take men to task upon their pillow will be preaching over our Sermons againe to them And though many will not be brought to repetition of Sermons in their Families yet they have a Repeater in their bosom that will be at private repetitions with them in spite of them and will tell them This is not according to that you have been taught you have been taught otherwise you have been reproved for and convinced of this sinne in the publicke Ministerie c. Why doe not you hearken and reforme Thus then conscience having a voyce and doing the office of a Preacher unto us if wee would have conscience good then in all things that conscience enlightened shall say unto us hearken unto it More distinctly conscience hath a two-fold voyce 1. A voyce of direction telling us what is good or evill what is lawfull and unlawfull Isa 30. 21. And thine eares shall heare a word behind thee saying This is the way walke ye in it That is understood of Ita enim desuper in silento sonat quidam non auribus sed mentibus August in Psal 42. the voyce of Gods spirit in the secret suggestions thereof and such is the voyce also of conscience within us dictating to us and directing us what duties are to be done what courses to be avoyded How many times doth conscience presse us to repentance and to reforme our wayes how often doth it call upon us to settle to such and such good courses and so with David Psal 16. 7. Our reines doe teach it in the night season 2 A voyce of correction and accusation checking and chiding taking up and shipping us when we do amisse So Psal 42. 5. 11. and Ps 43. 5. Why art thou cast downe O my Soule and why art thou disquieted within me And Ps 77. 10. whilst in the foregoing verses he was complaining and using some speeches that might savor of some diffidence see how Conscience doth her office by a correcting voyce And I said this is my infirmitie as if hee had said whilst I was using such different expostulations mine own conscience told me I did not do well CoÌ„science so speaks to us as the Lord to Ionah Ion. 4. 4. 9. Dost thou well to be angry So sayes conscience oft Doest thou well to be thus earthly thus eager upon the world thus negligent and formall in holy duties thus conscience gives her privie nips and her secret checks This is that of which Iob speaks Iob 27. 6. My heart shall not reproch me so long as I live Implying that conscience after sin hath a reproching voice as when it befooles a man as foole that thou art to do this to lose thy peace with God for a base sinfull pleasure Thus Davids conscience reproched him 2 Sam. 24. 10. I have don very foolishly yea Ps 37. 22. it puts the foole and the beast both upon him So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee This is the smiting of the conscience 2 Sam. 24. 10. Conscience first points with the finger and gives direction if that be neglected it smites with the fist and gives correction Now then that which I ayme at is this If we would get and keepe a good conscience then neglect not nor despise conscience when it speaketh Doth thy conscience presse thee to any works of piety to the care of family-worship and privat devotion to the reading of the Scriptures sanctification of the Sabbath c. In any case be so wise as to hearken to the councels to the urgings and to the injunctions which come out of the Court of Conscience Hearken in any case to this Preacher whom thou canst not suspect of partiality malice ill will as thou dost others therby giving way to satans policy that hereby stops up the passages of thine heart that the Word may not enter Here can be no such suspitions conscience cannot be suspected to be set on by others though Ieremy be charged to be set on by Baruch Ier. 43. 3. Therefore hearken to the voice of this Preacher and this will helpe thee to a good conscience Ideo quantuÌ„ potes teipsum coargue inquire in te accusatoris primum partibus sungere deinde Iudicis novissime deprecatoris aliquando offâ—ndete Senec. epist 28. Againe doth thy conscience rebuke thee doth it chide and check thee doth thy heart reproach thee for thy wayes doth it say doest thou well to live in such and such Sins Doth it punctually reprove thee for thine evils Doe not answer conscience as Ionas answered God frowardly Yea I doe well but even close with conscience and doe thou accuse thy selfe as fast as it accuses acknowledge thy folly yield promise and covenant with thy conscience a present and speedy reformation This if it were done how happy should men be in getting and keeping a good conscience But alas how few regard the voyce of Conscience and once hearken to it and the very want of this duty is it which breeds so much ill conscience in the world Men in this case are guilty of a double wickednesse Either they deale as the Iewes with the Apostles Act. 4. 18. and 1 Thes 2. 16. They either stop consciences mouth and labour to silence this Preacher or else they deale with conscience as the Iews did with Stephen Act. 7. 57. They stopped their eares If they cannot stop consciences mouth they will at least stop their owne eares 1 They labour to stop consciences mouth If conscience begin to take them aside and to say to them as Ehud to Eglon Iudg. 3. 19. I have a secret errand unto thee they answer but in another sense as hee did Keepe silence If conscience offer to be talking unto them they shufflle it off as Felix did Paul they are not at leasure they will finde some other time when their leasure will better serve Yea many when their consciences reproach them they againe reproach and reprove it and answer it as the Danites did Micah Iudges 11. 23. What ayleth thee and are ready to give reproachfull language to their owne conscience that it cannot be quiet and let them alone 2 But yet Conscience will not of entimes be thus posted and shuffled off will not bee gagged or suffer her lips to bee sown up but will deale with a man as the woman of Canaan did with our Saviour Math. 15. She would not be put off with neglect or crosse answers but she stil presses upon our Saviour and grows so much the more importunat So oftentimes conscience when she sees men shuffle growes the more importunate
the people should goe Sacrifice but hee cannot abide that Moses should bee so peevishly precise that not an hoofe should be left behind Alas an hoofe is but a toy not worth the mentioning what need Moses bee so strict as to stand upon an hoofe Yet a good conscience will stand upon it having Gods Commandement and will make conscience as well of carrying away hoofes as of whole bodies of Cattell It is with a good conscience as it is with the apple of the eye of all the parts of the body it is the most tender not onely of some great shives or splints under the eye-lid but even the smallest haire and dust grieves and offends it It is so with a tender good conscience not onely beames but also moates disquiet the eye of a good conscience and not onely greater and fouler Sinnes but even such as the world counts veniall trifles doe offend it A good conscience straines not onely at a Camell but at a Gnat also Neither doth our Saviour blame the Pharisees simply for straining at a Gnat but for their hypocrisie who would pretend conscience in smaller things and meane while made none in the greater for otherwise a good conscience indeed hath a narrow passage for a Gnat as well as for a Camell The least corne of gravell galls his foot that hath a strait shooe but hee that hath a large wide shooe slopping about his foot it is no trouble to him It is just so with consciences good and evill A Gnat is but a small thing yet Pope Bol. pag. of Popes pag. 97. Hadrian the fourth was choakt with a Gnat and one Flye though but a small thing to a whole boxe of oyntment yet dead Flies as small things as they are cause the oyntment of the Apothecarie to send forth a stinking savour Ec. 10. 1. and so doth a little folly though but little doe a great deale of hurt And therefore a good conscience lives by Salomons rule Give not water passage no not a little And take not onely the Foxes but the little Foxes which spoyle not onely the Vines but the tender Grapes Cant. 2. 15. It knowes a little will make way for much Pharaoh is content that the people the men should go sacrifice Ex. 10. but their little ones should not goe he knew if hee had but their little ones with him he should be sure enough of their return therefore Moses will not onely have the men goe but their little ones also And therefore a good conscience deales with Satan as Marcus Arethusius dealt with Putantes pauperem vel medietatem petebant pecuniarum novissime vel paueum aliquid exigebant Quibus ait nec obolum unum pro omnibus dabo Hist Tripart lib. 6. cap. 12. his tormentours who having pulled downe an Idolatrous Temple and being urged by them to give so much as would build it up againe refused it They urged him to give but halfe hee still refused they urged him at last to give but a little towards it but he refused to give them so much as one halfe-penny No not an halfe-penny sayes he for it is as great wickednesse to conferre one Ad impietatem inquit obulum conferre unum perinde valet ac si quis cōferat omnia Theodor. lib. 3. cap. 7. halfe penny in case of Impiety as if a man should bestow the whole What was a poore halfe-penny it was a very small matter specially considering in what torture he was from which an half-penny gift would haue released him Indeed an half-penny is but a little but yet it is more then a good Conscience dares give to the maintenance of idolatrous worship A good conscience will not give so much as a farthing token to such an use as little a thing as it is For he that is faithfull in that which is least is faithfull also in much and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much Luke 16. 10. Even the least things are as great trials of a good conscience as the greatest A good Conscience will not greatifie Satan nor neglect God no not in a little Put mens consciences now vpon this triall Who crakes not of his good conscience there be none if they may bee beleeved but they have good Consciences But why are they good They can swallow no Camells Well yeeld them that though if their entrals were well searcht a man might finde huge bunch backt camells that have gone downe their gullets They can swallow no camells but what say they to gnats can they swallow them Tush Gnats are nothing whole swarmes of them can goe downe their throats and they never once cough for the matter Foule and grosse scandalls such as are infamous amongst meere heathen such Camells they swallow not but what say they to unsavorie and naughtie thoughts which their hearts prosecute with delight what say they to them Gnats doe not swarme more abundantly in the fennes then such vile thoughts doe in their hearts The prodigious oaths of wounds blood the damned language of Ruffians and the Monsters of the earth Oh their hearts would tremble to have such words passe out of their mouths but yet what say they to the neater and civilified Complements of Faith and Troth Tush these are trifles meere Gnats alas that you shall stand upon such niceties To rob a man upon the high way or to breake up a mans house in the night this is a monstrous Camell but in buying and selling to over-reach a neighbour a shilling or two a penny or two what say they to that Oh God forbid they should be so strictly dealt withall that is a small thing their throats are not so narrow but these Gnats will goe downe easily enough To beare false witnesse in an open Court of Iustice or to be guilty of pillory-perjury these bee foule things but to lye a little for a mans advantage or to make another man merriment what thinke they of this This is a very Gnat they are ashamed to straine thereat Tell many a man of his sinne in which he lyes that his sinne and a good conscience cannot stand together what is his answer but as Lot of Zoar Is it not a little one Gen. 19. 20 But the truth is that these little ones are great evidences of evill conscience It is but a dreame to thinke our consciences good that make no conscience of small sinnes and duties The conscionable Nazarite now did not only make conscience of guzling and quaffing whole cups of wine but of eating but an huske and a kernell of a Grape What a trifle is the kernell of a Grape and yet a good conscience will care to please God as well in abstinence from the kernell as from the cup. Indeed when David had defiled and hardned his conscience with his adultery then hee could cut Vriahs throat and his heart smites him not for it but when under his affliction his conscience was tender and good his heart smites him
but for cutting Sauls coat 1 Sam. 24. 5. See the nature of a good conscience it will smile not onely for cutting Sauls throat but for cutting Sauls coat but for an appearance vpon a suspicion and but a iealousie of evill Paul speakes of a pure Conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. Now it is with the pure conscience as it is with pure Religion Iam. 1. 17. Pure religion and undefiled is to keepe á mans selfe unspotted of the world It hates not onely wallowing with the Sow in the mire but is shie of very spots and hates not only the flesh but the garment not onely that is grosely besmeared but which is but spotted with the flesh Iude 23. according to that Ceremonial Levit. 15. 17. And this is that which differences civility and a good Conscience Civility shunnes mire but is not so trim as to wash off spots this is the pure Religion of a pure Conscience Pure Religion and nndefiled is to keep a mans selfe unspotted therefore they who are not unspoted are not undefiled but if their consciences be but spotted yet are they defiled Mens consciences are as their Religion is and pure Religion is spotlesse Yea to close this point the greatest evidence of a good conscience is in making Conscience of small things Whilst Probat enim etiam in majoribus si res exigat executorem se idoneum fore à quo minora compleantur Salvian de provid l. 3. men feare great sinnes or are carefull of maine duties it may bee their reputation and credits may sway them which otherwise would be impeached So that in them it may be a question whether it be Conscience or Credit that is the first mover but in smaller things where there is no credit to be had nay for scrupling whereof a man may rather receive some discredit from the world here it is more evident that good Conscience sets a man on This then is a note of a good Conscience to make Conscience as of small duties so of small sinnes as hee that feares poison feares to take a drop as well as a draught and men feare not onely when a firebrand is thrust into but when a sparke lights upon their thatch CHAP. VIII Three other notes of a good Conscience A Third note of good conscience may be this It loves and likes a Ministry and such Ministers as preach and speake 3. Note of good conscience To love a Ministry that speaks home to the conscience to the Conscience It likes such a dispensation of the Word as comes home to it whether for direction or reproofe The Word is the rule of conscience and a good conscience is desirous to know the rule it must live by The Word must judge the conscience this every good conscience knowes and therefore grudges not to be reproved by it as knowing that if it will not abide the Words reproofe it must abide the Words iudgement Therefore a man with a good conscience speakes as Samuel Speake Lord thy servant heares He can suffer the words of exhortation and not count himselfe to suffer whilst it is done He is of Davids minde Let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindnesse let him reproue me and it shall bee an excellent oyle which shall not breake mine head Psal 141. 5. It is with good conscience as with good eyes that can abide the light and can delight in it whereas sicke and sore eyes are troubled and offended therewith A sound heart is like sound flesh that can abide not onely touching but also rubbing and chafing and yet a man will not bee put into a chafe thereby whereas contrarily if the least thorne or vnsoundnesse bee therein Tu scis Deus noster quod tunc de Alipio ab illa peste sanando non cogetaverim At ille in se rapuit meque illud non nisi propter se dixisle credidit quod alias acciperet ad succensendum mihi accepit honestus adolescens ad succensendum sibi ad meardentius diligendum Aug. conf lib. 6. ca. 7. a touch at vnawares provokes a man if not to smite yet to angry words and language of displeasure Vnsound flesh loves to be stroakt and to be handled gently the least roughnesse puts into a rage That is the ingenuity of a good conscienence which was the good disposition of Alipius when hee was vnwittingly taxed by Augustine for his Theatricall vanities hee was so sarre from being angry with him though he conceived him purposely to ayme at him that hee was rather angry with himselfe and loved Augustine so much the better Put mens consciences vpon this triall and we shall see what the consciences of most men are Let a man preach in an vnprofitable maner let him spend himselfe in idle curiosities and speculations let him be in combate with obsolete or forraine heresies so long their Minister is a faire and a good Churchman But let him doe as God commands Ezekiel to doe Ezek. 14. 4. Answer them according to their Idols preach to their necessities let him call them and presse them to holy duties and reprove them for their vnholy practises and make knowne vnto them what evill consciences they have what then is Scio me offensurum quam plurimos qui generalem de vitiis disputationem in suam referunt contumeliam dum mihi irascuntur suam judicant conscientiam multoque prius de se quam de me judicant Hieron ad Rustic Monach. their carriage and behaviour Even that Amos. 5. 10. They hate him that rebukes in the gate and they abhorre him that speaks vprighly This Ministry that comes to the conscience will not downe with them It lets in too much light vpon them and Ahab hates Micaiah for drawing the curtains so wide open he cannot endure such punctuall and particular preaching that clappes so close to his conscience A plaine signe that Ahab hath a rotten and an vnsound Conscience Micaiah could not be more punctuall with Ahab then Isaiah was with Hezekiah Isa 39. 6 7. And yet what sayes Hezekiah Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken as if he had said a good Sermon a good Preacher all good Whence comes this good entertainment of so harsh a message Hezekiah had a good Conscience and therefore though the message went against the haire yet he could give good words Let the righteous smite mee and it shall be a kindnesse Psal 141. I but that is whē the righteous smites the righteous what if the Prophet smite Amaziah he will threaten to smite him againe 2 Chron. 25. 16. Forbeare why shouldest thou be smitten Why if Paul preach of a good Conscience and so make Ananias his Conscience to smite him Ananias will commaund the standers by to smite him on the mouth Now let all the standers by judge whether Ananias have any good Conscience in him who cannot brook the preaching of good Cōscience Let men professe they know God as long as they
