to bee handled A point wel worth our enquiring after A good Conscience is the most precious thing that a ChristiaÌ„ can haue a thing of that esteeme that where it is wanting we account a man without a conscience So of a man that hath an ill CoÌ„science we vse to say he is a man of no CoÌ„science Not that he hath no Conscience the Diuels themselues haue a Conscience and happy it were for them they had none but when a man hath not a good one we esteeme of him as hauing none at all There is no greater good we can seeke after then a good conscience Let vs enquire then how we may get and keepe this so great a good A good Conscience then consisting in Peace and Integrity these two being gotten and kept we shall get and keepe a good Conscience First then to make the Conscience peaceably good these things are required 1. Faith in Christ and his blood The Conscience cannot be at peace til it be purged from its guilt An impure Conscience cannot but be an vnquiet Conscience and every guilty Conscience is impure Guilt is the same to the conscience that the winds are to the seas Isa 27. 20. 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast vp mire and dirt There is no peace to the wicked Now that which makes the Sea so troublesome and ragingly restlesse is the violence of the blustering winds that trouble and tosse it to and fro The winds are not so troublesome to the sea as guilt is to the Conscience Therfore as the way to calme the Sea is to calme the windes so the way to quiet and calme the Conscience is to purge and take away the guilt Guilt is in the Conscience as Ionas in the Ship out with him and Sea and ship are both quiet But how then shall the guilt be purged out of the Conscience That we find Heb. 9. 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ purge our coÌ„sciences froÌ„ dead works We cannot haue a good conscience till we be freed from an euill one The way to be freed from an euill conscience is to haue our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience Heb. 10. 22. But what is that wherwith the CoÌ„science must be sprinckled to be made good with peace quietnes The same which we finde 1 Pet. 1. 2. The sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ and Heb. 12. 24. The blood of sprinkling which speakes better things then that of Abel So then the Conscience sprinckled with Christs blood ceases to be evill becomes good and peaceable The same Christ that calmed the rage of the Sea by stilling the winds Mark 4. 39. He arose rebuked the wind said vnto the Sea Peace be stil and the wind ceased and there was a great calme The same Christ it is that stils the rage of the conscience by taking and purging away the guilt therof with the sprinkling on of his blood His blood speakes Heb. 12. 24. And speakes not onely to God but speaks to the conscience The voyce which it speakes is Peace and be still the same voyce which to his Disciples after his resurrection Peace be with you then follows a great calme and peace makes the conscience good But here the conscience will inquire how it may come to get this blood sprinkled vpoÌ„ it to make it thus peaceably good and what is it that applies this calming blood of Christ I answer therefore That it is the grace of faith therefore it was sayd before that faith in Christs blood makes peace in the coÌ„science Faith is the hand of the soule and as the hyssop sprinckle by which Christs blood is sprinkled vpon our coÌ„sciences Heb. 10. 22. Let vs draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience And being iustified by faith we haue peace towards God Rom. 5. 1. Hence that coniunction of faith and a good conscience 1. Tim. 1. 5. of a good conscience of faith vnfained v. 19. Holding faith and a good conscience For faith it is that makes a good coÌ„science by making a quiet conscience Faith is not only a purifying grace Act. 15. 9. but it is also a pacifying grace Rom. 5. 1 It not onely purges our corruption by applying the efficacy of Christs blood but specially purges out guilt by applying the merit of his blood So that no faith no peace no peace no good conscience A defiled conscience can be no good conscience and what defiles the conscience See Tit. 1. 15. Vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing nothing is pure but even their minde and conscience is defiled They that be defiled haue their consciences defiled but how come they and their consciences so To them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing Therefore an vnbeleeuing conscience is a defiled conscience a defiled conscience is no good coÌ„science because it can haue no peace so long as it is clogged with defiling guilt But contrarily faith purifying not onely from corruption but from guilt by the application of Christs blood makes the conscience pure and peaceable both There can be no peace of conscience but where there is the righteousnâ—sse of the person There is no peace to the wicked Isa 57. 