Conscientia in effectu affectu â—uâ—nâ—u vel pro effectu praeterito vel pro affectu presente vel pro eueÌ„tu futuro for the fact past that is either in regard of God or man of man it either absolues or coÌ„demns in regard of god a witnes either to excuse or accuse for the affection that followes vpon this it is either ioy or sorrow ioy vpon absoluing and excusing sorrowe vpon accusing condemning and for the future euent it is either the expectation of reward or the feare of punishment That this may a litle the better appeare let vs see how the coÌ„science is locked or vnlocked this eye is alwaies as a booke that is both clasped and open at the same time or els wholly clasped and locked vp The claspes that doe all this are in number three goodnes Claspes of conscience 1. Goodnesse sinne and punishment Goodnesse clasps vp the accusation of the conscience but alwaies leaues open the conscience for excusation therefore a good conscience will open for no accusation nor shut for any vaine excusations Secondly 2. Sinne. sinne is either the clasper and vnclasper together or the clasper alone the clasper and vnclasper by excusation or accusation as in our first parents it is said when they had sinned their eyes were opened not that they were blind before but that now the eye had lost the power of excusing and therefore in that was shut vp and blinded but was altogether vnlocked for accusation and condemning of themselues yet by reason of custome and long continuance in sinne that verie selfe same thing which opened the eies of our first parents hath wholly seared vp the eyes of some that their consciences neither accuse nor excuse except you will say they falsly excuse when they make vs cry peace peace and all is well with vs. Now this for the most part is the claspe of mens consciences so that except God bring iudgement the conscience will neuer be awaked from his securitie 3. Punishment Therefore the third claspe of the conscience is punishment this holds most surely in excusation in so much that none can either vnclaspe it or by any meanes be able to mitigate the strait holding of punishment from all comfort so that neither angels nor men nor any other creature can giue a dramme of comfort but for the vnclasping of the conscience it wil do it most forcibly and exceedes all other meanes and therefore is to bee vnderstood in this place Hence ariseth a fourefold distinction of conscience the first that is at peace with it selfe Conscience quiet but not good quiet nor good but not with God and that is the conscience that is wholly locked vp the second that is neither at peace with God nor it selfe and that is the conscience vnder the horror of the punishment of sinne good not quiet the third conscience which is not at peace with it selfe but with God and that conscience hath two claspes in it goodnesse and sinne goodnes from God sin from it selfe good and quiet The fourth that hath peace with God and with it selfe and this is a conscience that feeles a claspe of Gods mercie to bind vp the broken heart and make it breake forth with ioy and gladnesse So that now if we looke into the world wee shall find that euerie man is either a Prince or a peasant either the basest among the sonnes of men and most ignoble or els couragious as a lyon and stout hearted as a gyant If a man were as poore as Lazarus and as naked as Iob yet if he bad a good conscience he would be higher then Princes and scorn to yeild a foote for the proudest but on the contrarie if hee were as stout as Alexander as merry as Belshazzar as wise as Ahithophel as proud as Hammon and as rich as Nabal yet hauing an euill conscience he would tremble with Alexander for the touch of an ague quiuer with Belshazzar for the appearance of a finger hang himselfe with Ahitophel for that his counsell was brought to nought mourne with Hammon vpon his bed for the losse of his honour or his heart would die within him as it did within Nabal for the losse of a field or in a word hee would tremble at a very leafe and therefore fearfull shall bee the estate of these men when the Lord shall thus vnlocke their consciences as he hath promised he will doe in this place Now this vnlocking is threefold Keyes to vnlock conscience 1. Amazement First by a generall amazement when a man is suddenly stricken but he knowes no particular cause as Belshazzar was in the 5. of Dan. the writing on the wall vnclasped his conscience by a sudden amazement Secondly 2. Particular knowledge by a particular knowledge of the sinne that they haue commited as it was with Indas who said Phaue sinned in betraying inocent blood this did strike so deepely into his conscience that be departed and hanged himselfe and for verie greife the rimme of his bellie rent in peices Thirdly and lastly 3. Gods departure by a most lamentable farwel in hell when the Lord shall say O my creature I made thee glorious but thou hast spoyled all thy glorie and lost my fauour farewell my creature I the fountaine of liuing