will yet if they slight the word or swel at it or be disobedient to it when it is laid to their Conscience Paul makes it a manifest signe of a defiled conscience Tit. 1. 15 16. Their mind and their conscience is defiled How appeares that They professe they know God but they are disobedient When therfore the Ministry of the Word shall charge thee with dutie or reproove thee for sinne and then thou shalt charge the Minister with railing and girding and that this Sermon was made for the nonce for thee thou likest not that Ministers should be so particular c. In Gods feare bee advised to looke to thy Conscience and know it that thou hast a naughtie conscience when the Ministry of the Word smites thy conscience then for thee to smite the Minister with reproachfull and disgracefull tearmes to smite him with thy mouth How is thy conscience better then Ananias his that commands to smite Paul on the mouth he that cannot brooke that Gods Ministers should not discharge a good conscience in preaching to the conscience be bold to challenge that man for a man of an evill conscience 4. That is a fourth note of a good conscience 4 Note of a good conscience To doe duty for conscience sake Rom. 13. 5. ye must be subject for conscience sake To doe good or abstaine from evill meerly for conscience sake is a note of a right good conscience indeed Conscience as we saw before doth excite and stirre up and bind to the doing of good and bind from the doing of evill Now when the conscience upon just information from the Word shall presse and forbid and then a man shall because conscience forbids forbeare or because it presses performe obedience thus to doe good or not to doe evill for conscience sake is a note of a good conscience It evidences a good conscience when the maine weight that sets the wheeles on worke is conscience of Gods coÌ„mandement When it is that Ps 119. 4. that sets a man on work Thou hast coÌ„manded us to keep thy precepts diligently The end of the commandement is love 1 Tim. 1. 5. and love is the fulfilling of the commandement Rom. 12. But what love From a pure heart and a good conscience 1 Tim. 1. 5. When conscience of the commandement carries a man to the fulfilling of the end of it then doth such love come froÌ„ a good conscience Salomons description of a good man Eccl. 9. 2. is that he fears an oath He saies not that swears not but that feares an oath For a man not to sweare may be the fruit of good education and of the awe a man hath stood in of his Governours but to feare an oath argues that a man feares the commandement Prov. 13. 13. and to feare the commandement is the note of a good conscience Here let mens consciences be tried Thou prayest in thy family hearest the Word keepest the Sabbath c. Now search thine heart and make inquirie what it is that carrieth thee to these duties Doest thou do them for conscience sake Doest thou find conscience to urge and presse thee and to give satisfaction of the conscience and obedience to the injunctions thereof Are these things done If so it is a signe of a good conscience But this discovers the naughtinesse of mens consciences who though they be sound in some good duties or in the avoyding of some evils yet is it not conscience that workes them thereto Yee must be subject not onely for wrath that is for feare of the Magistrates wrath and revenge but for conscience sake Rom. 13. 5. It is no good conscience when a man will be subject for his skins sake and lest hee smart by the Magistrates sword but then a mans conscience is good when in obedience to Gods Word and in conscience of his commandement he subjects The like may be said of all by-ends Ye must doe good duties not for profit not for credit not for vaine-glory not for â—aw but for conscience sake or else evill consciences ye have in that ye doe The Shechemites receive circumcision Gen. â—4 And is not circumcision Gods Ordinance And is it not joy of them that they will joyne to the Church and professe the true Religion Yes surely if it were done for conscience I but it is not done for conscience sake Alas no such matter but for Hamors sake the Lord of the Towne and for Shechems sake their young Master and for the hope of gaines sake Shall not their cattell and their substance and every beasts of theirs be ours Gen. 34. 23. For the oxen sake and not for conscience sake are the Shechemites circumcised Shechem for Dinahs sake receives the Sacrament Oh the zeale and forwardnesse that some will professe on a sudden What frequenters of holy exercises But what is it for conscience sake No such matter but Shechem is in hope of a match with Dinah and all these showes of Religion are neither for Gods sake nor conscience sake but all for Dinahs sake all under hope of preferment by a rich marriage They were goodly shewes of zeale Ioh. 6. 22. 24. in seeking and following after Christ but it was neither for Christ nor conscience sake but ver 26. for the loaves and the bread and their bellies sake Many of the heathens Esth 8. 17. turned Iewes Was there not joy of such Proselytes not a whit for not the fear of God but the feare of the Iewes fell upon them as many frequent the publicke assemblies more for feare of the statute then for fear of the commandement The officers of the King helped the Iewes Esther 9. 3. Was it for conscience sake Nothing lesse but for wrath sake and for feare because the feare of Mordecai fell upon them If the Pharises had done all that Mat. 6. for conscience sake which they did for vaine-glory sake they had had the glory of good consciences Many preached the Gospel in Pauls daies Phil. 1. Does not so good a worke argue a good conscience Yes if it had beene done for conscience sake but that was done for contention sake not to adde soules to the Church but to adde sorrowes to Pauls afflictions It is a note of a good conscience when that which we doe is done with a respect unto the commandement of God Psal 119. 6. and not with a squint respect unto our owne private for praise or profit It Vtrine majores heretici illine qui pictas ligneas an qui aureas argenteas imagines è templis exigerent ad conflandam monetam igne adurerent Dubro hist Bohe. l. 24. was a good argument of those Bohemians good consciences in plucking downe Images that they beate downe onely painted and wooden Images whilst Sigismund the Emperour pulled downe silver and golden ones to melt into money for pay of his Souldiers as they plead for themselves when they were held Heretikes for their fact If they had pulled downe such Images as
hee did they might have beene thought to have done it for gaine and not for conscience sake How great is often the zeale of many against fashions and such vanities How well it were if it were for conscience sake and not for envy against some particular person whom they doe distaste and so for the person the vanity For if it be for conscience sake how is it that those vanities such great offences to their consciences found in some distasted persons are yet no trouble to their consciences being the very same if not worse in their owne favourites and associates Iudge whether such zeale come from conscience or from corrupt affection whether it be not more against the person 5. Note of a good conscience Holy boldnesse Bona conscientia prodire vult conspici ipsas nequitia tenebras timet Senec. ep 98. Qui non deliquit decet audacem esse confidenter prose proterve loqui Plaut in Anth. then against the sinne 5. We have a fift note of a good conscience in the Text. And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell Here is a marke of a good conscience in his lookes as well as in his words in his face as well as in his speech Paul is here convented before the Councell with what face is hee able to behold them And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell A good conscience makes a man hold up his head even in the thickest of his enemies It can looke them in the faces and out-face a whole rabble of them assembled on purpose to cast disgrace on it That may be said of a man with a good conscience which is spoken of some of Davids men 1 Chron. 12. 8. Whose faces were like the faces of Lions for the righteous is bold as a Lion Prov. 28. 1. Now might Paul truely have said as David Ps 57. 4. My soule is among Lions I ly among them that are set on fire And now how fares hee what is he all amort lookes he pale and blanke doth he sneake or hang downe his head or droope with a dejected countenance No Paul is as bold as a Lion and can face these Lions and earnestly fixe his countenance upon the best of them A good conscience makes a mans face as God had made Ezekiels Ez. 3. 8 9. Behold I have made thy face strong against their faces and thy forehead strong against their foreheads As an Adamant harder then flint have I made thy forehead feare them not neither be dismaid at their lookes Such hartening and hardening comes also from a good conscience A good conscience makes a man goe as the Lord in another sense tells Israell he had done for them Levit. 26. 13. I have made you goe upright A good conscience erects a mans face and lookes it is no sneaking slinker but makes a man goe upright As contrarily guilt dejects both a mans spirits and his lookes and unlesse a man have a Sodomiticall impudencie Isa 3. 9. or an whores forehead Ier. 3. 3. which refuses to be ashamed makes him hang downe the head Paul fixes his eyes here and lookes earnestly upon them but what if they had looked as earnestly upon him yet would not his good conscience have beene outfaced See Act. 6. 15. All that sate in the Councel looked stedfastly on him namely on Steven If but the high Priest alone had faced him it had beene somewhat but all that sate at the Councell looked stedfastly on him Surely one would thinke such a presence were able to have damped and utterly to have dashed him out of countenance But how is it with him Is hee appalled Is hee damped They saw his face as it had beene the face of an Angell sayes the text As wisedome Eccl. 8. 1. so a good conscience makes the face to shine A good conscience hath not onely a Lions but an Angels face it hath not onely a Lion-like boldnesse but an Angelicall dazling brightnesse which the sicke and sore eyes of malice can as ill indure to behold as the Israelites could the shining brightnesse of Moses face The face of a good conscience tels enemies that they are malicious Lyars And no wonder that a good conscience hath such courage and confidence in the face standing before a whole Councell when it shall be able to hold up it head with boldnesse before the Lord himselfe at that great day of the generall Iudgement Even then shall a good conscience have a bold face CHAP. IX Two other and the last notes of a good conscience A Sixt note of a good conscience followes namely that which we have 6. Note of conscience To suffer for conscience 1 Pet. 2. 19. When a man for conscience towards God endures griefe suffering wrong A good conscience had rather that Ananias should smite then it selfe should Ananias his blowes are nothing to the blowes of conscience Ananias may make Pauls cheekes glow but conscience gives such terrible buffets as will make the stoutest heart in the world to ake That will pinch and twitch and gird the heart with such griping throwes that all the blowes and tortures that Ananias his cruell heart can invent are nothing to them Now therefore a man that sets any store by a good conscience will not part with the Peace or Integrity thereof upon any termes Hee rates the goodnesse of his conscience far above al earthly things Wealth liberty wife children life it selfe all are vile and cheape in comparison of it And therefore a man of a good conscience will endure any griefe and suffer any wrong to keepe his conscience good towards God Such a good conscience had Daniel Dan. 1. 8. Hee proposed in his heart that hee would not defile himselfe with the portion of the Kings meat That is he was fully setled and resolved in his cōscience come what would come he would not do that which would not stand with a good conscience But what if it could have gotten no other meat without all doubt he would rather have starved than have defiled his conscience with that meat Hee would have lost his life rather than have lost the Peace and Integrity of his conscience It seemes a question of great difficulty which was put to the three Children Dan. 3. Whether they will give the bowing of their bodies to the golden Idoll or the burning of their bodies to the fiery Furnace But yet they find no such difficulty therin they were not carefull to answer in that matter ver 16. Of the two fires they chose the coolest the easiest The fire of a guilty conscience is seven times hotter and more intolerable than the fire of Nebuchadnezzars Furnace though it be heated seven times more then it is wont to be heated If the question come betweene life and good conscience that one of the two must be parted withall it is an hard case Life is wondrous sweet and precious Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life Iob 2. 4. What
then should a man do in such a hard case Heare what is the resolution of a good conscience Act. 20. 24. My life not deare unto me so that I may fulfill my Ministration with joy And wherein lay his joy but in his good conscience 2 Corinth 1. 12. It is all one as if hee had said I care not to lose my life to keepe a good conscience A good conscience in that passage of the Apostle 1 Tim. 1. 19. is secretly compared to a ship Now in a tempest at Sea when the question is come to this whether the goods shall be cast out or the Ship be cast away what doe the Marriners See Act. 27. 18. 38. They lightned the Ship and cast out the wheat into the Sea The Marriners will turne the richest Commodities over-board to save the Ship for they know if the Ship be cast away then themselves are cast away Thus it is with a man that hath a good conscience when the case comes to this pinch that either his outward Comforts or his inward Peace must wrack hee will cheerfully cast the wheat into the sea will part with all earthly commodities and comforts before he will rush and wrack his conscience upon any rock He knowes if the ship be wrackt if his conscience be crackt that then himselfe and his soule is in danger of being cast away and therefore hee will throw away all to save conscience from being split upon the rocks and being swallowed up in the sands There is as great a difference between a good conscience and all outward things even unto life it selfe as is betweene the arme and the head or heart The braine and the heart are vitall parts therefore when the head is in danger to be cleft or the heart to be thrust through a man will not stand questioning whether hee were best adventure his hand or his arme to save his head or his heart but either of these being in danger the hand and the arme presently interpose themselves to receive the blow and put themselves in danger of being wounded or cut off rather than the head or heart should be pierced A man may have his hand or arme cut off and yet may live but a wound in the braine or heart is mortall It is so in this case A good conscience values its owne peace above all the world It is that wherin a Christians life lyes therfore he will suffer the right hand or foot to be cut off and lose all rather than expose conscience to danger A man may go to heaven with the losse of a limbe and though he halt Math. 18. 8. but if a man lose his life if conscience be lost all is lost A man may goe to heaven though hee lose riches liberty life but if a good conscience be lost there is no comming thither All things compared to conscience are as far beneath it as the least finger beneath the head He were a mad man that would suffer his skull to be cleft to save his little finger nay but the paring of his naile And yet the world is full of such mad men that suffer conscience to receive many a deepe wound and gash to save those things which in comparison of good conscience are but as the nayle parings to the head Try mens consciences here and we shall find them exceeding short A good conscience will endure any griefe and suffer any wrong rather then suffer the losse of its owne peace God commands Amaziah 2 Chron. 25. to put away Israel oh but what shall I doe for mine hundred Talents Tush what are an hundred Talents A good conscience in yielding obedience to God is a richer treasure than the East and West Indies And yet how many be there that will craze their conscience an hundred times before they will lose one Talent by obedience to God out of a care to keepe a good conscience A talent nay that is too deepe never put them to that cost they will sell a good conscience not for gaining but for the taking of a farthing token God and good conscience say Sanctifie the Sabbath Possibly some halfe-penny customer comes to a Tradesmans Shop on a Sabbath and askes the sale of such or such a commoditie Now the mans conscience tels him of the commandement tels him what God lookes for tels him it cannot stand with his peace to make markets on that day c. But then he tels conscience that if hee be so precise hee may lose a customer and if hee lose his customers he may shutte up his Shop-windowes An Inne-keepers conscience tels him that it is fitter that hee should bee attending Gods service at his house on his day than that hee should be waiting on his guest But then he replies to conscience that then his takings will be but poore and this is the next way to pluck downe his signe So here lyes a dispute between Conscience and Gaine which of these two must be parted with If now in this case a man will grow to this resolution By Gods helpe I am resolved to keepe a good conscience in keeping Gods Commandement and Sabbath I will rather lose the best customer I have and the best guest I have then the peace of a good conscience If I beg I beg I will say of my customers as Iacob of his children Gen. 43. 14. If I am bereaved of them I am bereaved I will trust God with my estate before I will hazard my conscience Give me such a man such a Tradesman and I will be bold to say he is a man of a good conscience But contrarily when men are so set upon gaine that so they may have it they care not how they come by it they will dispense an hundred times with their obedience to God if any thing be to be had if these have good consciences let any judge How would such lose their blood and lives that will not lose such trifling gaines for the safety of their conscience Wee have not yet resisted unto blood the more we owe to God that know not what that resistance meanes Alas how would those resist unto blood that set conscience to sale upon so base prices as they doe Peter speakes of a fiery triall 1. Pet. 4. 12. If God should ever bring that triall amongst us that a company of drossie consciences would it find out Wee have no fiery tryall we have but an airy tryall onely and yet how many evill consciences it discovers Many a man could find in his heart to pray in his family to frequent good exercises and company hee is convinced in his conscience that thus he should doe and conscience presses him to it But why then are not these things done A Lyon is in the way Hee shall lose the good word and opinion of the world he shall have so many frowns and frumps and censures and scoffes that he cannot buckle to this course Many are in Zedekiah his case he was convinced in his
The Motives to perswade us to get good consciences The Motives therunto may be many I will keepe my selfe within the compasse of five 1. Motive The incomparable and unspeakable 1. Motive to a good conscience comfort and benefit thereof in such cases and times as all other comforts faile a man and wherin a man stands most in need of comfort These cases or times are five 1. The Time and Case of Disgrace and Reproach 2. The Time of Common feare and Common calamitie 3. The Time of Sicknes or outward crosses in a mans goods 4. The Time of Death 5. The Time and Day of Iudgement In all these or in any of these times it is good to have such a friend or companion that will sticke to a man and be faithfull Interim elige socium qui cum omnia subtracta fuerint fidem servat dilectoribus suis nec recedit in tēpore angustiae Bern. de Consc to him when all other things faile him Such a friend and such a companion is a good conscience A friend loves at all times and a brother is borne for adversitie Proverb 17. 17. But in some of these cases a brother and friend may be false and will not or may be weake and cannot helpe nor pleasure a man but a good conscience is better then all friends and brethren whatsoever when they will not or cannot or may not yet then will a good conscience sticke close to a man and be a sure friend to him Let us see in the particulars the truth of it 1. In the time and case of Disgrace Infamie Reproach and wrongs of that The comfort of a good conscience in case of disgrace and reproach kinde the comfort and benefit of a good conscience is unspeakeable When a man shall be traduced slandered falsely accused and condemned then in such wrongs will a good conscience doe the office of a faithfull friend will sticke to and stand by a man and will comfort and hearten him against all such injuries Paul is heere convented before the Councell as a Malefactor hee hath an whole Councell bent against him What now is his comfort and his defence against such an heape of accusers as doe affront him This it is Men and brethren I have lived in all good conscience As if hee had said Impeach traduce accuse and condemne mee as you please yet be it knowne unto you that I have a good conscience and this my good conscience is it which shall comfort and uphold me against all your injurious and unequall proceedings You may bring forth false witnesses against me but my conscience doth and will witnesse for me you may condemne me yet my conscience acquits and absolves me And thus doth Paul shelter himselfe under his good conscience The like we may see in the next Chapter Ananias and the Elders come and bring Tertullus and he is feed to be Pauls accuser and he layes heavie and hainous things to Pauls charge vers 5. Wee have found this man a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition among all the Iews throughout the world a ring-leader of the sect of the Nazarens c. Here be foule things what will Paul be able to say to all this Will not this bee enough to sinke him downe utterly to see so many banded together and such great ones combined to countenance such an accusation How will he be able to subsist Now then behold the benefit and comfort of a good conscience He holds up his former buckler and smites Ananias and the rest with his former weapon vers 16. Herein doe I exercise my selfe to have alwaies a conscience voyd of offence towards God and towards men Ananias and the Elders have a mercenary Tertullus to accuse him Paul hath no man dares be seene to plead for him none will be retained in his cause but yet now conscience steps out and stops the foule mouth of this slanderous Oratour and puts spirit and heart into Paul to plead his own Cause against them all Conscience seemes on this manner to animate him Feare not Paul the accusations of this Tertullus I witnesse for thee thine Innocencie I justifie it to the teeth of Tertullus that he is one whose malice and covetousnesse hath made him set his conscience to sale stand up therefore and speake boldly for thy selfe dread them not Well fare a good conscience yet that will speake comfort to Paul and make Paul speake with courage when none else dare be seene in his cause It was an ill case David was in Psalm 69. 20. 21. Reproach hath broken mine heart and I am full of heavinesse and I looked for some to take pitty but there was none and for comforters but I found none they gave me also gall for my meat and in my thirst they gave mee vineger to drinke A very hard case indeed Where was now Davids familiar friend his acquaintance with whom hee was wont to take sweet counsell what was become of him now Possibly some of his acquaintance were at this time like a broken tooth and a foot out of joynt Prov. 25. 19. Confidence in an unfaithfull man is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joynt Others it may be that had profest him loue were ready to fasten a poysoned tooth in him This was Davids case and this may be any mans case but now at such a time and in such a pinch appeares the excellency and benefit of a good Gonscience Though all a mans friends should prove Iobs friends like the Winter brooks of Teman that in winter overswell the bankes but in the scorching heat of Sommer prove drie ditches yet then even then well fare a good conscience That will heale Davids heart broken with reproach that will cheere him up in his heavinesse that will sweeten the gall and take away the sharpenes of the vineger which his enemies have given him to drinke There is a generation Prov. 30. 14. whose teeth are as swords and their jaw teeth as knives and Pro. 12. 18. that generation speakes as the piercing of a sword There is a generation whose words are woūds that go down into the innermost parts of the belly Pro. 18. 8. These be dangerous generations But what generation are they Generations of vipers Psal 140. 3. Adders poyson is under their lips Iunius translates it Venenum ptyados The poison of the spitting Serpent They be then generations of spitting serpents even of fiery serpents that have their tongues set on fire from hell and so they spit fiery poyson in the faces of Innocents Now there is no man can live in this world at whom these adders will not spit no man can be free from the sprinckling of their poyson The disciple is not above the master If these snakes have hissed at the Lord of the house and if these spitting Serpents have cast their poison in his face why would they feare to do it to the servants But is there then no balme against