21. as if he should say an evil vnrighteous person caÌ„not haue a good conscience where the person is evill there the conscience cannot bee good Now faith in Christs blood makes a mans person good and so the coÌ„science becomes good It makes the person righteous and the person being righteous the conscience is at peace for the worke of righteousnes is peace and the effect of righteousnes quietnes and assurance for ever Isa 32. 17. with which that of the Apostle sweetly sutes Reu. 7. 2. First King of righteousnes and after that King of peace Our persoÌ„s must first find Christ a King of righteousnes by iustifying them from their guilt before our consciences can finde him King of Salem pacifying them from their vnquietnes Our persons once iustified by Christs blood froÌ„ their guilt and vnrighteousnes our consciences are pacified and freed from their vnquietnesse Wouldst thou then haue a good conscience Get the peace of Conscience Wouldst thou haue peace in thy conscience Get faith in thy soule Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and get thy soule sprinkled with his blood and then Heb. 10. 2. Thou shalt haue no more conscience of sin thy conscience shall be at quiet no more accusing thee nor threatning thee condemnation for thy sinne 2. Repentance from dead workes Though Christs blood be that which purges the conscience froÌ„ dead works and so workes peace yet that peace is not wrought in our apprehension neither do we get the feeling of this faith without some further thing Therefore to our faith must be ioyned our repentance though not in the making of our peace yet for the feeling of it Many are ready to catch at Christs
blood if that will make a good conscience they are then fafe enough But as thou must haue Christs blood so Christ wil haue thine heart also bleed by repentance ere he will vouchsafe the sense of peace A conscience therefore that would be a coÌ„science in hauing peace must not onely be a beleeuing but a repenting conscience Mat. 3. 2. Repent ye for the kingdome of heauen is at hand the kingdome of heauen shall be yours if you will repent ye shall haue it immediately vpon your repentance But wherein stands this kingdome offered to repentant consciences The kingdom of God stands in peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. Repent and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy Ghost Act. 3. 38. And what may that gift be The fruits of the spirit are loue ioy peace Gal. 5. 22. Which though it be to be vnderstood of peace between man man yet also that peace which is between God and man is the fruit of the Spirit the loue of God shed abroad into our hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5. 5. is the gift of the holy Ghost which he giues to all that by repentance seeke to get a good conscience Blessed are they that mourn that is which repent for they shal be comforted Mat. 5. they shall haue the peace of a good Conscience which is the greatest and sweetest comfort in the world Many doe trust all to their supposed faith as a short cut and a compendious way to a good coÌ„science but he whose faith doth not as well purifie the heart as pacifie it hath neither faith nor a good conscience It is idle to hope for peace by faith whilst thou livest impenitently in a sinfull course Thou canst haue no peace of conscience so long as thou hast peace with thy sinnes Peace with conscience will be had by warre with sin in the daily practise of repentance It is but a dreame to thinke of a good Conscience in peace whilest a man makes no conscience of sin They that haue a good coÌ„science by Christs blood may be indeed sayd to haue no Conscience of sinne as Hâ—b 10. 2. But yet there is a great difference between having no Conscience and making no Conscience of sinne To haue no Conscience of sinne is to haue a peaceable good conscience not accusing for sin being sprinkled with Christs blood To make no Conscience of sin is for a man impenitently to liue lye in any sin Now let any iudge whether these two can stand together that a man may liue as he list and make no Conscience of any sinne and yet haue such peace by faith as that he hath no Conscience of sin It is an vnconscionable thing in this sense to lay all vpon Christ an vnconscionable request to haue him take away our guiltines and yet wee would wallow in our filthines still How shall faith remooue the sting when repentance remooues not the sinne MeÌ„ seeking peace by faith in Christs blood and yet liuing and lying in their sinnes without repentance God will giue them Iehues answere to Iehoram 2 King 9. 22. What peace so long as the whoredomes of thy mother lezebel her witchcrafts are so many So what peace of Conscience so long as thine oaths Sabbath-breaches whordomes drunkennes c. do remaine remaine vnrepented of and vnreformed It is true of all sinne which is spoken of Romish Idolatry Apoc. 14. 