water I the liuing God I thy life and length of dayes thy verie breath must leaue thee and come vnto thee as a consuming fire as a roaring lyon heape vpon thee all torments in bodie and soule Again thou shalt say Farewell creator farwell louing wife farewell my children and all my freinds farewell my pleasures prosits and all my worldly lusts Alas will none of you pitie mee wilt thou O Lord looke on and take no compassion and will you my freinds if with me curse me and cry A vengence on me will you thus reward my loue vpon earth If in heauen will you crie with father Abraham Remember that you had your pleasure when many a Saint starued at your doore and therefore iustly art thou tormented and we most mercifully rewarded you did vs much hurt in your pretended loue and blessed be God you preuailed not in your will Alas is it so why then O worme of conscience doe thy worst burne fire that can not be quenched I gnash with my teeth to see the prosperity of my freinds blaspheme God with the rest of my freinds here in hel not as sinning for that we did in brauery vpon earth to teare God in peices was our credit but now we together see all to be our punishments and we can take no sweet solace in our companie as we did vpon earth Thus the wicked goe downe to hell to see their sinnes set in order before their consciences to their euerlasting shame and confusion that could not see it vpon earth the deuill hath lead them into the mids of hel as the Prophet the Aramits that came to take him into the mids
vpon him Where by the way he shal take notice of his holinesse whereby he is so pure a God from all sinne that he cannot away with it so likewise of his iustice whereby he is so exactly iust in himselfe that he cannot but execute iustice remuneratiue and rewarding for weldoing and inflict punishment or iustice vindicatiue for euill doing yet least he should complaine that summum ius is summa iniuria hee shall see that which Aristotle called the moderator of iustice to witte equitie remitting of the full extent of iustice for if the Lord had dealt so with man he should neuer had his hand off him for either should his iustice haue burnt more remissely against sinne which is called anger or more sharpely which is called wrath or fully executed which is called reuenge for as sinnes be inaequalia so should the punishment haue beene in all these Now because his iustice may admit of these degrees ratione obiecti you shall see the Lords 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bringing in mercy whereby he vseth compassion toward his creatures offending First his gentlenesse whereby in his iustice he remembreth mercy patience whereby he most gently suffereth sinners and deferreth their punishment longanimity whereby a long time he expecteth their repentance lastly bountifulnes whereby he being rich in goodnesse powreth forth his good gifts vpon them notwithstanding their sinnes And this they may obserue by the way in Gods setting of fin in order The infliction of the punishment followes by the causes They may assure thēselues that euery one that had their hand in sinne as the authors of it shall be punished most seuerely Neither shall the instrument escape the deuill shall haue his head crushed and all his deuises brought to naught hee shall be hardened in his sinne that he cannot repent and finde mercie and lastly he shall be vtterly banished from heauen into the elements which are reserued 2. Pet. 3.7 vnto fire against the day of condemnation and of the destruction of them and all vngodly men The serpent shall not go without his iudgment a curse shall bee vpon him aboue all the beasts of the field enmity betwixt him and the woman and sensible feeling of paine in creeping on his belly and eating the dust of the earth The woman beside her common miserie with man shee shall be in subiection to her husband full of griefes in her conception going with child and trauaile But for the man his punishment shall in speciall manner bee ordered wherein all his progenie may take notice of it his punishment shall bee with sinne and death sinne originall the exorbitation of the whole man both inward in himselfe and outward in the gouernement of the creature Hence plainely appeares that mans wit and will are set the wrong way their faces cleane turned from God and therefore no free will to doe any good that may please God but vnderstanding and will enough to do euill and that continually Againe in the necke of this followeth actuall sinne as the streame from the fountaine the branches from the root and this is a continuall iarring of man vpon outward obiects for originall sinne hauing turned all the wrong way it is necessarie that as often as any wheele in man mooueth it should meete a crosse with euery good thing and therefore iarre vpon him yet God limits this iarring that it can goe no further then he shall direct it to wit vnto his owne glorie and some particular good end in his Church This sin receiues degrees indeede the