this poyson No buckler against these swords Yes there is the soveraigne balme and the impenetrable buckler of a good conscience It is a balsome that will allay the poyson of these Adders that it shall never burst a mans heart or if these swords pierce the very innermost bowels yet this will so salve these wounds that they shall not ranckle nor become mortall Oh! how mortall is this adders poyson how fatall are these swords how keene their edge and how full of paine their wounds where inward guilt gives strength unto them But integrity and goodnesse of conscience is a precious balme of Gilead that takes away the venome of this poyson the stinging smart of the wounds of these swords Let Paul live with ever so good a conscience before God and man Act. 24. 16. yet Tertullus will play the spitting adder and hee will spit yea spue forth his poyson in his face and in the face of an whole Court will not spare openly to slander him for an arrant varlet a lewd pestilent and a villanous fellow Such drivel will the malicious world spit in the face of Godlinesse But mark now the benefit and comfort of a good conscience Either a good conscience with Stephens Angelicall face will dazle and shame the devils Oratours 1 Pet. 3. 16. Having a good conscience that they may be ashamed or else like Paul it can shake off those vipers without swelling or falling downe dead Yea if Satans orators will needs be opening their mouthes against Paul yet so good is his conscience that as Iohn Hus appealed from Pope Alexander to Pope Alexander namely from him in his anger to him in his cold blood and better advised so dares Paul appeale from Tertullus to Tertullus David from Shimei to Shimei from enemies to enemies from their tongues to their hearts from their mouthes to their Consciences as knowing their owne integritie to bee such as that their enemies owne hearts give their tongues the ly and tels them that against their Conscienses possessed with meere malice they are hurried on in Satans service Tertullus knowes he lyes and his owne Conscience tells him hee lyes in his throate that Paul is an honester man that himselfe yea and the comfort is that Pauls Conscience comforts him and assures him that Tertullus his Conscience assures him all this So unspeakably sweet is the comfort of a good conscience David complaines of a great affliction Psal 35. 11. False witnesse did rise up they layd to my charge things that I knew not What should a man do in such a case if he had not the comfort of a good conscience witnessing for him But now at such a pinch appeares the benefit of a good conscience Let ever so many rise up falsly to witnesse against him yet his conscience will witnesse as fast for him My friends scorne mee sayes Iob Iob 16. 20. They witnessed against him to be a wicked person and an hypocrite they censured and condemned him but what was Iobs comfort That same vers 19. Behold my witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high That was one comfort but that was not all hee had also a witnesse on earth and his record below Vpon whose record and witnesse see with what solemnitie and with what confidence he stands Iob 27. 2 6. As God liveth who hath taken away my judgement and the Almighty who hath vexed my soule All the while my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrills my lips shall not speake wickednesse nor my tongue utter deceit God forbid that I should justifie you till I dye I will not remove mine integrity from me my righteousnesse I will hold fast and will not let it goe mine heart shall not reproach me so long as I live As if he had said As the Lord lives whilst Nam si in his in quibus me criminantur testimonium Conscientiae meae non stat contra me in conspectu Dei quo nullus oculus mortalis intenditur non solum contristari non debeo verumetiam exultare gaudere quia merces mea multa est in coelis Neque enim intuendum est quam sit amarum sed quam falsum sit quod audio quaÌ„ verax pro cujusnomine hoc audio Aug. contra lit Petil. l. 3. there is breath in my bodie I will not yield unto your accusations nor yet acknowledge my selfe guilty of that you doe charge mee withall Vrge mee and presse me what you will yet I will never let goe mine hold Why what is it that makes Iob thus stiffe and resolute what is it that supports him with such an excellent spirit that ver 6. Mine heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Indeed you reproach censure and condemne mee you lay heavie things to my charge But I have searched the records of my conscience I have called that unpartiall witnesse to testifie the truth and I find conscience witnessing strongly on my side and therefore do what you can you shall never beare mee downe Iobs friends may prove fickle and false but his own conscience will prove true to him that will plead for him animate him and comfort him against all their calumnious and injurious reproches and give him cause of much joy and triumph Iob then had his witnesse in heaven and Iob had his witnesse on earth God and his owne conscience two witnesses beyond all exception and in the mouth of two witnesses every truth shall stand Conscience is a thousand witnesses and God is above conscience And what Consciences witnesse concerning matter of fact God himselfe will justifie the same He that hath a good conscience hath a sure friend that will never slinke nor shrinke at any hand Nay he hath two good friends and two substantiall witnesses whose testimonies though secret yet are such as sweetly solace the heart of man against open reproaches slanders false witnesses and all wrongs and injuries of that kinde whatsoever The testimony of conscience is full of comfort because of the vndoubted certaintie and the vnquestioned infallibility thereof so that it voycing on a mans side strangely cheares his heart Pro. 27. 19. As in water face answers to face so doth the heart of a man unto man That is as some expound it As a man may see his face by looking in the water so a man may set himselfe and what hee is by looking into his conscience If a man should be told that hee had some filth or bloach on his In speculo Conscientiae status interioris hominis exterioris cognoseitur Non immorito Conscientiam speculo comparavit quoniam in eâ— tanquam speculo rationie oculus tam indecens quam quod decens in se â—st claro aspectu appredere potest Ber. de Consc face if he would goe looke into the water or specially into a looking-glasse hee should easily see whether it were so or no. And if looking into the water or glasse hee
could not see any such filth in his face though an hundred should offer to beare him downe to the contrary yet would hee beleeve his owne eyes before them all So here when at any time foule mouths are open and spare not to cast aspersions upon innocency and to lay scandalous things to a mans charge then a man by looking into his conscience can see himself and can find whether he be guilty or not and seeing himselfe in that water or in that glasse to be cleare from that dirt and filth which malice would cast in his face it so fils his heart with comfort and confidence as makes him treade all reproach and false judgement of man vnder his foot This appeares by the contrary Let man bee praised and magnified ever so â—et ever so much good be spoken of him and ever so much worth be attributed to him yet if his owne heart tell him that all is falsely spoken of him and there is indeed no such matter in him he Non ideo bona est coÌ„scientia mea quia vos illam laudatis Quid enim laudatis quod non videtis Aug. de ver dom ser 49. Si autem noÌ„ aureÌ„ solam percutit iracundia criminantis verumetiam coÌ„scientiam mordet veritas criminis quid mihi prodest si me coÌ„tinuis laudibus totus mundus attollat Ita nec malam coÌ„scientiam sanat praeconium laudaÌ„tis nec bonam vulnerat conviciantis opprobrium Aug. contra lit petil l. 2. In omni quod dicitur semper tacite occurrere debemus ad mentem interiorem testem judicem requirere Quid enim prodest si omnes laudant conscientia accusat aut poterit obesse si omnes derogent sola conscientia defendit Greg. sup 125. hom 6. hath at all no true comfort in all the good words of the world Prov. 27. 21. As the sining pot for silver the furnace for gold so is a man to his praise that is a man is to try his praise that is given him and if his conscience tell him it is undeserved hee is to separate this drosse of flattery from himselfe All the commendations and admirations of the world what comfort can they yield whilest a mans conscience tels him that they are all but lying and glavering flatteries what though the poore multitude feeling the swette and refreshment of a Pharisees almes doe canonize a Pharise for a Saint yet what is he the better or what comfort hath hee the more whilest his owne conscience reproaches and reproves him and tells him that hee is a vain-glorious hypocrite and that though these whom hee feeds send him to heaven yet hee shall have his portion with hypocrites and unbelievers What is a man the better for a flattering Funeral commendation whilst in the meane time he is under the reproach and torture of his conscience in the place of torment How many a man is there that hath the good word of all men no man speakes well of him but yet in the meane time his owne heart gives him bitter words and rates him to his face How well contented would such a one be and what an happy exchange would he hold it to have all the world raile on him and slander him so his own conscience would but speake friendly and kindly to him so he could find hony from his conscience he would not care what gall he had from the world Experience lets us see that such as have beene malevolent and injurious against others innocencie though they have been abetted and borne out by their umpires and advocates that for handfulls of barley and scraps and crusts have laboured to maintaine ill Causes and worse persons yet they have had no peace nor rest of heart Their advocates have bid them sit downe with rest and victory the day is theirs they have cheered them and striven to deserve their fee and yet their guilty Clients being netled with the inward guilt of their consciences have still beene haunted with a restlesse and perplexed unquiet spirt which others made guilty and censured for offenders by such mercenarie umpires have possessed their soules in patience and have been cheerfull and merry-hearted from the comfort of their owne innocent and cleare consciences So that looke as the naughty conscience can speake no comfort though all the world speake well of it so contrarily though all the world reproach censure slander c. yet a good conscience Foelix conscientia non sibi in aliquo conscia quae non proprium judicium nec alienum veretur Bern. de Consc Beata plane quae non alienis aestimatur judiciis sed domesticls percipitur sensibus tanquam sui iudex Neque enim popularis opiniones pro mercede aliqua requirit neque pro supplicio pavet Ambros de offic l. 2. c. 1. Non possunt aliena verba crimen affigere quod propria non recepit conscientia Ambros in Psal 38. can and will speake peace and comfort to a mans heart The Corinthians did exceedingly slight Paul Hee was this and hee was that but how was he affected with it See how 1 Cor. 4. 3 4. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you I know full well what your censures are and what sentence you passe upon me but know ye that I no whit at all regard the same I make no reckoning thereof at all Why might the Corinthians say do ye count us so silly and so injudicious Nay sayes Paul I speake it not as if you were sillier than others with me it is a small thing to bee judged of you or of mans judgement let them be the most wise and judicious that are in the world or of mans Day though by men convened in solemne manner for judgement I passe not what their censure is I regard not their mis-judgings of mee I but what makes Paul thus slight mens judgement of him That in the fourth verse I know nothing by my selfe mine owne conscience judges me not nor sentences mee that layes no such thing to my charge and therefore so long as my conscience is on my side I regard not a whit what the world judges Now then see what a Motive this is to get and keepe a good conscience As we would be glad to have comfort and confidence against the malice of opprobrious tongues as wee would have a counterpoison against their venome so get a good conscience Here is that which may make us in love with a good conscience Reproach must full often be the portion of Gods deare children Israelites shall be for ever an abomination to Aegyptians And though the Aegyptian dogges moved not their tongues against Israel Exodus 11. 7. yet dogged Aegyptians will move their tongues and their teeth too The Apostles must be counted the filth of the world and the off-scowrings of all things 1 Corinth 4. 13. The Lord Iesus himselfe dranke of this cup Psal 22. 6 7. I am a
worm and no man a reproach of men and despised of the people All they that see me laugh me to scorne c. The way to heaven is a narrow way and this narrow way is beset with snakes spitting adders barking and biting and mad dogs and a man must passe to heaven through good and evill report 2 Corrinth 6. 8. Well then it being so hard a passage Currentem attrites super aspidas basiliscos declâ—naresenem vipera non poterit Prosp do Aug. Conscia mens recti fama mendacia ridet Sed nos in vitium credula turba sumus Ovid. how may a man get himselfe so armed that he may passe cheerfully through all these get a good conscience and thou shalt regard these snakes serpents vipers and dogs no more than a straw under thy foot If thou have a good conscience thou shalt laugh at the reproaches of enemies as Eliphaz speakes of destruction Iob 5. A good conscience will say unto thee Go on cheerily in the wayes of God what ever discouragements the Devill raises by reproaches and slanders feare them not behold I acquit excuse thee I will beare thee out I will witnesse at Gods tribunall for thee Lo I give thee balme against their poyson a buckler against their swords Let them curse yet I will blesse thee let them reproach yet I will comfort let them condemne yet I will absolve thee let them defame thee yet I will be thy compurgator let them cast dirt in thy face yet I wil wash it off let them disquiet yet behold I am ready to cheere thee Oh the sweet and unconceivable comfort that a good conscience wil speak even in the middst of the cruell speakings of ungodly men Iude 15. that will speake comfortably when they speake cruelly and most comfortably when they speak most cruelly Such is the benefit of a good conscience in case of reproach and disgrace CHAP. XI The comfort and benefit of a good conscience in the times of common feares and calamities in the times of personall evils as sicknesse and afflictions for conscience sake IN the second place let us see what 2. The comfort of a good conscience in the times of common feares and calamities the benefit and comfort of a good conscience is in the times of Common feares and Common calamities When the world is full of feares and dangers and calamities breake in how fares it then with an evill conscience in what taking are they that want a good conscience They are absorpt with feares and the very tydings puts them to such perplexities Isa 7. 2. Ahas is told of a confederacie betweene Syria and Ephraim and see in what feares hee and his people were His heart was moved and the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind So deeply doe reports and and evill tidings affect them the trees in the wood are not so shaken with the blustering windes as evill consciences are with evill tydings When ill newes and ill consciences meet there is no small feare The signes that prognosticate sorrowfull times see how deeply they affect evill consciences Luke 21. 25. There shall be signes in the Sun and the Moone and in the stars and upon the earth distresse of Nations with perplexity mens hearts failing them for feare and for looking after those things which are comming in the earth But when calamitie indeed comes and not ill newes but ill times and ill consciences meet how are they then They are then either in the case the Aegyptians were in the famine Gen. 47. 13. They were at their wits end or as those in a storme at Sea Ps 107. 26 27. Their soule is melted because of trouble They reele to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and all their wisedome is swallowed vp Excesse of feare puts them into as great distempers as excesse of wine it utterly stupifies them and they by feare are as much bereft of the use of their senses wit and wisedome as a drunkard is in his drunkenesse Yea their feares make them not onely drunke but starke madde Deut. 28. 34. Thou shalt be oppressed and cursed alway so that thou shalt bee madde for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see The perplexities of an evill conscience in evill times are vnspeakeably grievous Isay doth exceeding lively describe them Isay 31. 7 8 9. Therefore shall all hands be faint and every mans heart shall melt And they shall be afraid pangs and sorrowes shall take hold of them they shall be in paine as a woman that travells they shall be amazed one at another their faces shall bee as flames c. Hence that same strange question of the Prophet Ierem. 30. 6 Aske ye now and see whether a man doth travell with childe A strange question what should make the Prophet aske it Because he foresaw such strange behaviour amongst them carrying themselves in the same fashion in the day of calamitie that women vse to doe in the extremity of the pangs of childbirth Wherefore doe I see every man with his hands on his loynes as a woman in travell and all-faces are turned into palenesse Alas for that day is great so that none is like it it is even the time of Iacobs trouble When such wofull dayes befall a man all his riches will not yeeld him a jot of comfort Pro. 11. 4. Riches availe not in the day of wrath No that will no whit cheere a man at such a time They shall cast their silver in the streets and their gold shall be removed c. Ezek. 7. 19. This shall be the miserable pickle a man shall bee in at such a time that wants a good Conscience But now looke upon a man with a good conscience in such times and how fares it with him Let evill tydings and times come how is he affected therewithall He will not be afraid of evill tydings for his heart is fixed Psalme 112. 7. Fe re he may but yet his Heart shall be free from those restlesse and perplexing distractions wherewith all others are vexed Luke 22. 9. When ye shall heare of warres and commotions be not terrified And Prov. 3. 25. Be not afraid of sudden feare There is nothing so armes and resolves the heart against feares and evill tydings as doth the peace and integrity of a good conscience For let there bee outward peace abroad in the world and freedome from all feares of warres and combustions yet little joy and comfort can a man have therein whilest his conscience proclames warre against him and as Gods Herald summons him to battell Those inward warres and rumours of warres wofully distract him in the midst of his outward peace So contrarily let there be peace within in the conscience and all warres and feares of warres husht there and then what ever feares and troubles are like to be without yet there will bee a calme a serenity and a sweet security within Bee carefull