11. They haue no rest day nor night that is no peace of Conscience to any of that religion so of all that liue in any sinne they haue no true rest day or night that is as Isaiah interprets it There is no peace to the wicked Peace and wickednes liue not together vnder one roofe Wouldst thou then haue a peaceable heart Get an humbled a mourning and a repentant heart for sin The lesse peace with sin the more peace with God and our own Consciences 3. The constant and conscionable exercise of prayer An excellent means to helpe vs to the sense of that peace which makes the Conscience good He that hath a good Conscience wil make Conscience of prayer And prayer will helpe to make a good Conscience better Philip. 4. 7. In euery thing by prayer supplication with thanksgiuing let your requests be made knowne vnto God and marke what shall be the fruite thereof And the peace of God that passes al vnderstanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Iesus Christ See Iob 33. 26. Hee shall pray vnto God and he will be fauourable vnto him he shall see his face with ioy It is many times with mens Consciences as it was with Saul he was vexed and disquieted with an euill spirit but Davids Harpe gaue him ease Praier is a Davids Harpe the musicke whereof sweetly calmes composes a distempered and disquieted Conscience and puts it into frame againe As in other disquiets of the heart after prayer David bids his soule returne vnto her rest Psal 116. 4. 7. So may we in these disqâ—iets of Conscience doe no lesse The way to get a good peaceable conscience is to haue acquaintance with God and when we haue acquaintance with him then shall wee haue peace Iob 22. 21. Acquaint thy selfe now with him and be at peace Now acquaintance is gotten with God by prayer Zech. 13. 9. They shall call on my Name and I will heare them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God Loe how in prayer acquaintance is bred betweene God and his people and acquaintance breedes lone and peace and peace a good conscience Iudge then what pitious Consciences they must needs haue that make so little Conscience of seeking God in this duty of wicked ones the Psalm speaks They call not vpon God Psal 14. as much as Isaiah sayes There is no peace to the wicked they are vtterly voyd of good Conscience CHAP. V. Integritie of Conscience how procured ANd thus wee haue seene how the Conscience may bee good for peace It followes to consider how it may become vprightly good with the goodnes of Integritie The goodnesse of Integrity is gotten and kept by doing fiue things 1. Walke and liue as Paul in this text Before God Set thy selfe euer in all thy wayes as in the sight and presence of God who is the Iudge Lord of conscience Of Moses it is sayd that he saw him that was inuisible Heb. 11. 27. Therfore it is that men walk with such loose and evill Consciences because they thinke they walke invisibly And they thinke that God sees not them because they see not God An vpright Conscience is a good conscience and this is the way to get an vpright one Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be vpright To haue God alwaies in our eye wil make vs walke with vpright hearts So Psal 119. 168 I haue kept thy precepts and thy testimonies that is in effect I haue kept a good conscience but how came hee to
my customers as Iacob of his children Gen. 43. 14. If I am bereaued of them I am bereaued I will trust God with my estate before I will hazard my conscience Giue mee such a man such a Tradesman and I will bee bold to say he is a man of a good conscience But contrarily when men are so set vpon Gaine that so they may haue 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 haue good consciences let any iudge How would such loose their blood liues that will not loose such trifling gaines for the safety of their conscience We haue not yet resisted vnto blood the more we owe to God that know not what that resistance meanes Alas how would those resist vnto blood that set Conscience to sale vpon so base prises as they doe Peter speakes of a fiery triall 1. Pet. 4. 12. If God should euer bring that tryal amongst vs what a company of drossie consciences would it find out We haue no fiery tryall we haue but an ayrie tryall onely and yet how many euill consciences it discouers 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 He shall loose the good word and opinion of the world hee shall haue so many frowns frumpes and censures and scoffers that hee cannot buckle to this course Many are in Zedekiah his case he was conuinced in his conscience that he ought it was his safest course to go out to the Chaldeans questionles his conscience prest â—im to it and bids him goe out Why then goes he not He is afrayd Ier. 38. 