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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17384	A commentary: or, sermons vpon the second chapter of the first epistle of Saint Peter vvherein method, sense, doctrine, and vse, is, with great variety of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of diuinity largely discussed. By Nicholas Byfield, late preacher of God's Word at Isle-worth in Middlesex.	Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.; Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1623 (1623)	STC 4211; ESTC S107078	497,216	958

cause why Christ was no better rellished by them and why they found such an ill taste in the word of Christ it ●as the wickednes that was in them Sinne had marred their tastes sweet meates haue but an ill rellish with those who haue corrupt and diseased stomacks and the cause is apparant the ill humors in their stomacks and nothing in the meates they eate But of their disobedience before and therefore this shall suffice in this place and thus of the cause in themselues The cause in God followes Whereunto they were appointed There is much difference of the reading of the originall words in the translations Some read thus They stumble at the Word beleeue not in him in whome they are placed or set and expound it thus In whom they liue moue and haue their being some read in stead of disobedient They beleeued not But for these words read them as heer But then their meaning is that the Iewes beleeued not though they were thereunto appointed that is though they had the promise of saluation and were a people separate thereunto and so it is an aggrauation of their vnbeliefe This sence and reading is not to bee despised But I take it as I finde it in the translation and so the sence is that these men whether Iewes or Gentiles that are heere spoken of were appointed to this misery by the decree of God and so they are words that expresse the substance of that part of Gods decree which Diuines call Reprobation And so it is to bee obserued from hence that wicked men are appointed from euerlasting to the enduring of the miserie which are inflicted vpō them in this life or in Hell This is a doctrine which is extremely distasted by flesh and blood and proues many times more offensiue to the common people and is alwaies to bee reckned as strong meat and therefore that I may fairely get off this point I offer two things to your considerations First the proofes that plainely auouch so much as is heere obserued Secondly I will set downe certaine infallible obseruations which tend to quiet mens mindes and perswade them against the seeming difficulty or absurdity of this truth For the first the Apostle Iude saith that the wicked men he treateth of were of old ordained to this condemnation Iude 4. and the Apostle Peter saith that the vngodly were reserued vnto the day of Iudgement to be punished 2. Pet. 2.9 and verse 12. he saith that they are naturall brute beasts made to bee taken and destroied and it is manifestly implied 1. Thes. 5.8 that God hath ordained wicked men to wrath so Rom. 9.22 For the second though this doctrine seeme wonderfull hard yet to assure vs there is no hard dealing at all in God there bee many things may confirme vs and ease our mindes though for the present wee cannot vnderstand how this should be and perhaps are much troubled about this point and therefore seriously consider First for thy selfe that if thou haue truely repented and doe beleeue in Iesus Christ and hast in thee the signes of a child of God for thy part thou art free from this danger and out of all question art in safe estate and therefore oughtest not to greeue but reioyce with singular praise to God Secondly seeing God hath comforted vs with many doctrines and trusted vs with many cleere points of knowledge can wee not bee contented that God should speak darkly to vs in one point Especially when wee are told before-hand that there is an Abyssus a depth yea many depths in this doctrine Shall we bee wayward because one truth will not sinke yet into our heads Wee are told that this is a point vnsearcheable Rom. 11.32 33. and the rather because weake Christians are not tied to eate strong meat they may safely let this doctrine alone Thirdly that no man can know his owne reprobation nor ought to beleeue so of himselfe but is called vpon to vse the meanes by which he may bee saued Fourthly wee haue this oath of God for it That he desires not the death of the sinner but would haue all men to repent and bee saued Fiftly that whereas Diuines make two parts of the decree of reprobation Praeterition and Praedamnation All Diuines are agreed for the latter that God did neuer determine to damne any man for his owne pleasure but the cause of his perdition was his owne sinne And heere is reason for it For God may to shew his soueraignty annihilate