and so fearefull for nothing Phil. 4. 6. To bee fearefull in nothing is indeed an excellent happinesse of a well composed minde How might one attaine thereto How might a man bring his heart to that fixed and stablisht temper See vers 7. The Peace of God that passes all understanding shall guard your hearts and mindes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall keepe with a guard as Kings have their guards about them to save their persons from violence shall guard your hearts that is your affections that they run not into extremities of impatience distraction desparation when feares and terrours shall come yee shall not be transported with such distracting thoughts as shall deprive you of the freedom of your minds but that you shall have them to attend upon God in the greatest of your dangers So that a man with a good conscience in the middst of all feares and combustions can sing with David Psal 116. 7. Returne unto thy rest O my soule The peace of a good conscience is like the ballast of a Ship Let a Ship goe to Sea without ballast in the bottome and every blast of wind is ready to overturne it but being wel ballasted though the winds blow strong yet it sayles steddily and safely Every blast of ill newes and tidings of feare how full of terrible apprehensions it fils an ill conscience it miserably unsettles and distracts it whilst a good conscience what blasts soever blow hath its heart steddy and at good command Mee thinkes when I consider Noah in his Cabbine or nest in the Arke with what security and quiet of heart hee sits there notwithstanding the clattering of the raines upon the Arke the roaring of the waters and the hideous howling and out-cryes of those that were drown'd in the flood I see the Embleme of a good conscience Tubalcain Lamech Iabal Iubal with what horrid perplexities are their soules distraught Some climbe up this house top some this high tree others flee to some high mountaine and there in what horror and amazement are they whilst one sees his Children sprawling another his wife strugling for life upon the face of the mercilesse waters but especially whilst they behold the waters rising by little and little and pursuing them to the house tops and threatning to sweepe them off from the heads of the Mountaines to which they had betaken themselves These feares and amazements were worse then an hundreth deathes But now all this while how is it with Noah hee sits dry in his cabbin and litterally was the saying of the Psalme verified of him Surely in the floods of great waters they came not nigh unto him Ps 32. 6. He hath his Ark pitcht within and pitcht without neither can the raines from above beat in nor the waters from beneath leake in let all fountaines of the great deepe be broken up and the flood-gates of heaven be opened yet not one drop of water comes at him and though the waters prevayle fifteene Cubits above the high hils and mountaines so that they bee covered yet Noah hee is out of all feare let them rise as high as they will yet shall hee keepe above them still Iust such is the condition and happinesse of a man with a good conscience in sad times Whilest the high hils and mountaines are covered the great and brave spirits of the world are overwhelmed with feare are possest with dreadfull apprehensions so as they know not which way to looke nor which way to take even then a man with a good conscience hath a strange quiet of heart is full of sweet security and resolution and amids all the shrikes howlings and wringing of hands of earthly men by patience possesses his soule is master of himselfe and composes his soule to rest His Arke is pitcht within and without The peace of God and the peace of a good conscience keepes the water-floods from comming into his soule The raine and the waves they beat upon the Arke but yet they pierced it not A man with a good conscience may fall into and may be swept away with common calamites yet how ever it fare with his outward man yet his soule is free from that horrour and those madding perplexities wherewithall wicked ones are overtaken The peace of a good conscience shall keepe off these distracting feares from his minde Though he cannot be free happily from the common destructions yet shall be free from the common distractions of the world There be two things in common calamities The sword without and terror within Deut. 32. 25. and the latter of the two is the worse by far Now here is the benefit of a good conscience though it doth not save alwaies from the sword without yet it delivers alwaies from the terror within which gives a terrible edge to the sword and which being removed the sword is nothing so terrible When the Canaanites were destroyed by Israel there was a double sorrow and smart upon them The sword of the Israelite and Gods Hornet Iosh 24. 12. What was that Hornet Nothing else but that distracting and perplexing feare and terrour wherewith God filled their hearts as appeares Exod. 23. 27 28. There is no Hornet can so vex with his sting as these terrors vex evill consciences in evill dayes Now here is the priviledge of good consciences though they may smart with the sword yet the Hornet shal not sting them nor fill their hearts with that throbbing anguish that these terrors in times of calamitie put evill consciences to A sweet motive to make any in love with a good conscience Whilest we look upon the evills of the times wee cannot but looke for euill times Looke we upon our sinnes and Gods administration abroad upon the malice and policies of the adversaries of Gods grace and what doe these but prognosticate heavy things Now suppose a flood should come would we not be glad of an arke and such a cabbin therein as should keepe out the waters from our soules Get then the pitch of a good Conscience and thou shalt fit like Noah if not free from the waters yet free from the feares of Lamech and Tubal-cain which are worse than the waters For the feares of such evills are more bitter and insufferable than the evils themselves Suppose I say a flood should come who would not give a kingdome for an Arke well pitcht Suppose calamitie should come who would not give a world for a good Conscience then Iabel Gen. 4. 20. he is busie in building of tents and he is among his flockes and cattell and Iubal Genes 4. 21. hee is wholly upon his merry pins as his Harpe and Organs He and his take the Timbrel and the Harpe and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ Iob 21. 12. And these jolly joviall lads give poore Noah many a drie flout many a scornfull scoffe whilest hee is building his Arke and aske what this brainsicke mad fellow meanes to make such a vessell whether he meant to sayle on the
dry land or to make a sea when he had made his ship I but when the flood is come and the waters begin to bee chin deepe then aske Iabel whether building of tents or building of an Arke bee the wiser worke then whether is better Noahs Arke or Iubals Pipes Now that the flood is come these come perhaps wading middle deep to the Arke side and bellow and howle to Noah to open the arke to them Now would not Iabel give all his tents and all his cattell but to bee where Noahs dog lyes would not Iubal now give all his pipes and merriment to have but the place that an hogge had in the Arke Now Iubal let us heare one of your merry songs pipe now and make your selves merry with gybing at Noahs folly in making a ship to saile on dry land What ailest thou Iubal to howle wring thine hands thus where is thine Harpe Organs now cheere up thy soule now with these vanities Now the Flood is come now Noah is in the Arke now Sirs you that are such men of renowne Gen. 6. 4. you that were the brave gallants of the earth now tell me who is the foole and who is the wise man now How many in the dayes of peace make light of a good Conscience yea if they see others to be but carefull in rigging of their Ship and pitching and trimming up such an Arke how ready are they to spend their byting scoffes and their tart jests upon them but if ever times of trouble calamitie and a fire flood of Gods wrath Nah. 1. 6 8. should breake in then would a good Conscience hold up the head with much comfort and resolution whilest those that formerly made a jeast of a good conscience should have aking and quaking hearts by reason of those unmeasurable feares that shall seize upon them A good conscience will make a man musick when Iubal shal be glad not only to put up but with indignation and anguish of heart to throw away and curse his pipes Well fare a good conscience in evill dayes Pitch and trim up this Ark there is no such provision against evill dayes as is a good conscience It will do a man service and support him when all the brave spirits of the earth shal be blank and at their wits end In the third place the benefit and comfort 3. The comfort of a good conscience in time of Sicknesse of a good conscience is conspicuous in the time of sicknesse or a mans private and personall crosses in his estate c. A sicke man with an hayle conscience is a cheary and a comfortable man Prov. 13. 14. The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmity that is the spirit it selfe being hayle and sound it wil enable him to bear any bodily sicknesse But a wounded spirit who can beare yea a wounded or a sicke body who can comfortably beare if the spirit or conscience be sicke But let the conscience bee good and sound and it helpes a man with great ease and comfort to beare the sicknesse of the body It is a shrewd burthen to beare two sicknesses at once to have a sicke body and a sicke conscience A man shall find enough of the easiest of them single and alone But yet an hayle conscience in an infirme body sweetly helpes our infirmitie Let a man have ever so hayle and heathfull a body yet if the conscience be naught and withall awakened fals to galling and griping he shall find but little joy in his bodily health so contrarily let a mans conscience be good and though his body be sicke and weake yet it is a great deale of sweet refreshment that it shall receive from the conscience Sicknesse in it selfe is exceeding uncomfortable and in the time of sicknesse commonly all bodily comforts the comforts of meates drinkes and sleepe faile yea but then here is the benefit of a good conscience that will not then fayle but as it is said Eccl. 10. 9. Money answers all things so a good conscience answers all things the comfort of it supplies the wants of all other comforts When in sicknesse the comfort of meat drink and sleepe is gone they are all found againe in the comfort of a good conscience that will be meat and drinke that will be rest and sleep that will make a mans sick-bed soft and easie that shall be as the Angels were to Christ in his hunger in the Wildernesse they ministred unto him and so will a good conscience minister comfort in the want of all other comforts so that a man may say of a good conscience as we use to say of some solid substantiall dish that there are Partridge Phesants and Quailes in it so though outward comforts cease their office and their worke be suspended yet a good conscience comes in its roome and in it are meat drinke sleepe ease refreshment and what not A good conscience is an Electuary or a Cordiall that hath all these ingredients in it There is no such Cordiall to a sicke man as the cordiall of a good conscience All Physicians to this Physician are but such Physians as Iobs friends Iob 13. 4. Yea are Physicians of no value A motive of great weight to make men in love with a good conscience Who can be free from sicknesse and how tedious and wearisome a time is the time of sicknesse Now who would not make much of a Cordiall that might cheare him then of a receipt that might feed him then As then we would bee glad of a chearfull and comfortable spirit upon our sicke beds so make much of a good conscience Whence is it that most men in their sicknesses have such drooping spirits lye groaning altogether under their bodily paines or lye sottishly and senslesly no sense of any thing but paine and sicknesse Meerely from the want of a good conscience they have laid up no Cordial no comfortable Electuary for themselves in their health time against the day of sicknesse Indeed you shall have the miserable comforters of the world on this manner cheering them why how now man where is your heart Plucke up a good heart man never feare for a little sicknes c. True indeed they should not need to feare if they could plucke up a good heart But they that will plucke it up when they are sicke must lay it up when they are well Hee that hath a good conscience to get when he lyes upon his sicke bed is like a man that hath his Aqua-vitae to buy when hee is fallen into a swoune A wise man that feares swouning would have his hot-water-bottle hanging alwayes ready at his beds-head But as in other crosses by sicknesse and the like so is the comfort of a good conscience never more sweet then when a man is under the crosse for conscience sake and suffers affliction and vexation to keepe a good conscience Then above all other times will conscience doe the office of a Comforter and will
stand to him that will stand for it When Nebuchadnezzar heares his Furnace seaven times hotter than at other times then a good conscience will speak comfort seven times sweeter than at other times Are Gods Saints for good conscience â—on Acts and Mon. Omnis nobis vilis est poena ubi pura comes est conscientia Tiburt apud Baren An. 168. sake in prison Good conscience will make their prisons delectable hort-yards So doth Algerius an Italian Martyr date a comfortable Epistle of his From the delectable hortyard of the Leonine prison a prison in Venice so called So that as he said that hee had rather be in prison with Cato than with Caesar in the Senate house so in this regard it was more comfortable to be with Philpot in the Cole-house than with Bonner in his Palace Bonners conscience made his Palace a Cole house and a Dungeon whilst Philpots made the Cole-house a Palace Are Gods Saints in the Stocks Better it is sayes Philpot to sit in the Stocks of the world then in the stocks of a damnable conscience Therefore though they be in the Stocks yet even then the righteous doth sing and rejoyce yea even in the Stocks and prison Paul and Silas sang in the Stocks Sing in the Stocks Nay Hinc est quod è contrario innocens etiam inter ipsa tormenta fruitur conscientiae securitate cum de poena metuat de innocentia gloriatur Hieron ad Demetti ad â—â— 1. more they can sing in the flames and in the middst of the fires Isay 24. 15. Glorifie God in the fires And worthy Hawks could clap his hands in the middst of the flames So great and so passing all understanding is the peace and comfort of a good conscience So that in some sense that may be said of it which is spoken of faith Heb. 11. 34. By it they quenched the violence of fire Gods servants were so rapt and ravisht with the sense of Gods love and their inward peace of conscience that they seem'd to have a kind of happy dedolencie and want of feeling of the smart of outward torments Who knowes what trialls God may bring him to Wee have no patent for our peace nor his free liberty in the profession of the Gospel Suppose we should be cald to the stake for Christs sake Would we be chearful would we sing in the flames Get a good conscience The cause of Christ is a good cause now with a good cause get a good conscience and wee shall be able with all chearfulnesse to lay downe our lives for Christ and his Gospel sake CHAP. XII The comfort and benefit of a good conscience in the dayes of Death and Iudgement IN the fourth place The time of death is a time wherein the benefit and comfort of a good conscience is exceeding great Death hath a ghastly looke and 4. The comfort of a good conscience at the day of Death terrible able to daunt the proudest and bravest spirit in the world but then hath it a ghastly looke indeed when it faces an evill conscience Indeed sometimes and most commonly conscience in many is secure at the time of death God in his justice so plaguing an affected security in life with an inflicted security at Death And the Lord seemes to say as once to the Prophet Go make their consciences asleepe at their death as they have made it asleepe all their life lest conscience should see and speake and they heare and be saved God deales with conscience as with the Prophet Ez. 3. 26. I will make thy tongue cleave to the roofe of thy mouth that thou shalt be dumbe therefore they die though not desparately as Saul and Achitophel yet sottishly without comfort and feeling of Gods love as Nabal But if conscience be awakened and have its eyes and mouth opened no heart can imagine the desparate and unsufferable distresses of such an heart Terrours take hold of him as waters Iob 27. 20. Terrours make him afrai on every side Iob 18. 11. Then is that true Iob 25. 23 24. Hee knowes that the day of darknesse is ready at hand Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid they shall prevaile against him as a King ready to the battell And no wonder for hee is now brought unto the King of Terrours as Death is called Iob 18. 14. A man that hath an ill conscience if his eyes be opened and his conscience awakened he sees death in all the terrible shapes that may bee Sometimes he sees death comming like a mercilesse Officer and a cruell Sergeant to arrest and to drag him by the throat to the prison and place of Torment Psal 55. 15. Let death seize upon them They see it comming like that cruell servant in the Parable to his fellow Math. 18. catching them by the very throat Sometimes he sees death in the shape of some greedy Lyon or some ravening Wolfe ready to devour him and to feed upon his carkasse Ps 49. 14. Death shall feed on them even as a ravenous beast shall feed upon his prey Imagine in what a terrible plight the Samaritans where in when the Lyons set upon them 2 Kin. 17. and by it imagine in what case an ill conscience is when it beholds the face of death It puts an ill conscience into that case in good earnest that David was in in the case of triall Ps 55. 4 5. My heart is sore pained within me and the terrors of death are fallen upon me fearfulnesse and trembling are come upon mee and horrour hath overwhelmed me Sometimes againe he sees death as the Israelites the fiery serpents with mortall stings Sometimes as a mercilesse landlord or the Sheriffe comming with a Writ of Firmae ejectione to throw him out of house and home and to turne him to the wide Common yea he sees death as Gods executioner and messenger of eternall death yea hee sees death with as much horrour as if hee saw the Devill In so many fearfull shapes appeares death to an evill conscience upon the death-bed So as it is indeed the King of terrors to such an one that hath the terrors of conscience within There is no one thought so terrible to such an one as the thought of death nothing that hee more wishes to avoid Oh how loath and unwilling is such an one to dye But come now to a man that hath lived as Paul did in all good conscience and how is it with him upon his death-bed His end is peace so full of joy and comfort so is hee ravished with the inward and unspeakable consolations of his conscience that it is no wonder at all that Balaam should wish to dye the death of the righteous the death of a man with a good conscience The day of a mens mariage is the day of the joy of a mans heart Can. 3. 11. and the day of mariage is not so joyfull a day as is the day of death to a good conscience There are but