19. that he shall be mockt Such consciences as will not preferre their owne good word coÌ„fort before the good or ill words of the world Such consciences as more feare the mockes and flouts of men on earth then they doe the grinning mockes of the Diuells in hell Such as will not prefer the peace of Conscience before all other things are meere strangers to good Conscience The seventh and last note remaines 7 7. Note of a good Conscience And that is in the Text Vntill this day Constancy and perseverance in good is a Constancy in good sure note of a good conscience Paul had beene young and now was old yet was old Paul still still the same holy man he was Time changes al things but a good conscience and that is neyther changed by Time nor with Time Age changes a mans favour but not a good mans faith his complexion not his religion and though the head turn gray yet the heart holdes vigorous still Vntill this day And this day was not farre froÌ„ 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 haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith He sayes not I haue finished my faith I haue kept my life as many may but I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith He kept his faith till hee had finisht his course not onely here vntill this day but there vntill his finishing day So long he kept the faith and therefore so long a good conscience for as the loosing of them goe together 1. Tim. 1. 19 so the keeping of them goe together therfore keeping the faith he also kept a good conscience till hee finisht his dayes Vntill this day And yet one would wonder that he should keepe it to this day considering how hardly hee had bin vsed before vntill and now at this day The most of those things 2. Cor. 11. 23. were before this day Often vnder 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 coÌ„science plaies 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 triall of it A good conscience holds out constantly in a good Cause without deflection and in a good Cause without defection 1. In a good Cause Let a good conscience vndertake the defeÌ„ce of a good Cause and it will stand rightly to it neither grow weary nor corrupt It will not make shews of countenancing Pauls cause till he come before Nero then giue him the slippe and giue him leaue to stand vpon his own bottome and shift for himselfe as well as he can A conscionable Magistrate a Iudge who out of a coÌ„science of the faithfull discharge of his place takes in hand the defence of a good or the punishment of a bad cause will not leaue it in the suddes will not be wrought by feare or favour to let Innocency bee thrust to the walles and Iniquitie hold vp the neb but will stand out stiffe and manifest the goodnesse of his Conscience in his Constancie 2. In a good Course A man that is once in a good Course hauing a good conscience will neither be driven nor bee drawne 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 wil turne neither way Pro. 4. 27. but keeps on foreright and presses hard to the marke that is set before it Try it with tentations 〈…〉 t hand Try it by the moc 〈…〉 s and derisions of others whom it sees in good wayes will this stagger or stumble it make it start aside Not a whit but it will 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 vsed thus scorned and mocked Not a whit for all this The righteous shal hold on his way he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger Try it by mockings and derision Si reddere beneficium non aliter quam per speciem iniuria poterâ— aquissimâ— animo ad honestum consiliuÌ„ per mediam infamiam teÌ„dam-Nemo mihi videtur pluris astimare virtuteÌ„ nemo illi magis esse dâ—votus quaÌ„ qui boni viri famam â—erdidit ne conscientiam perderet Sence epi. 82. personall by personall infamy and reproach let a mans owne selfe bee derided be defamed this will goe neerer then thâ— former what will this move him out of the way No He wil lose his good name before his good Conscience See Ps 119. 51. The proud haue
Nurces count them good children which though they are ready to cry at euery turne yet are easily quieted with some toy But this conscience is as farre from a good Conscience as Security is from Integritie Sin indeede sleepes but yet it sleepes but dog-sleepe yea though it sleepe soundly yet it cannot sleepe long Gen. 4. 7. Sinne lies at the doore Sin lies a sleepe in the conscience as a Mastife lyes at the doore A place where a dog cannot sleepe long The doore is the common passage into out of the house euery one is passing to and fro that way and keepe 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 ban-dogs and fell Mastifes will fly in the face of the sinner ready to plucke out the very throat and heart of him The secure Conscience can bee no good conscience because it hath neyther vprightnes nor peace both which were before required to the temper of a good one Vprightnes hath it none for it is not faithfull in its office it doth not witnesse it doth not accuse as it becomes an honest vpright conscience to doe Peace it hath none There is a great difference betweene a peace and a truce In peace there is a totall deposition both of Armes and Enmitie all hostile affections are put of In a truce there is but a suspension and a cessation of Armes for a season so as during the same there is still prouision of more Forces 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 thē they were before The secure consciences are quiet not because there is peace for there is no peace to the wicked saith my God Isa 57. 