other is equall in all because the same measure metes it out vnto all but this is a greater or lesser sinne in respect of whom or against whom it is committed likewise in respect of the matter and manner of working it whether it be done of knowledge or ignorance of infirmitis or stubbornnesse or with an high mind and all these stand vpon two heads sinnes of commission in doing that euil we should not do and of omission the not doing of good that should bee done And all this will the Lord doe in setting in order which shall be a iust punishment vpon all malefactors The rest of Gods methode is more fearefull and better felt of man that is death the method wherof consists in the beginning and ending of it wherein shall be a continuall losse of life and subiection to the miserie thereof which shal make vs worse then if we had neuer beene This death brancheth it selfe into two parts the first and the second death the first death is a subiection to the miserie of this world the inchoation and beginning whereof is the miserie which comes by the losse of the good things of the bodie as of health whence commeth sickenesse deformitie sence of nakednesse wearines and subiection to dangers Secondly subiection to the miserie which comes by the losse of externall things as of friendship honour rule and dominion ouer the creatures of things necessarie for this life as meat drinke apparell c. now the perfection of this death is the going of the spirits out of the bodie whereby the soule departeth from the bodie and the bodie afterward is resolued into the elements especially the earth which did beare the greatest part in his making The second death hath this order first it subiects a man to the miseries of the world to come the beginnings whereof are in this life the forerunners of the extremitie of woe that are to come in the next world the forerunners are emptinesse of mind in regard of all good ignorance of God terror of conscience fleeing and hiding himselfe from the presence of God or else a deepe securitie and senslesnesse of miserie despaire and a fearefull expectation of iudgement the perfection and consummation whereof shall be an eiection from the face of God and iniection of the soule immediately after the first death into hell a reseruation of the bodie in the graue as in a dungeon against the day of iudgement when after the resurrection both soule and body shall be cast into the same place which is prepared of God for the eternall punishment of the wicked both angels and men where is nothing but weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth there shall be found no Limbus puerorum or purgatory but either heauen or hell must be their resting place Neither will the Lord breake his methode or leaue them any cauil for some defect with what reason can the Lord so deale with men seeing all that wee haue heard is concerning Adam must the children smarte for the fathers sinne I hope that God is more iust Well consider that the Lord will not leaue this without his order for all the posteritie proceeding from Adam and Euah by ordinarie propagation as they should haue had happinesse if they had stood Propagation of sinne so are they obnoxious to all these miseries hefalling And this is done iustly by all kind of lawes first of nations for Adam was a prince of all
insight of the mercies of God in his Christ which are the onely ioy and confidence of our soules And thus much of Gods mercie CHAP. VI. Of Gods Iustice in generall THe second part of Gods holines Iustice is his Iustice contained in the consequent part of the sentence and is distributed into two adiuncts Power and Order Power in that God will be sure to iudge and Order in that he will take no hastie courses whereby all should be done in confusion Excellent is our God for first beeing a God almightie he is able to doe what he pleaseth with his creature but secondly obserue his order and euery one shall confesse that he is a God of excellent wisdome for things done in good method stoppe the mouthes of all Two men that put on armour and like bulls of Basan push the one at the other are not discommended for their power and strength but that beeing men they wanted wisdome to vse their strength aright and that is that they kept no good order and therefore such execution of iustice as this is condemned so that if our gratious King had no more arguments but this one in forbidding all Duells it were sufficient for graunt the exercise the power of iustice yet where is this order and good method that the Lord would haue obserued of all his seruants Aristotle hath vnfolded vnto vs in his Ethicks fiue intellectuall vertues which if they concurre not in all our actions they will prooue exceedingly defectiue First intelligence which giues information of the cause and the reasons of it secondly science which disposeth of euery necessarie truth in those reasons so that thereby he shall iudge his cause to be good or bad for vt intellectus habet se ad verum ad falsum