few that can marry with that joy wherewith a good conscience dies It enables a man not onely to looke Ananias and the Councel in the face but even to look death it selfe in the face without those amazing terrours yea it makes the face of death seeme lovely and amiable Hee whose conscience is good and sees the face of God reconciled to him in Christ hee can say as Iacob did when he saw the face of Ioseph Gen. 46. 30. Now let me dye since I have seene thy face It is the priviledge of a good conscience alone to goe to the grave as Agag did to Samuel and to say that truly which he spake besides the booke 1 Sam. 15. 32. Hee came pleasantly and hee said Surely the bitternesse of death is past Hee was deceived and therefore had no such cause to be so pleasant but a good conscience can yea cannot chuse but be so pleasant even when going out of the world because the guilt of sinne being washed away in Christs blood it knowes that the bitternesse of death is past and the sweetnesse of life eternall is at hand A man whose debts are paid he dares goe out of doores dare meet and face the Sergeants and the conscience purged by the blood of Christ can look as undauntedly on the face of death He that hath forgotten the sting that is the guilt of conscience taken away by faith in Christ he lookes not upon death as the Israelites upon the fiery Serpents but lookes upon it as Paul doth 1 Cor. 15. O death where is thy sting Who feares a Bee an Hornet a Snake or a Serpent when they have lost their sting The guilt of sinne is the sting of conscience it s the sting of death that stings the conscience The sting of death is sinne 1 Cor. 15. Plucke then sin out of the conscience and at once the conscience is made good and death made weake and disarmed of his weapon And when the conscience sees death unstinged and disarmed it is freed of feare and even in the very act of death can joyfully triumph over death oh Death where is thy sting A good conscience lookes upon death as upon the Sheriffe that comes to give him possession of his Inheritance or as Lazarus upon the Angels that came to carry his soule into Abrahams bosome and therfore can welcome death and entertaine him joyfully And whereas an ill conscience makes a man see death as if he saw the Devill a good conscience makes a man see the face of death as Iacob saw Esau's face Gen. 33. I have seene thy face as the face of God they see the face of death with unspeakeable joy ravishment of heart and exultation of spirit Well now what a motive have wee here to make us labour for good conscience Even Balaam himselfe would faine make a good end and die in peace and who wishes not his death-bed may be a mount Nebo from whence he may see the heavenly Canaan Lo here Balaam the way to dye the death of the righteous I have lived in all good conscience untill this day They that have conscience in their life shal have comfort at their death they that live conscionably they shal dy comfortably they that live in all good conscience till their dying day shall depart in the abundance of comfort at their dying day There will come a day wherein wee must lay downe these Tabernacles the day of death will assuredly come How lamentable a thing will it then be to be so destitute and desolate of all comfort as to be driven to that extremity as to curse our birth day oh what would Comfort be worth at our last houre at our last gaspe whilst our dearest friends shall be weeping wringing their hands and lamenting then then what would inward comfort be worth Who would not hold the whole world an easie price for it then Well then would wee then have Comfort and Ioy oh then get a good conscience now which will yield comfort when all other comforts shall utterly faile and shall be life in the middst of death How happy is that man that when the sentence of death is passed upon him can say with Hezekiah Is 38. 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Indeed the text sayes that Hezekiah wept sore but yet not as fearing death for hee could not feare death who had thus feared God but because the promise was not yet made good to him in a Son and Heire of his kingdome hence came those teares It is otherwise an unspeakable joy that such a conscience as Hezekiahs was will speake to a man upon his death-bed Every one professes a desire to make a good end Here is the way to make good that desire to live in all good conscience Alas how pittifull and miserable a condition live most men in All the dayes of their life and health they have no regard of a good conscience Notwithstanding that men are pressed continually to this one care by the instancie and importutunitie of Gods Ministers yet how miserably is it neglected Well at last the day of death comes and then what would not they give for a comfortable end If the gold of Ophir would purchase comfort it should flie then Then poast for this Minister and run for the other as in the sweating sicknesse in King Edwards dayes then for Gods sake but one word of comfort then O blessed men of God one word of peace Now alas what would you have them to doe Are they or your own courses in fault that you want comfort at your death What would you have us doe Wee must referre you to your owne consciences we cannot make oyle of flint nor crush sweet wine out of sowre Grapes we dare not flatter you against your cōsciences If you would give us a world we cannot comfort you when your owne consciences witnesse against you that such comforts belong not to you Doe not idely in this case hope for comfort from Ministers be it knowne unto you you must have it from your owne consciences Many on their death-bed cry to the Minister as she did to the King 2 King 6. 26 27. Helpe my Lord O King But marke what hee answers If the Lord doe not helpe thee whence shall I helpe thee out of the barne floore or out of the Wine presse So must wee answer to such as cry Helpe helpe O man of God If God and your owne consciences helpe you not whence shall we help you If there had beene Corne within the barnes the King could easily have helped her but he could not make corne So if men have carryed any thing into their consciences if they themselves have inned any provision and comfort by being conscionable in their lives then we can helpe and comfort them but otherwise doe not thinke that we can make comforts and make
good consciences upon your death-beds If your consciences can say for you that you have beene carefull in your life time to know God to walke holily and religiously before him c. then wee dare be bold to comfort and cheere you then dare wee speake peace confidently to you But if your consciences accuse you of your ignorance your oathes Sabbath-breaches worldlinesse rebellion uncleannesse oppression drunkennesse c. and finally impenitencie What is it you would have us to doe What can wee say but as the Prophet to Zedekiah Ier. 37. 19. Where are now your Prophets that prophesied unto you saying the King of Babylon shall not come against you So where be those that in your life time told you ye need not to be so careful and precise to keep good consciences lesse ado will serve the turne now what think ye of them now what peace have you in those wayes what comfort can these give you now Or else what can we say when men in anguish of conscience lye tossing upon their beds but what Reuben said to his brethren when they were in distresse Gen. 42. 21 22. Did not I warne you saying Sin not c. So must wee what doe ye call to us for comfort did not wee warne you many a time and oft saying Sinne not nor live in those dangerous courses Did not wee warne you Oh to have our consciences and Gods Ministers thus to grate upon us what an uncomfortable condition will this be Would wee then prevent such sorrow and be cheerfull and cheered at our latter ends lay up a good conscience then lay in somewhat for conscience and Gods Ministers to worke upon and from which they both may be able to raise comfort to you Get a good conscience and live in it all thy dayes and then though thou shouldest want the benefit of a comforting Minister yet thy conscience shall doe the office of a comforting Minister and shall be the same unto thee that the Angel was unto Christ in his agony Luke 22. 43. and shall minister such comfort unto thee as shall make thee ready to leap into the grave for joy This shall be as another Iacobs staffe for thee to leane rest upon when thou shalt be upon thy death-bed If men knew but the worth of a good conscience at the houre of death wee should need no other motive to worke mens hearts to be in love therewith Fiftly and lastly the benefit and comfort 5. The comfort of a good conscience at the day of Iudgment of a good conscience is great at the day of judgement Oh the sweet comfort and confidence of heart that a good conscience will yield unto a man at that day What will become of all the Gigantean spirits and the brave fellowes of the earth then Alas for their yellings and cursing of themselves and their companions what howling and crying to the mountaines as they did Revel 6. Hide us Cover us yea dash and quash us in a thousand pieces When an ill conscience is awakened it is not to be imagined how small a thing will gastre it The sound of a shaken leafe shall chase them and they shall fly as flying from a sword and they shall fall when none pursues Levit. 26. 36. A dreadfull sound is in his eares Iob. 15. 21. Hee heares nothing but he thinkes he heares alwaies some terrible and dreadfull noise And then if a shaken leafe shall chase and shall put them into a shaking feare what case will such be in when as Iob speakes Iob 26. 11. The pillars of heaven shall tremble and when the powers of heaven shall be shaken Luke 21. 26. When the heavens shall shake and flame above them when the earth shall quake and tremble under them what case will they be in then If meere imaginations fill their eares with dreadfull sounds where there is no sound at all Oh what a dreadfull sound shall be in their eares when the Sea shall roare Luk 21. 25. when the last trumpe shall sound 1 Cor. 15. when they shall heare the shout and voyce of an Angel 1 Thes 4. 16. what dreadfull sounds will these be in the eares of ill consciences How will these dreadfull sounds confound their soules with horrour and amazement But now for a good conscience how is it with it then Even amiddst all these dreadfull sounds it lookes up and lifts up the head Luke 21. 28. and enables a man with a cheery confidence to stand before the Son of man Luke 21. 36. The Malefactor who looks for the halter how dreadful is the Iudges cōming to the Assises attended with the troopes of halberds in his eye but the prisoner that knowes his owne innocencie and that he shall be quit discharged his heart leaps at the Iudges approach how terrible soever he come attēded to the bench it glads his heart to see that day which shal be the day of his liberty release An hypocrite shall not come before him Ioh. 13. 16. much lesse shal look up lift up his head or stand before him Ps 1. 5. But the righteous and the man with a good conscience he shall hold up and cheerfully lift up his head when all the surly and proud Zamzummins of the earth that here lifted up their heads and nebs so high shall become howling and trembling suitors to the deafe mountaines to hide them from the presence of the Lambe on the throne Oh! they that feare the Lambe on the throne how dreadfull unto them will be the Lyon on the throne It will be with good and evill consciences in that day as it was with Pharoahs Butler and Baker on Pharaohs birth-day The Butler he knew hee should be restored to honour and go from the Prison to the Palace therefore he comes out of the prison ful of joy jollity he holds up his head and outfaces the proudest of his enemies But the Baker hee knowes his head shall be lift from off him and therefore when Pharaohs birth-day comes wherein all others are in jollity yet hee droopes and hangs downe the head hee knowes it would prove an heavie day of reckoning with him Such will the apparition of Christ unto judgement be unto good and evill consciences as was the apparition of the Angel Math. 28. 2 3 4 5. There was a great earthquake for the Angel of the Lord descended frō heaven his countenance was like lightening and his rayment white as snow Here was a terrible sight but yet not alike terrible to all the beholders For for feare of him the keepers did shake became like dead men But the Angel said unto the women feare not ye for I know that ye seek Iesus So at the last day when Christ shall come to judgment evill consciences shall be as the Keepers whilst all good consciences shall heare that comfortable voice Feare not yee for I know that you have sought for God all your daies ye have sought to keepe a good
conscience How effectuall a motive should this bee how strongly should this work with us As we should be glad to hold up our heads when the glorious ones of the earth shall hang them down to leape for joy when others shall howle for bitter anguish of spirit so now whilest wee have the day of life and grace labour we to get and keepe good consciences CHAP. XIII A second motive A good conscience is a continuall feast THus have wee seene the first motive The second motive to a good con-conscience from the benefit and comfort of a good conscience in such cases and times as a man stands most in need of comfort A second motive followes and that is that we find Prov. 15. 15. A good conscience is a continuall feast 1. It is a feast 2. Better than a feast It is a continuall feast 1. It is a feast The excellencie of a good conscience is set forth by the same Quo enim melius epulantur animi quam bonis factis aut quid aliud tam facile potest explere justorum mentes quā boni operis cōscientia Ambro. de offic l. 1. c. 31. thing by which our Saviour sets forth the happinesse of heaven Luk. 14. And well may both be set forth by the same Metaphor considering what a neere affinitie there is between heaven and a good conscience and that there is no feasting in heaven unlesse there be first the feast of a good conscience here on earth But why a feast A feast for three regards 1. For the selfe sufficiencie and sweet satisfaction and contentment that a good conscience hath within it selfe Feasting and fasting are opposite In fasting upon the want of food there is an emptinesse and a griping hunger which makes the body insatiably to crave But at a feast there is abundance and variety of all dishes and dainties ready at hand to satisfie a mans appetite to the full he can have a mind to nothing but it is before him The very best of every thing that is to be had is at a feast A feast of fat things Isa 25. 6. of fat things full of marrow Such is the sufficencie of satisfaction the abundance of sweetnesse and contentment that is to be found in a good conscience It is a table richly furnisht with all varieties and dainties There is no pleasure comfort or contentment that a mans heart can wish but it may be abundantly had in a good conscience as at a feast there is a collection of all the dainties and delicacies that sea and land can afford 2. For the mirth and joy of it A feast is made for laughter Eccl. 10. 19. At a feast there is mirth musick and delight in the comfortable use of the creatures Heavinesse of heart pensivenesse and sorrow these are banisht from the house of feasting Fasting and feasting are opposite in fasting indeed there is weeping mourning and sorrowing but in a feast contrarily there is mirth merriment and joy There were under the Law appointed solemn holy feasts anniversarily to be celebrated and at those solemn feasts were the silver trumpets sounded Num. 10. 10. and the sound of the trumpets was a joyfull sound Ps 89. 15. For their Festivities were to be kept with speciall joy Deut. 16. 10 11 13 14 15. Thou shalt keepe the feast of weekes unto the Lord c. and thou shalt rejoyce before the Lord c. Thou shalt observe the feast of Tabernacles seven dayes c. And thou shalt rejoyce in the feast c. Therefore thou shalt surely rejoyce And that extraordinary feast on the fourteenth fifteenth of Adar in memorial of their deliverance from Haman see how it was kept Esth 9. 19. 22. They kept them dayes of gladnesse and feasting of feasting and joy Even such is the excellencie of a good conscience All the merriment and musick wine and good chear will not make a mans heart so light and so merry as the wine which is drunke at the feast of a good conscience will doe This takes away all heavinesse and sadnesse of spirit and hath the like effects with naturall wine It makes a man forget his spiritual poverty and remember that misery no more Pro. 31. 7. Nay as wine not only takes away sadnes but withal brings a naturall gladnesse with it Ps 104. 15. Wine that makes glad the heart of man so doth this wine at this feast Psal 97. 11 12. Light is sowne for the righteous and gladnesse for the upright in heart Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous None so glad an heart as the upright in heart Nay such is the vigour and strength of this wine at this feast that it not onely glads a mans heart but makes a man as not able to containe even to shout for joy Psalm 32. 11. Shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart yea shout aloud for joy Psal 132. 16. That look as it is said of the Lord Ps 78. 65. The Lord awaked like a mighty man that shouts by reason of wine So such is the plenty abundance sweetnesse and strength of the wine of this feast that it makes men in a holy jollity even to break forth into shouting and singing This wine being liberally drunken wherein there is no excesse fils a mans heart with such an overflowing exuberancie of joy as hee cannot hold but hee must needs shew it in Psalmes Hymnes and spirituall songs and hence it is that the righteous do sing and rejoyce Pro. 29. 6. So that what joy a feast can yield that can a good conscience yield much more 2 Cor. 1. 12. This is our rejoycing the testimonie of our conscience Yea and that joy commanded Deut. 16. at the feast of Tabernacles what was it but a Type of that spirituall joy that the faithful under Christ should have in keeping the feast of a good conscience The feast of a good conscience is the true feast of Tabernacles in which as in the other there shall need no charge to rejoyce and be merry this feast will put such spirit and life into a man as shall make him sing skip and shout for joy The feast of a good conscience is not like a funerall feast where mirth and joy are unseemely and unseasonable guests there are heavie hearts and lookes teares and mourning which by the way how well they suit with feasting let the world judge but the feast of a good conscience is a nuptiall feast a marriage feast and the day of marriage is the day of the joy of a mans heart Cant. 3. 11. Such a feast even a joyfull marriage feast doth a good conscience make Oftentimes these bodily feasts are but heavie feasts many for all their good cheere company and musicke cannot put away the heavinesse of their hearts but even in their feast are sad hearted and Sampsons wife wept all the dayes of the feast Iudg. 14. 17. yea though a marriage feast But in this feast of a good cōscience here