21. Quomodo tranquilla cum mundi huius prosperitus alludit illudit cum laudatur peccator in desideriis animae suae Bernard de Consc But because there is some truce the world smiles vpon them they haue outward hearts ease and this brings them asleepe but if any affliction crosse or sicknesse come then they see how farre 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 leuying of fresh Forces against them and assoone as the truce is ended be it sooner or be it later haue at them with more violence fury and fiercenesse then euer before And the truce once ended it will easily appeare what a wide breadth of difference there is betweene a secure 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 Chirurgions Instrument An arme or a leg cut off from the body stab it gash it chop it into gobbets doe what you will with it it is insensible it feeles it not Or else as our translation hath it Hauing their consciences seared with an hot yron A comparison borrowed from Chirurgerie When a lim is cut off Chirurgions vse to seare that part of the body from whence the other is taken with an hot yron and sometimes they doe cures by searing the affected parts with hot yrons Now these parts vpon their searing haue a kinde of crusty brawninesse which is vtterly insensible which though it be cut or pricked it neither bleeds nor feeles Thus is it with many mens Consciences cōmit they whatsoeuer sinnes they will yet their hearts are so hardened through long custome in sin that they seele no gripings pinches or bitings at all but are growne to that dead and dedolent disposition Ephe. 4. 19. who being past feeling c. It is with such mens consciences as with labouring mens hands which through much labour haue a brawny hardnes growing vpon 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 haue many that though they bee wounded and gashed with neuer such foule sins yet their consciences shrinke not feele not a whit Their Consciences are like Gally-slaues backes so be brawned ouer with often lashing that an ordinary lash will not make them so much as once shucke in their shoulders You haue many that can sweare not only your more ciuill oathes of faith and troth but those ruffianly and bloody oathes of blood and wounds and it neuer wounds their hearts a whit You haue many that can commit foule sins with lesse touch then others can heare of them You shall haue black-Smithes that are vsed to the frequent and daily handling of hot yron hold an hot fire-coale in their hands and langh whilst another would roare out There bee those that can be drunk day after day that consecrate whole Sabbaths to Venus and Bacchus can giue themselues vp to foule villanies and yet not one twitch at the heart not a snib not a crosse word from their Consciences Estrich-like they can concoct yron put it off as easily as another weake stomacke can doe gelly They haue brought their hearts to that passe the drunkards body is in Pro. 25. 35. They haue stricken mee and I was not sicke they haue beaten me and I felt it not Their seared Consciences haue no more feeling then our sotted Drunkards haue in their drunkennesse who though they haue many a knocke and sore bruise yet feele it not To this fearefull condition and senslesse and seared stupidity of Conscience many grow when they haue thus crusted and brawned the same then they haue their Consciences at a good passe because they heare them not brawling within them Alas how farre are such from goodnes of Conscience In some sense those haue worse Consciences then the Diuell himselfe who beleeues and trembles whose Conscience yet is not so seared but it trembles at the thoughts of his deserued damnation And howsoever these seared consciences are quiet yet there will come a day that this seared crustinesse shall be scaled off and those consciences which were not sensible of sinne shal be most sensible of pain 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 quick that they shall feele and most sensibly feele that which here they would not feele Tremble therefore at the hauing of such a conscience in which there is neither vprightnesse nor peace neither integrity nor tranquillitie but a senslesse feareful stupiditie Thus we haue seene what a good conscience is CHAP. IV. Peace of Conscience how gotten IT followes now to knowe how a man may get and keepe a good one which is the third point which was propounded