sic voluntas ad bonum vel malum the vnderstanding goes before and iudges of truth and falshood and the will follows after and embraceth good or euill the third vertue is sapience seeing how he may diduct and draw out of the truths of science other necessarie truths which could not appeare but by the discourse of this third vertue the fourth prudence which is the fourth perfection of our actions when we doe all the former in good and comely order the fifth Art the highest degree of perfection when I doe all nimbly and very skilfully in knowing in iudging discoursing applying These men may haue the three first vertues but they are altogether destitute of the two last they may know that their cause is good and that both of them hath reason to complaine of iniurie for braue spirits can not rest without mutuall prouocations secondly they may know that disgrace of their persons is their shame and the losse of their good name which they esteem better then the most pretious oyntment that they inioy to be such an iniurie that it can deserue no lesse then some kind of trial and so in the third place discourse of it and conclude that therefore they will haue iustice executed that they may bee reuenged for their wrongs but alas when they come to apply all this their former knowledge they want prudence and so leap ouer the lists of iustice and breaking good order spoile the exercise of all artes For first they breake the rule of diuinitie in sinning against God by murther the rule of ethickes for fortitude and manhood is abused the rule of politickes for the common-wealth is iniured by losse of such persons as might haue been his pillars the rule of nature complaines that would haue himselfe preserued in all his subiects Indeed special nature for the good of generall nature will seeme to crosse himselfe the fire will descend and the water will ascend before they will suffer such a stranger as vacuitie to possesse any place among them So indeed nature would neuerbe offended if they would shed their blood for their countrie Nature will make the hand to offer it selfe to be cut off before the head receiue the blowe because nature is wise in order knowing that the head is to be preferred before any other member because it hath in it the greatest part of life The people can tell Dauid thou art better then ten thousand of vs and therefore no matter if we be all cut off to saue thy life Blessed is that kingdome that is not onely powerfull in iustice but that keeps good order in the execution Indeed many may say I will reprooue thee but alas how few say I will set thine offences in order before thee Many lie in prison for a sic volo sic iubeo stat pro ratione voluntas authoritie vrged by violence of passion spoyles all Magistrates Aristotle saies that the law ought to be like the primum sensorium which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the law must sauour of no qualitie but his owne for then would it neuer iudge aright And as the lawe is so ought the Magistrate to be voide of all his owne passions let the law rule him as he meanes to rule the people and then should all be done in good order and we should not heare these lamentable complaints I am in prison but I knowe not for what cause and the Magistrate saies I shall lie there vntil my bones rotte For the mercies of God let vs be mooued betimes as well to set mens sinnes in order as vse our power in reproouing of them lest the Lord come and handle vs most roughly in the power of his iustice for this most hainous offence committed in diuiding iustice against it selfe So then the distribution lets vs see that the power of God is neuer without his wisedome but that the Lord workes in all things intelligenter scienter sapienter prudenter artificiosè plainly truely wisely prudently and skilfully The power of Gods iustice is laid downe in these words I will reprooue thee first the cause I the Lord which in the first verse styled my selfe the God of Gods euen the Lord from heauen in comparison aboue all and in dominion ouer all without comparison therefore a mightie iustice that hath so great a cause Secondly from the species or kind of it a reproofe therfore vindicatiue and reuenging iustice stronger then remuneratiue or rewarding iustice for here appeares ira furor excandescentia anger a displeasure of short continuance furie a short madnesse the third an inueterate hatred that alwaies smoakes against sinne that kindles hote coales hinc ira ex candore fierinesse full of brightnesse Thirdly the obiect thee the sinne and the person I am out of loue with both and therefore will I discouer thy sinne which I know thou aboue all men mayest not endure to heare of Secondly what thou thy selfe art both in deceiuing and beeing deceiued shal plainly be knowne therefore most powerfull iustice whose cause is Iehouah nature vengeance obiect the most secret sinne and most deceitfull person free from all the iudgement seats of men Sect. 1. Of the cause Observ 1. The great God