not in meates and drinks but in righteousnesse peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. Quietnesse and a dry morsell is better then an housefull of good cheare with strife Pro. 17. 1. Though it be but outward quietnesse when a man is free from vnjust vexations and the molestations of froward and contentious disposition even such quietnesse makes a dry morsell good cheere makes a feast of a crust But when there is inward quietnesse of a good conscience and a mans heart is at quiet from his peace with his God what excellent cheere is a dry morsel then Though a man have ever so good fare yet to have it sawced with the bitternesse of contention and to live in a continuall wrangling with pevish people what poore content would a well furnisht Table afford such a man And what poore cheere especially would all these feasts in the world make where there is brawling and contention from the conscience Here then is the excellencie of this feast above all other feasts This feast is able to subsist and to maintaine it selfe without other feasting other feasting is nothing without this of a good conscience Other feasting often hurts and hinders this feast whilest men by their vaine and licentious carriage therein Feasting without all feare Iude. 12. Doe make the conscience fast and starve and whilest their Quailes are betweene their teeth Leannesse enters into their soule Psalm 106. 5. So farre is bodily feasting from helping that it hinders this feasting rather Conscience can have mirth enough without a feast but little is the comfort and content that a feast can give where the Conscience is not good Men may Sed non est ista hilaritas longa Observa videbis cosdem in exiguum tempus atergime ridere acerrime rudere Senec ep 92. set a face vpon it and bragge laugh and be jolly in their feasting but yet in the middest of their laughter the heart is sorrowfull and the end of that mirth is heavinesse Prov. 14. 13. Conscience awakened even in the middest of the greatest jollitie gives men many a bitter twitch at the heart and in the middest of all their revellings gives them Vineger and Gall to drinke A good conscience is it that sweetens and seasons all the dishes of a feast that is the sawce that makes meat savoury the sugar that sweetens Wine that is the musicke that makes a mans heart dance But let a man goe to the most sumptuous and delicious feasts without a good conscience and how is it with him then Iust as with Belshazzar Dan. 5. Where the hand writing on the wall marred all his mirth or else it is in such a case as it was with Haman The foole brags that he alone is invited to Esters banquet with the King Esth 5. 12. Oh how happy a man was he under how fortunate a Planet was he borne to be the King and Queenes Favorite both But see what little reason hee had to brag Chap. 7. 2. Even at the banquet of Wine Esther gives him a cup of gall at the banquet of Wine doth she accuse Haman to the King Oh! how many glory in their banquetting and their feasting but how often doe their consciences put Esthers tricke vpon them even accuse them to God and gall and gird them in the midst of their wine conscience serves many as Absoloms villaines served Amnon when his heart was merry at Absoloms feast then they stabd him to the heart Cōscience deales with them as the Israelites were dealt withal in their quaile feast They had their Quailes and their dainties but a man would rather want their good cheere than have their sawce Their sweet meat had sharpe sawce Whilst the flesh was between their teeth Gods anger brake in upon them So whilst many are chewing their dainties conscience fils their mouth with gravell and so sawces and spices their dishes that they find but little content therein So miserable are all feasts and merriments of this world when a man wants the independent feast of a good conscience So happy also are they that have the feast of a good conscience although they never taste bit of other feast whilst they live although they be denied the crums that fall under the feasting Gluttons table 3. It is better in regard of the Vniversality of it As for belly feasts it stands not with every mans condition and purse to make them It belongs onely to the richer and abler sort to feast Feasting is a matter of charge and cost and so is out of the reach of the poorer sort But here is the excellencie of this feast The poorest that is may make it and the poore have as good priviledge to make it as the rich and the poore in this respect may keepe as good an house as the best Nobleman yea for the most part the poorer sort keep this feast best Nabal makes a feast like a king but wretched man in the mean time what feast keepes his conscience It may be many a poore Carmelite neighbour of his that went in a poore russet coat and lived in a poore thatcht cottage kept that feast abundantly richly whilst he poore sot had not the crums that fell from their tables Lazarus could not have the crums that fell from the gluttons table but how happy had it been with the glutton if in stead of this delicious fare he might have had but the reversions of Lazarus boord Lazarus may not come to his feast no nor yet to his fragments neither will Lazarus condition permit him to feast it as the glutton did but yet this feast of a good conscience Lazarus may make as well as hee and can and doth keepe it whilst the glutton feeles many an hunger-biting gripe What an excellent feast is this above all other feasts wherein the russet hath as much priviledge as the velvet the beggar as the King the poore tenant as the rich Landlord The rich Landlord often so feeds upon and eates up his poor tenant by oppression that the tenant is kept low enough for feasting It is well with him if hee have food hee had not need thinke of feasting But loe now the excellent feast of a good conscience here may the Tenant keep as good cheere as the Landlord yea and it may be may feast whilst the rich Landlord is ready to starve for want of this provision Now then all this considered what a Motive should it be to make us in love with a good cōscience How powerfully should this perswade us therto whē God would perswade men to come to the joyes of heaven hee uses no other argument than this to invite them to a feast as in the Parable Luk. 14. Behold here is the same argument to move you to be in love with a good conscience behold the Lord invites you to a feast and to a feast where ye shall have sufficiencie without want or loathing where ye shal have wine mirth musick and good
to the defiled their conscience is defiled and that being defiled it defiles all it meddles with as under the Law the Leaper defiled all he touched The best meat disht and dressed with defiled and dirty hands is loathsome to us The honest works of a mans calling are good workes in themselves but no good workes to him that doth them without a good conscience Pro. 21. 4. An high look and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is Sin The calling of Husbandry is counted the most honest calling of all others yet where a good cōsciēce is wanting a mans very plowing is Sin Come to holy duties of Religion and Gods service and how is it with a man wanting a good conscience in them That curse of Davids Psal 109. 8. Let his prayer be turned into Sin lies upon the services of all evill consciences See Pro. 15. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked that is of him that hath an evill conscience is an abomination but the prayer of the upright that is of a man that hath a good and upright conscience is his delight Observe the opposition Hee sayes not the prayer of the wicked and the prayer of the upright nor the sacrifice of the wicked and the sacrifice of the upright but the sacrifice of the wicked and the prayer of the upright A sacrifice had prayer with it but yet it was more sumptuous more solemn then single prayer Now who would not thinke but such cost should make a man welcom yet the single prayer of the upright is accepted whilst his sacrifice is an abomination yea and that a vile abomination Is 66. 3. A man of evill conscience delighting in his abominations makes his holiest services such Let such an one come to the Sacraments and how will it be with him there even as in the former To the impure even the pure Sacraments are impure Simon◠Magus rather defiles the waters of Baptisme then they clense him and it is not carnall baptisme that availes any thing without the answer and stipulation of a good conscience 1 Pet. 3. 21. And for the Sacrament of the Supper whether doth it profit an uncleane conscience or such a conscience pollute it It may be judged by a like case resolved Hag. 2. 11 14. The uncleane person by a dead body touching the Bread or Wine or Oyle makes these to be uncleane The ceremoniall uncleannesse by the touch of a dead body typified the morall uncleannes of an evill conscience unpurged from dead works God looks specially at the cōscience in all our services and if hee finds that foule and filthy he throws the dung of mens sacrifices in their faces that come with the dung of their filthy consciences before his face See therefore how Paul serves God 2 Tim. 1. 3. Whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience It is an impure service that is not performed with a pure conscience as sleight as the world make of puritie How much more shal the blood of Christ purge your consciences from dead workes Heb. 9. 14. But to what end are they purged To serve the living God Therfore marke that till the conscience be purged and made good there is no serving of God So Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neere that is in prayer and the like duties But how Having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience Otherwise it is but a folly for us to draw neere for God will not be neere when a good conscience is far off And therfore we are bid to purifie our hearts when wee are bid draw nigh to God Iam. 4. 8. Behold here then a speciall motive to make a good conscience beautifull in our eye As we would be loath our services of God our prayers and holy performances should be abominable in Gods eye so labour for good consciences As we would have cōfort in alour duties of obedience so labor to make our conscience good It is a great deale of confidence that silly ignorant ones have in their good prayers their good serving of God as they call it yea it is all the ground of their hope of salvation when they are demanded an account of their hope now alas your good prayers and your good serving of God! why what do you talking of these things Hath Christ purged your consciences from dead workes Have you by faith got your consciences sprinkled and rinced in Christs blood and so have ye made them good If not never talke of good prayers and good serving of God your prayers cannot be good whilst your consciences are naught An evill conscience before God and a good service to God cannot stand together But would you have your prayers good indeed and your service acceptable indeed then let your first care be to make your conscience good Fourthly let this worke with us as a The fourth motive to a good conscience maine motive to a good conscience That it is the Ship and the Arke wherein the faith is perserved The faith is a rich commoditie a precious fraught and a good conscience is the bottome and the vessell wherein it is caried So long as the ship is safe and good so long the goods therin are safe but if the ship split upon the Rocks or have but a leake therein then are all the goods therein in danger of being lost and cast away So long as a man keeps a good conscience there is no feare of losing the faith the integrity and soundnes of the doctrin therof Constancie in the truth is a fruit of good conscience Psalm 119. 54 55. I have kept thy Law he had not declined from nor forsaken the truth of God but what held and kept him This I had because I kept thy precepts Keeping of a good conscience will keepe a man in the truth It is that which is the holy preservative to save from all errors heresies false doctrins The better conscience the sounder judgment the sounder heart the sounder head As the better digestion in the stomach the sreer the head is from ascēdent fumes that would distemper and trouble the same Iohn 7. 17. If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God How shall a man come to have a sound and a good judgement to be able to judge what is truth and what is not Let him get a good conscience and make conscience of doing the will of God Iohn 14. 21. Hee that hath my commandements and keepes them c. such a man hath and keepes a good conscience And what benefit shall such a one have by keeping of a good conscience I will love him and I will manifest my selfe unto him And Ps 50. 23. To him that orders his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God God doth communicate himselfe and his truth to such as make conscience of their wayes The pure in heart shall see God and the secret of the Lord is with them that feare
him So that he that hath a good conscience hath the onely Antidote the most excellent Amulet and plague-cake at his brest that is in the world to save him from the pestilence and infection of Popery Arminianisme Brownisme Anabaptisme c. So long as the Ship of conscience is whole so long the Iewell of faith is safe Paul would have a Bishop to hold fast the faithfull Word and to be sound in doctrin Tit. 1. 9. But yet marke it that he would first have him be a man of a good conscience in the two foregoing verses And 1 Tim. 3. 9. he would have the Deacons hold the mysterie of the faith in a pure conscience Contrarily nothing so endangers the losse of the faith and truth and soundnesse of doctrine as doth the losse of good conscience A corrupt conscience soone corrupts the judgement 1 Tim. 1. 19. Holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwracke If the ship of conscience cracke how soone will the merchandize of faith wrack If once the conscience crack the braine will soone prove crazie and an unsound conscience makes a fearefull way for an unsound and rotten judgement 2 Tim. 3. 8. They resist the truth there is their corrupt conscience what followes upon it Men of corrupt minds unsound in their judgement concerning the faith How frequent a thing is it in experience to see men when they lose good conscience together with it either to lose their gifts as the unprofitable servant his Masters talent or else to lose the truth and to fal into pestilent and dangerous errours So those Prophets that made not conscience in faithfull and holy execution of their office see what was the fruit of their evill conscience Micah 3. 5 6 7. Therefore night shall be unto you that ye shall not have a vision and it shall be darke unto you that ye shall not divine and the Sun shall goe downe over the Prophets and the day shall be darke over them c. Their darknesse in life shall be plagued with darknesse in judgement To which purpose that is notable Zach. 11. 17. Woe to the idoll shepheard that leaves the flocke There is an unconscionable shepheard a man that makes no conscience to attend his ministery What becomes of him The sword shall bee upon his right eye his best eye And his right eye shall not be pore-blind or dimmed but shall be utterly darkened The losse of good consciences brings upon men of knowledge and learning that reproach that Nahash the Ammonite would have brought upon all Israel 1 Sam. 11. 2. It thrusts out the right eyes Ill consciences not only make men look asquint but it blinds them and takes away their sight And what is the reason that Popery gets ground so fast and so many turne Papists so easily Surely it is no wonder how should it be otherwise when men either having lost all good conscience or making no conscience of their wayes but living loosely viciously and licentiously have thereby prepared a way for Antichrist and his Religion to enter withall successe No wonder that men turne Papists so fast when long since they have turned good conscience going For that which Bellarmine speakes is in the Cum ariae ventilari incipiunt non frumenta sed paleae vento abripiente separantur ab area Ita prorsus cum Ecclesia per Ethuicorum persecutiones vel Haereticorum deceptiones Deo permittente cribratur aut ventilatur à Satana non veri sancti garves sed improbi leves curiosi lascivi ab Ecclesia avolantes ad Ethnicos haereticosue transfugiunt nec feâ—o solet accidere ut ante circa fidem aliquis naufraget quam naufragere caeperit circa mores Bellarm. Orat prefix tom 4. generall certainly true though by him falsly and maliciously applyed That they be not holy and grave men but wicked light curious wanton ones that turne Ethnickes or Heretickes and that it seldome comes to passe that any man makes shipwracke concerning the saith that first makes not shipwracke concerning manners See the truth of it in many of our backsliders to Popery especially such as have beene zealous propugners of the truth Where began the first declension where the first flaw Had not their coÌ„sciences first brusht upon some rocke was not the first leake there and when they had first put away good conscience then there was a speedy banishing of truth and a ready entertainment of errour And for the common sort of their converts consider if many times they have not beene the very riffe-raffe of our Church swearers grosse profaners of the Sabbath vncleane and debauched drunkards such as our Church was sicke of and desired even to spue forth and then when they have become a prey to all vicious courses through want of conscience through Gods just judgement they have become a prey to Romish Locusts whose commission is only to hurt such and not those whom the sap of a good conscience keepes fresh and flourishing as the greene grasse and trees of the earth Apoc. 9. 4. For as Salomon speakes of the bodily harlot Eccle. 7. 26. so it is true of that spirituall Whore of Babylon Her heart is snares and nets her hands as bands her delusions strong who so pleases God and hath a care to keepe a good conscience shall escape from her but the sinner and he that makes no conscience of his wayes shall be taken by her Well let us thinke well upon this motive we live in dangerous and declining dayes wherein men with a greedinesse turne to their Romish vomit againe Besides the Factors of Antichrist are exceeding busie and pragmaticall to draw men from the faith of Christ and the Holy Ghost tels us they shall come with strong delusions Now then all you that be the Lords people save your selves from this dangerous generation all you that have or would be knowne to have the seale of God on your foreheads save your selves from the seduction of these Locusts I but how may that be done The delusion is strong and it may be we are weake Lo then here is a remedy against their danger Get and keep a good conscience live as Paul did in all good conscience thou shalt be safe from all their delusioÌ„s I have kept the faith sayes Paul oh let it bee the care of us that that may be our closing voice at our last day and if we would keep the faith let us keep a good conscience He that in his life time can say I keepe a good conscience he at his death shall be able to say I have kept the faith Faith and a good conscience are both in a bottome Hold one and hold both As therefore thou wouldest feare to turne Papist or any other Heretick so be sure to hold a good conscience to hold on a good honest and a conscionable man So long as thou standest upon that ground thou art impregnable and the gates of hel
shall not be able to draw thee from the faith of the Lord Iesus Prov. 6 20 22 24. My Son keep thy Fathers commandement c. And it will keep thee So I may say here keep a good conscience and it will keepe thee it will keepe thee sound in the faith it will keepe thee from being drawne away by the error of the wicked and it will keepe thee from the Wine of the fornications of the Whore of Babylon CHAP. XV. The last Motive to a good conscience The misery of an evill one THe last Motive remaines and that is The fift motive to a good conscience The horrour and misery of an evill Conscience If men did but truly know what the evill of an evill conscience were and how evill a thing and bitter it will be when conscience awakens here or shall bee awakened in hell a little perswasion should serve to move men to live in a good conscience We may say of the evill conscience as Solomon speakes of the drunkard Pro. 23. 29. Who hath woe who hath sorrow who hath contentions who hath wounds but not without a cause Even the man whose conscience is not good even he that liues in an evill conscience An evill conscience how miserable it is we may see by considering the miserie thereof either in this world or the world to come 1. In this life When an evill conscience is awakened in this life the sorrow and smart the horror and terror is as the joy of a good conscience unspeakable An evil conscience in this life is miserable in regard of feare perplexity and torment To live in a continuall feare and to have a mans heart alwaies in shaking fits of feare is misery of miseries And such is the misery of an evill conscience Prov. 28. 1. The wicked flees when none pursues Onely his owne guilt pursues him and makes him flee His owne guilt causes a sound of feare in his eares Iob 15. 21. Which makes Proprium autem est nocentium trepidare Male de nobis actum erat quod multa seelera legem judicem effugiunt scripta supplicia nisi illa naturalia gravia de presentibus solverent in locum patientiae timor cederet Sonec ep 91. him shake at the noise of a shaken leafe Levit. 26. 36. yea that so scares him that terrours make him afraid on every side and drive him to his feet Iob 18. 11. Yea there are they in great feare where no feare is Ps 53. 3. So that a man with an evill conscience awakened may be named as Pashur is Ier. 20. 3. Magor-Missabib feare round about as being a terror to himselfe and to all his friends ver 4. An evill conscience even makes those feare fearefull feares of whom all other stand in feare How potent a Monarch and how dreadfull a Prince was Belshazzar who was able to put him into any feare whom all the earth feared And yet when his guilty conscience lookes him in the face awakened by the palme writing on the wall see where his courage is then Dan. 5. 6. Then the Kings countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against another Who would have had his feare to have had his kingdome Let him now cloath himselfe with all his Majestie let him looke and speak as terribly as he can let him threaten the vilest vassall in his Court with all the tortures that tyranny can inflict and let him try if he can for his heart put his poorest subject into that fright and feare that now his conscience puts him into in the ruffe and middst of his jollity But I pray what ayles he to be in this feare in this so extraordinary a feare Hee can neither reade nor understand the writing upon the wall Indeed it threatned him the losse of his kingdome but hee cannot reade his threatning hee knowes not whether they be bitter things that God writes against him why may he not hope that it may bee good which is written and why may not this hope ease and abate his feare No no. Though he cannot reade nor understand the writing yet his guilty conscience can comment shrewdly upon it and can tell him it portends no good towards him His conscience now tells him of his godlesse impieties in profaning the vessels of the Temple of the true God and that for this his sacrilegious impropriation and abuse of holy things God is now come to reckon with him Thus can his conscience doe more than all his wise men All the wise men came in but they could not reade the writing nor make knowne to the King the interpretation thereof Dan. 5. 8. But his conscience is wiser than all his wise men and when they are as puzzeld that interprets to him that this writing meanes him no good and though he cannot reade the syllables yet his conscience gives a shrewd neere guesse at the substance of the writing and therefore hence comes that extasie of feare and those paroxysmes of horror It was better with Adam after his fall After his Sin committed we find him in a great feare Gen. 3. 8 10. and hee hides himselfe for feare Now observe how his feare is described from the circumstance of the time They heard the voyce of the Lord God walking in the garden in the coole of the day Luther layes the Emphasis of the aggravation of his feare upon this word the wind or coole of the day The night indeeed is naturally terrible and darknesse is fearfull whence that phrase Ps 91. The terrors of the night But the day and the light is a cheerfull and a comfortable creature Ec. 11. 7. Truly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun How is it then that in the faire day light which gives courage and comfort that Adam feares and runs into the thickets Oh his conscience was become Gravis malae conscientiae luxest Senec. ep 123. come evill and full of darknesse and the darknesse of his conscience turned the very light into darknesse and so turned the comforts of the day into the terrours of the night So that in this sense it may be said of an evill conscience which of the Lord is said in another Ps 139. 12. Vnto it the darknesse and the light are both alike As full of feare in the light as in the dark And besides the Lord came but in a gentle wind the coole breath of the day now what a small matter is a coole wind and that in the day time to to put a man in a feare Such small things breed great feares in evill consciences In what a wofull plight would Adam thinke we have beene if the Lord had come to him at the dead and darke midde-night with earth-quakes thunder and blustring tempest We may see the like in Cain After he had defiled his conscience with his brothers
ease in these Darius against his conscience suffers innocent Daniel to be cast into the Lyons den What cheere hath hee that night He passed the night in fasting Dan. 6. 18. Not in fasting in humiliation for his Sin but conscience now began to gall him and hee having marred the feast of his conscience conscience also marres his feasting none of his dainties will now downe his wine is turned into gall and wormewood no joy now in any thing He had marred the musick of his conscience and now he brookes not other musicke The Instruments of musicke were not brought before him His guilty conscience was now awakened and now he cannot sleepe His sleepe went from him So Iob in his conflict for conscience hoped for ease in his bed Iob 7. 13. My bed shall comfort me my couch shall ease my complaint But how was it with him Either he could not sleep at all ver 3. 4. Wearisome nights are appointed unto me When I lye downe I say when shal I arise and the night be gone and I am full of tossing to and fro unto the dawning of the day Needs must he tosse whose conscience is like the Sea waves tossed with the winds or else if Iob did sleepe yet did not conscience sleepe ver 14. but even in his sleepe presented him with ghastly sights and visions When I say my bed shall comfort me then thou scarest me with dreames and terrifiest mee through visions At other times when conscience hath beene good Gods people though their dangers have beene great yet neither the greatnesse nor neernesse of their dangers have broken their sleepe Ps 3. 5. 7. I laid me downe and slept I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against mee round about And yet if wee looke to the title of the Psalme A Psalm of David when he fled from Absolom his Son one would thinke David should have had little list or leasure to have slept Peter thought to have been executed the next morrow by Herod though hee also lodged betweene a company of ruffianly soldiers that happily one would feare might have done him some mischiefe in his sleep yet how soundly sleeps he that night Act. 12. And holy Bradford was found a sleepe when they came to fetch him to be burnt at the stake These feares brake not these mens sleepe How might this come to passe They did as Ps 4. 8. I will lay me downe in peace and sleep He that can lie downe in the peace of conscience may sleepe soundly whatsoever causes of feare there be otherwise But contrarily he that cannot ly downe with the peace of conscience will find but little rest and sleepe though his heart bee free from all other feares Evill conscience being awakened will fill the heart with such feares as a man shall have little liberty to sleep Oh the sweet sleep that Iacob had and the sweet dreame when he lay upon the cold earth and had an hard stone under his head for his pillow An hard lodging and an hard pillow but yet sweet rest and sweet communion with God A good conscience makes any lodging soft and easie but downe-beds and down-pillowes if there be thornes in the conscience are but beds of thornes and beds of nettles The bitternesse of an evill conscience distastes all the sweets of this life as when the mouth and tongue is furred in an hot Ague all meates and drinks are bitter to the sicke party This is the misery of an evil conscience awakened in this life 2. But it may be many never feele this misery here there is therefore the more misery reserved for them in hell in the world to come Indeed more by many thousands go to hell like Nabal than like Iudas more die like sots in Security than in despaire of conscience Death it selfe cannot awaken some consciences but no sooner come they into hel but conscience is there awakened to the full never to sleep more and then she lashes and gashes to the quick and lets men learne that forbearance was no payment Tel many men of conscience and they are ready to slap one on the mouth with that profane proverbe Tush conscience was hanged many yeares agoe But the time will come that they who have lived in evill conscience shall find the conscience which they have counted hanged shall play the cruell hangman and tormentor with them They shall find conscience unhanged when it shall hang them up in hell when day and night it shall stretch them there upon the racke The torments which an evill conscience puts the damned to in hell are beyond the expression of the tongue and the comprehension of mans conceit There be two speciall things in the torments of Hell wee have them both thrice repeated together Mark 9. 44 46 48. Where their worme dies not and the fire is not quenched There is an ever-living worme and never-dying fire And marke that in all the three verses the worme is set in the first place as it were to teach us that the prime and principal torment in hell is the worme rather than the fire And what is the worme but the guilt of an evill conscience that shall lye eternally gnawing and grasping twitching and griping the heart of the damned in hell Men talke much of hell fire and it were well they would talke more of it but yet there is another torment forgotten that would be thought on too There is an Hell worm as well as there is an Hell fire And it may be a question whether of the two is the greatest torment And yet no great question neither For as the Heaven of Heauen is the peace and joy of a good so the very Hell of Hell is the guilt and and worme of an evill conscience A man may safely say it is better being in hell with a good conscience than to be in heaven if that might be with an evill one Heaven without a good conscience what is it better than hel Paradice was an heaven on earth but when Adam had lost the Paradice of a good conscience what joy did paradice the pleasures of the gardē afford him more than if he had beene in some sad and solitary Desert A good conscience makes a Desert a Paradice an evill one turnes a Paradice into a Desert A good conscience makes Hell to be no Hell and an evil one makes Heaven to be no Heaven Both the happines and misery of Heaven and Hell are from the inward frame of the conscience The Hell of Hell is the worm of Hell and that worm is the worm of an evill conscience which if it be not wormed out and so the conscience in this life made good it will be an immortall worme in Hell The hellish despaire wherewith the damned are overwhelmed comes rather from this worm than from the fire Whose worm dies not and whose fire is not quenched The fire of Hell never quenches because the worme of Hell never
Iesus with the palme of his hand c. Lu. 22. 63 64. And the men that held Iesus mocked him and smote him And when they had blind-folded him they stroke him on the face He felt the weight of their fists for the same quarrell that Paul did So it was fore-prophecied of him Isa 50. 6. I gave my backe to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the haire It was the kindnesse that Zidkiah could afford Micaiah 1 King 22. 24. He went neere and smote him on the cheeke it was the thanks the Prophet was like to have for the discharge of a good conscience 1 Chr. 25. 16. Forbear why shouldst thou be smitten It is that of which Iob cōplained so long since Iob 16. 10. Mine enemie sharpens his eyes upon me they have gaped upon me with the mouth they have smitten me upon the cheeke reproachfully The same portion shall the Prophet Ieremy meet withall Ier. 20. 2. Then Pashur smote Ieremiah the Prophet What was the quarrell That in the former vers Hee heard that Ieremiah had prophecied these things Only for discharging his conscience for the conscionable dispensation of Gods truth And as sometime they smote him on the mouth so somtime they smote him with the mouth Ier. 18. 18. Come let us devise devices against Ieremiah come let us smite him with the tongue and let us not give heed to any of his words And why would they smite him with the tongue Onely for his conscience and fidelity in his Ministery There is mention made of two false Prophets against whom an heavie judgment is threatned Ier. 29. 21 23. Ahab Zedekiah two base scandalous debauched persons who committed villany in Israel and committed adultery with their neighbors wives The Prophet Ieremy he out of conscience fulfils his Ministry see how light-fingred Pashur is he hath fists for Ieremies face and stocks for his heeles but in the meane time Ahab Zedekiah they may whore play the villains and they feele not the weight of his little finger If his fingers must needs be walking there is worke for them there he may strike and stocke with credit But there is no such zeale against them No such dealing with them Zedekiah and Ahab may be in good tearmes of grace with Pashur whilst Ieremiah must have blowes on the face ly by the heeles So well can wicked men brook villany and any wretched courses better than they can a good conscience Pashur can better endure an aduletrous whoremaster than an honest conscionable Prophet villaines may wall at liberty whilst a good conscience shal sit in the stocks Heere then is the portion a good conscience may look for from the world The better conscience the harder measure For which of my good works do ye stone me saith our Saviour Ioh. 10. 32. A strange recompence for good works and yet oft-times the best recompence and reward that the world can afford good works and a good conscience stones and strokes And if so be that feare of law and happy government bind their hands yet then will they bee smiting with the tongue and if the law keep them in awe for smiting on the mouth yet then will they do what they dare they will smite with the mouth A faire Item to all that meane to undertake Vse 1 the profession and courses of good cōscience Do as many do in case of marriage before they affect the person they first consider how they like the portion So heere before thou meddle with good conscience thinke with thy selfe what is her portion and if thou like not that it is but a folly to think of a good conscience Do as our Saviour advises Luk. 14. 28. Sit down first count the cost and whether thou be able to endure that cost or no. Ananias hath a fierce spirit and a foule heavie fist Pashur is a club fisted fellow and the spitting adders of the world will smite their sting deepe Suppose a good conscience may speed better as having the protection of Christian government yet this it must reckon upon and it must account of the hardest Therfore think before hād before you meddle with it how you can beare the fists and blowes of smiters if ever you should come under them I may say here as our Saviour did to the Sons of Zebedeus Mat. 20. 20 21. Ye know not what ye aske Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the baptisme that I am baptized with Many say they desire to enter the courses of a good conscience but doe not well know nor well weigh what they desire Consider with your selves Are ye able to drink of the cup that a good conscience shall drinke of Can ye be baptized with the baptisme that a good conscience must be baptized with Can ye indure the smart of Ananias blows Can ye bear the load of Pashurs club fist Think upon this aforehand and weight it well this is that you must make account of that will set upon the courses of a good conscience Is this the portion of a good cōscience see then what a good measure of Christian Vse 2 resolution they shall need to have that take the profession of it upon them Be shod with the shoos of the preparation of the Gospel Eph. 6. 15. Grow marveilous resolute to harden thy self and to harden thy face against all enemies fists blows whatsoever that though Ananias should dash thee on the face yet he might not dash thee and thy good conscience out of Countenance Thus did our Saviour Is 50. 6. I gave my backe to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the haire I hid not my face from shame and spitting But how was hee ever able to endure all this See vers 7. I have set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed So must thou doe that meanest to keepe a good conscience Get a face and a fore-head of flint that enemies may as soone cracke a flint with their knuckles as by their violence and injuries drive thee from a good conscience Get an Ezekiels face Ezek. 3. 9. Make thy forehead as an Adamant harder than a flint Steele and flint thy face with all heroicall resolution A face of flesh will never endure but a face of flint will hold Ananias fist tacke let him strike while he will he shall sooner batter a flint with his fist than stir a resolved conscience out of its station But believe me these be hard things to Quest undergo who will be able to abide such hard measure how therefore may one grow to such resolution to abide the worlds fists the smart of their smiting 1. Consider that conscience hath fists Answ as well as Ananias 1 Sam. 24. 5. 2 Sam. 24. 10. Davids heart smote him And what are Ananias his blowes on the face to the blowes of conscience at the
heart One blow on the heart or with the heart is more painefull than an hundred on the face and as Rehoboam speaks of himselfe 1 King 12. 10. so consciences little finger is thicker heavier and more intollerable than both Ananias his hands and loynes Now then here is the case If Paul will stand to his conscience then Ananias his fists will be about his eares If Paul do forsake or flawe good conscience for feare or for the favour of Ananias then will consciences fist be about his heart Now then if no remedy but a man must have blowes it is good wisedome to chuse the lightest fist and the softer hand and to take the blow on that part that is best able to beare it with most ease The face is better able to abide blows than the heart and Ananias his blowes are but fillips to the clubbing blowes of conscience We would scarce judge him a wise man that to avoyd a cuffe on the eare would put himselfe under the danger of a blow with a club Here is that then that may make us to compose our selves to patience and to grow to an hardinesse and a Christian resolution Better ten blowes on the face than one on the heart Better an hundred from Ananias than one from conscience that will lay on load let the world smite yet mine heart smites not yea that strokes and comforts whilst the world strikes and threatens Therefore being smitten in case of conscience rather than give out do as our Saviour bids in another case Math. 5. 39. Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheeke turne to him the other also 2. Consider that in the next verse God shall smite thee God hath smiting fists as well as Ananias Let him smite but yet there will come a time that God shall smite him God will call smiters to a reckoning 3. Consider that of David Psal 3. 7. Thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheeke bone thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly God will not onely smite the enemies of his people but will smite them with disgrace as it is a matter of vile disgrace to have a boxe on the cheeke and hee will give them such a dust on the mouth as shall dash out their very teeth he will lay heavie and disgracefull judgements upon them as he did upon Absolom of whom David speakes May it ever be thy lot to see good conscience under the fists of smiters be not discouraged start not stumble not at it Bee not ready to inferre It is in vaine to cleanse a mans conscience and wash his hands in innocencie But consider that this hath been ever the worlds madnesse and the ancient lot of a good conscience either to bee smitten with adversaries hands or varlets tongues CHAP. XVII The impetuous injustice and malice of the adversaries of a good conscience AS we have seene the entertainment a good conscience meets withall in the world so we may here further see the inordinat violences that the enemies and haters of a good conscience are carried with Therefore out of this insolent Injunction of Ananias we may in the second place observe The heady violence and impetuous injustice Doct. 2 of the adversaries of good conscience Smite him on the mouth A man would not imagine that hatred and malice against goodnesse should so transport a man as to make him run into so much so open so grosse Injustice Doe but examine the fact and you shall see a strange deale of injustice therein 1. Who is he that bids smite The high Priest He had a better Canon to live by Mal. 2. 6. He walked with me in peace and equity So Levi walked so should Gods Priests walke also And that Canon of Paul for the Ministry of the Gospel held no lesse good for the Ministry of the law That he should not be soone angry no striker Tit. 1. 7. How haps it then that the High Priest is thus light fingred Smite him on the mouth Oh! shame that such a word should come out of a Priests especially the High Priests mouth 2. Who must be smitten Paul an Innocent Foule injustice Questionlesse if Paul had offered such measure but to Ananias his dog to have smitten him for nothing but out of his meer spight Ananias would have judged him a dogged fellow And would Ananias use an innocēt person as he would be loth a man should use his dog 3. Where must this blow be given In open Court where they were all convened to doe justice Still the worse If he had commanded him to have been smitten in his private Parlour it had been unjustifiable but to smite him in open Court and to doe injustice in the place of Iustice this is deepe injustice The place he sate in the gravity of his person Gods High Priest the solemnity of the administration of justice all these might have manacled his hands and have a little tempered and bridled his spirit A foule indignity for the Iudge of Israel to bee smitten on the cheeke Mic. 5. 1. As foule an iniquity for a Iudge of Israel to smite on the mouth wrongfully and in an open Court of Iustice What an indecent thing for a Iudge to goe to cuffes on the Bench What an intemperate and a vindictive spirit argues it But what is the Indency to the Injustice And what Injustice to that which was done upon the Bench Of all wormwood that is the most bitter into which justice is turned 4. For what is the blow given For a good conscience What And hath Gods High Priest no more conscience than so his place teaches him to bee a Protector Defender and an Incourager of good conscience His whole office is matter of conscience and will he that should teach maintaine and incourage good conscience will he smite men for good conscience What is this but Is 58. 4. To smite with the fist of wickednesse 5. When is the blow given When he is begining to plead his own innocencie to speake in his own defence More injustice yet Did not Nicodemus speake reason Ioh. 7. 51. Doth our Law judge any man before it heare him Nay if Ananias have no regard to Gods Law as it seemes hee hath but a little that will smite a man for good conscience yet what will he say to Caesars Law Act. 18. 25. Is it lawfull for you to scourage and so to smite a man that is a Roman and uncondemned and unheard To judge and condemne a man unheard is deep Injustice but far deeper to punish and execute him Will hee hang a man and then try him Lo here indeed a right unrighteous Iudge that feares neither God nor man that regards neither Gods Law nor Caesars To have done by Paul as Gallio did Act. 18. 14 16. When Paul was about to open his mouth to drive him and the rest from the judgement-seat this had beene injustice but when Paul opens his mouth to speake for himself for Ananias to stop
their scandals God smites them in their Names that in the woe lighting vpon their Names they may see what it was to dishonour pollute the Name of God God will pollute their Names that pollute his and will cause that pearle of theirs to bee trod in the dirt and mire Yea God so takes to heart the dishonour of his Name by scandals that though there may bee true Repentance yet still some staine may lie vpon the Name Dauid made his peace with God and truly repented so as the Prophet tels him his sinne was forgiuen him and yet 1. King 15. 5. after Dauid is dead and gone that fact of his is mentioned as some blurre Dauid did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord saue onely in the matter of Vriah the Hittite Dauid did other things that were sinfull the Numbring of the people the giuing of Mephibosheths Lands to Ziba why then sayes the text saue in the matter of Vriah Because though the other were sinnes yet they were not scandalous sinnes The other was a scandalous sinne and a scandalous sin is of that heynous nature that though the guilt be taken away yet after the wound hath done bleeding and is closed vp and healed there will remaine some skarre in the Name and credit So that of foule scandalous offenders it may be said as of the Adulterer Prou. 6 33. A wound and dishonour shall he get and his reproach shall not be wiped away So long as hee liues his reproach will liue with him yea and out-liue him too his reproach will last as long as his memoriall And as Ieroboam is seldome named in Scripture without dishonour Ieroboam that made Israel to sinne so such seldome be mentioned but with the remembrance of their scādal oh that was he that made such a profession of Religion and yet playde that heynous pranke Wee haue a cause Deut. 25. 9 10. that when a man refused to doe a brothers office his brothers wife must loose his shooe from off his foot and spit in his face And his name shall bee called in Israel the house of him that hath his shooe loosed Now all this was great disgrace and matter of great reproach But what was this to the reproach that comes by a scandal How much more reproach is it to haue all men readie to spit in ones face to haue it said the house of him that had his conscience loosed the man who deserued to haue his face spit in because hee occasioned so many to spit on and spit at religion and the Gospell 2. A second temporall woe which God will bring vpon them and followes vpon the former is eiection and casting of them out of the society communion of Gods people That which Dauid complaines of as iniustice in his friends shal be their righteous portion Psal 31 11 12. I was a reproach amongst all mine enemies but specially amongst my neighbours and a feare to mine acquaintance they that did see mee without fled from me I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind I am like a broken vessel Not only shal their enemies despise and scorne them but their neighbours not ordinarie neighbours but their familiar acquaintance shall discard them yea they shall be afraid and ashamed of them and shall shunne all societie and conuerse with them as iudging it a matter of discredit to bee seene in their cōpanie They shal be as dead men out of minde nay worse for dead men may bee mentioned with honour and regard but they shal be as dead men in regard of society their society no more desired then the society of a dead man which euery man abhorres They are like a broken vessell A vessell whilest it is whole is vsefull and desireable and whilest whole vse is continually made of it it is called for enquired for and is at euery turne in request But now let such a vessell bee broken it is thrown by throwne out of doores cast on the dunghill none once meddles with it nor lookes after it So whilest such persons are whole vessels they are vessels of vse and honour they haue the honour of communion and society but if once such vessels get a knock fall into scandal take such fowle falles as that they breake their credits and their consciences so become broken vessels they are then cast out of the hearts out of the society out of the fellowship of Gods people See how these goe together Ierem. 22. 28. Is he a vessell wherein is no pleasure wherefore are they cast out hee and his seed So that when a man becomes a vessell wherein there is no pleasure then hee is cast out So was Coniah And such is the case of scandalous persons they become vessels wherin is no pleasure and so are cast out That same is threatned as an heauy woe to Israel Hos 8. 8. Now shall they bee amongst the Gentiles as a vessell wherein is no pleasure When they were in their owne country they were desireable vessels they were as vessels of siluer and gold as vessels of plate that are for seruice set vpon the table had in great account and pretious esteeme But now they shold be carried amongst the Gentiles and there should bee as vessels wherein is no pleasure that is as base abiect vessels put to the most sordid seruices such as God would make Moab to be Psal 60. Moab my washpot olla lotionis meae Now this was an heauy woe denounced against Israel that hee should be amongst the Gentiles as a vessell wherein there is no pleasure If to be such a vessell amongst the Gentiles be a woe and an heauy thing what then is it to bee such a vessell amongst the Israel of God and amongst his people to be a reiectitious refuse vessell that a man hath no pleasure to meddle with-al Salt is good that is whilst it is sauory but if the salt haue lost its sauour then it is cast out no longer set vpon the table no nor suffered in the house but it is cast vnto the dunghill A scandalous person is salt that hath lost his sauour vnsauory salt not only wanting good but hauing a stinking sauour therefore fit for the stinking dunghill vntill his extraordinary deepe humiliation haue brought him to recouer his sauour againe Such is the case of scandalous ones It is Gods Iustice and it is Gods commaunde it should be so If a man walke disorderly he is thus to be dealt withall 2. Thes 3. 6. Wee commande you in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ that ye withdraw your selues from euery brother that walkes disorderly and that disorderly walking what it is we see in the words following It was liuing idely Now if men must withdraw themselues out of the company of Idle disorderly persons how much more then should they withdraw themselues from such as bee scandalous What is disorder to scandal Therefore marke how punctual the Apostle is Rom. 16. 17. Now
hee haue no more to doe with Episcopal or Ministerial function And this Discipline of theirs wants not foundation in Scripture It seemes to be the same thing that God himselfe constituted Ezek 44. 12 13. Because they ministred vnto them before their Idols they shall beare their iniquitie and they shall not come neere vnto mee to doe the office of a Priest vnto me nor to come neere to any of mine holy things in the most holy place but they shall beare their shame and their abominations which they haue committed Vpon their Repentance they were receiued againe to some other places Ver. 10. 11. but they must meddle no more after that scandal of Idolatrie with the Priest-hood And this Discipline did Iosiah put in practise 2. King 23. 9. Some priuiledges vpon their Repentance were granted vnto the Priests of the high places that had defiled themselues with Idolatrie but the office of Priesthood they were quite excluded from it And this was the ancient Discipline against the giuers of offence and indeed such zeale and such seueritie it did concerne and euer will concerne the Church of God to shew to scandalous delinquents Facilitie and an ouer easie readinesse to comply with such breedes a fresh scandal to the world and giues them iust cause to n Et quoniam andâ—o Charissimifratres impudentia vos quorundaÌ„ premi verecundiam vestram vim pati oro vos quibus possum precibus vt euaÌ„gelij memores vos quoque sollicitè et cautè petentiuÌ„ desideria ponderetis vtpote amici domini cùm illo post modum indicaturi inspiciatis actuÌ„ opera merita singuloruÌ„ ipsorum quoque delictorum genera qualitates cogitetis ne si quid abrupte indignè vel à vobis promissum vel à nobis factuÌ„ fuerit apud Gentiles quoque ipsos ecclesia nosira erubescere incipiat Cypr. Epist 11. reproach the Church and opens the mouth of iniquitie to say you bee all such Whereas discommoning and discarding such from our familiar and priuate societie and when neede and power is from communion in holy things gaines the Church a great deale of honour and stops the mouth of iniquitie from calumniating Gods people to bee fauourers and countenancers of such persons Such will bee pressing in to gaine their credit and to recouer their respect but when such suddenly and easily get into credit it is no whit for the honour and credit of the Church God will bring woes vpon them in their outward state their peace their posteritie Elies sonnes runne into foule Scandals 1. Sam. 2. 22. It was scandalous for priuate persons much more for Priests to bee vncleane and adulterous It was scandalous to haue done so vnclean an act in any place but to doe it in a scared place with women comming thither vpon deuotion this was egregiously scandalous God therefore takes them to doe and does execution vpon them and cuts them both off in one day by the Sword of the Philistims God brought the wo of the Sword vpon them Nay when they ranne into Scandal because Eli did not restraine them see what God threatens vpon his Posteritie 1. Sam. 2. 36. that hee would plague them with such base beggerie and miserie that they should beg their bread If God thus punish him for not restraining how much more would he haue punished him for the committing of a Scandal If it goe thus hard with Eli that restraines not how hard will it goe with Hophni and Phinehas that commit the scandal Wee cannot haue a more pregnant and full example in this kinde then Dauid himselfe Hee after his scandal committed was truly penitent the guilt of his sinne pardoned a solemne absolution and discharge giuen him by the Prophet And yet for all this wee shall see how terribly this woe pursued him in temporall crosses in this kinde First God smites his childe with death then followes his daughter Thamars defilement by her brother Amnon then Amnons murder then the treason of Absalom in which the hand of God was exceeding smart God turnes him out of house and home Whose heart would not earne and bleede to see his dolefull departure from Ierusalem 2. Sam 15. 30. And Dauid went vp by the ascent of mount Oliuet and wept as he went vp and had his head couered and hee went barefoote and all the people that was with him couered euery man his head and they went vp weeping as they went vp Who could haue beheld so sad and so woefull a spectacle with drie eyes But this was not all his life is endangered his Concubines defiled in open view on the house top And what thinke wee was the ground of all this For the childs death we see 2. Sam. 12. 13 14. The Lord hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not die howbeit because by this thy deede thou hast giuen great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the child also that is borne vnto thee shall surely die It is verie much that fasting and praying can doe it can cast out deuils This kind goes not out but by fasting and praying Mark 9. 29. And yet fasting and praying could not keepe off this woe that Dauids scandal brings vpon him in the childes death woe vnto Dauid by whom that offence came therefore shall his childe die And for all the rest of all those wofull sorrowes 2. Sam. 12. 9. 10. 11. 12. we see the cause of them all these woes were vpon Dauid for his scandal And if Gods woe in these temporall outward calamities will thus pursue and follow a repeÌ„ting an humbled scandalous offender how much more will that hand of God pursue that man vpon whose scandal followes no Repentance and Humiliation If Dauid the man after Gods owne heart must not escape what then shall others looke for If a beloued Dauid shall haue his teeth on edge with his owne sowre grapes of his scandalous courses who then shall thinke to goe scotfree that is guilty of scandalous transgressions what a sure irresistible wo is that which Repentance it selfe cannot keepe off from a mans children his life person and goods And thus temporall woe is to him by whom offences come 2. God will pursue and pinch such as giue offence with spirituall woe God will fill such mens hearts specially if they belong to him with much spirituall woe and bitternesse of soule He will awaken conscience to smite pinch and gripe them at the heart He will so loade and burden their consciences that in the anguish and bitternes of their spirits they shal be forced to cry out woe is mee vile wretch that I was borne that euer I breathed thus to dishonour God It is true that there is an happinesse in this woe and it is singular mercy that men are not seared and hardened in their sinne but yet for all that there it a great deale of smart sorrow and a great deale of wofull bitternes in the worke
dispossesse a maid of the Deuill and adiuring him to come out of her into himselfe What shall I neede to tempt and possesse him of whom I shall haue full possession at the last day So what cares he to tempt those that hee hath already possession of and are taken and led captiue at his pleasure And besides nothing the aduantage and gaines comes in by such mens sins as doe by the fowle and notorious falls of such as professe religion Therefore the Deuil seeking a new possession and withall the raysing of his Kingdome by their fals it is apparant that they are in greater dangers of Satans malice then the other It therefore concernes them out of the Conscience of this malice of his their owne frailty to bee very iealous and suspitious of themselues and out of that feare and Iealousie to watch and pray Our hearts are false and fickle exceeding ready to close with Satan therfore keep so much the more strickt watch ouer them Wee are exceeding weake and frayle looke vp to God and begge his helpe It is God that keepes the feete of his Saints and the wicked shal be silent in darkenes 1. Sam. 2. 9. Except the Lord keepe the City the watchman watches in vaine and except the Lord keepe the feete of his Saints all their watching is in vaine Alas if wee trust to our owne keeping how soone wil our feete be ready to slip how fowle shall wee fall and into what scandals shall not we runne And then how farre would wicked ones bee from being silent in darknesse Indeede when God keepes his Saints feete he silences stops wicked mens mouthes because then they haue nothing to say against Godlinesse But if God keepe not the Saints feete how soone and how wide are wicked mouths opened to clamour and blaspheme Therefore out of an holy feare and iealousie of our owne weakenesse let vs dayly petition God by prayer that he would keepe vs that our feete may not stumble that hee himselfe would take the charge of vs that wee dash not our foote against a stone There is a promise Ier. 31. 9. I will leade them I will cause them to walke in a streight way wherein they shall not stumble Now when men out of a feare and iealousie of their owne infirmity and frailty doe dayly looke vp to God and beg guidance and safe cōduct from him he wil leade them and make them walke in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble This was Dauids practise Psal 5. 8. Leade mee O Lord in thy righteousnesse because of mine enemies or mine obseruers as Iunius renders it make thy way streight before my face He saw that he had many eyes vpon him that obserued and watcht him narrowly he knowes his owne readines to turne aside into by and crooked wayes his suite therefore to God is that he would leade him Whilest God hath a man by the hand how safe is a man from falling And God that keepes the feete of his Saints 1. Sam. 2. 9. hath his Saints in his hand Deut. 33. 3. All his Saints are in thine hand It is good daylie by prayer to put our selues into Gods hand It is iust with God to checke selfe-confidence to let such men slip fall too that by their falls they may know their frailty q Laudo Petrum sed prius erubesco pro Petro. Quam prompto animo sed nesciens se metiri Aug de diuers ser 39. Peters cause is well knowne Though all yet not I he was of forward spirit but knew not how to measure himselfe if hee had had more feare iealousie he would haue beene more watchfull and haue sought more to God and would haue said rather If all men should yet Lord by thy grace keepe mee that I may not deny thee Hee had beene more secure if hee had beene lesse secure But now that he stands wholly vpon his owne legs how soone how miserably falles he The child that cares not to be led but will goe of himselfe gets many a knocke and many a shrewde fall but the childe that is fearefull and out of his feare will bee in the mothers or nurses hand and will cry to be led that childe scapes many a broken face 2. Mortifie your deerest lusts A fostered and a cherisht lust doth exceedingly endanger a man puts him into great danger of falling into scandal Let a lust be loued and cherished and it will so befoole and bewitch a man that hee will maintayne and sockle it though it be with the hazard of the credit of Religion and the Gospell it will grow so strong at the last that it will headlong him into some scandal or other Therefore deale seuerely with these lusts that will bring thee happily to doe that which will cause God to deale seuerely with thee be sure to make sure worke with them by mortification that is a good way to preserue thee from scandal This is the very course our Sauiour here prescribes Hauing in this seauenth verse shewed the woe that falles vpon the giuers of scandals see what he inferres Verse 8. 9. Wherefore if thine hand or thy foote offend thee cut them off and cast them from thee c. And if thine eye offend thee plucke it out and cast it from thee c. Marke then what it is that makes men offend Namely mens lusts their right hands eyes feete These bee the scandal-breeders If a man would bee free from giuing of offence he must out off with that which causes him to offende Now lusts when they are made much of when they be made deere hands and eyes and right eyes assuredly they will cause men to offend Therefore the way to saue our selues that they cause not vs to offend is to offend them the way is by mortification to cut off and cast away such hands feete and eyes as will cause vs to offend Were but this done how happily might many fowle scandals be preuented If Dauid had presently pluckt out his wanton eye and cast it away how easily had hee beene secured from that great offence hee gaue It may be many a man out of the great pride of his heart and his abundant selfe-loue makes his credit and esteeme amongst men to be his right hand his right eye his very Idoll Now this is a lust that will cause a man to offend A man in this pride and selfe-loue to maintaine and vphold his good opinion and esteeme runnes into this and that secret euill practise and rather then his esteeme and credit should sinke in the world vses a number of shifts and dishonest courses and a companie of deceitful guiles to vphold his esteeme and runnes so far in at last that he come not off without fowle scādal Now mortification and selfe denial had preuented it If such a man had pluckt out this eye cut off this hand foote hee had not halted nor stumbled nor fallen into scandal The not