his creature but to appoint a reasonable creature to an estate of endles paine without respect of his desert cannot agree to the vnspotted Iustice of God And for the other part of passing ouer and forsaking a great part of men for the glory of his Iustice the exactest Diuines doe not attribute that to the meer will of God but hold that God did first look vpon those men as sinners at least in the generall corruption brought in by the Fall For all men haue sinned in Adam and are guilty of high treason against God Sixtly that sinne is no effect of reprobation but onely a consequent Gods decree doth not force any man to sinne c. Seuenthly that what soeuer God hath decreed yet all grant that God is no way any Author of sin he doth not cause sin in any but onely permits it and endureth it and whereas the most that can bee obiected is that God hardneth whom hee will Rom. 9. it is agreed vpon in the answer of all sound Diuines that God doth not infuse any wickednes from without in mens hearts but whereas their hearts are in themselues by custome in sinne hardned as a iust Iudge hee giues them ouer to Satan and his power who is as it were the Iayler but doth neuer restraine them from good and the meanes of it Eightthly now may men say that ●●nne came vpon men by reason of the rigour of Gods Law For it was impossible to bee kept For this there is a cleere answer When God gaue his Law at first man was able to keep it and it came by his owne default that hee was not able to keepe it afterwards A man that sends his seruant to the market and giues him charge to doe such and such busines for him if that seruant make himselfe drunken and so bee vnfit to doe his masters busines hee is worthy to bee punished because hee was fit to doe it when hee was first sent about it Ninthly it is plain in this verse that those men of whom he heer speaks are indited of grieuous sin against Christ and the Gospell Tenthly that things may be iust though the reasons of them doo not appear vnto vs if it bee true of some cases of iustice among men much more in this case of God's iustice Lastly it should much satisfie vs that in the day of Iesus Christ those mysteries of Religion shall be broken open and all then shall bee made cleer vnto vs as cleer as

thus two things are implied for our information The one concerns Ministers the other concerns the hearers First Ministers may hence take notice of it that there can neuer bee hope they should perswade with all their hearers for sacrifices were heer and there once taken out of the whole herd And besides the hearers may hence see that they are neuer so effectually wrought vpon till they can giue themselues ouer to their Teachers and to GOD to obey in all things though they perswade them to leaue the world and binde them to the cords of restraint in many liberties they took to themselues before yea though they let their hearts blood by pearcing their soules with sorrow for their sins euen to the death of their sinnes 2. Cor. 8.5 and 7.15 Secondly at the day of Iudgement also Ministers shall offer vp their hearers to God so many of them as are found chaste virgins vnto Christ to whom they had espoused them before in this life 2. Cor. 11.3 And thus Ministers before they dy must make ready their accounts for the soules of their people Heb. 13.7 And thus of the sacrifices of Ministers Ministers haue another sacrifice too viz. the particular texts or portions of Scripture which they chuse out and diuide to the people as consecrated for their vse For diuers think that that phrase of cutting the Word of God aright is borrowed from the Priests manner of diuiding the sacrifices and especially from the Priests manner of cutting the little birds The little birds is his text chosen out of the rest and separated for a sacrifice which hee must so diuide as that the wings bee not cut asunder from the body that is he must so diuide his text that no part be separat from a meet respect of the whole Leu. 1.17 and 5.8 2. Tim. 1.15 Secondly the Martyrs likewise haue their sacrifices and that is a drink-offring to the Lord euen their owne bloud this part is readie to bee powred out as a drink offring to the Lord for the Church Phi. 2.17 2 Tim. 4.6 and though we cannot bee all Martyrs yet we should all deny our owne liues in the vowes of our hearts to perform our couenant with God if euer wee be called to die for Christs sake and the Gospel Thirdly the sacrifice of rich men is almes and wel-doing and those sacrifices they are bound vnto to offer them continually Heb. 13.16 Philip. 4.18 Prou. 3.9 Almes is as it were the first fruites of all our increase But then wee must remember that our almes bee of goods well gotten For else God hates robbery for burnt offering Isaiah 61.8 And in giuing wee must denie our selues and not seeke our owne praises or plenary merit in it for it is a sacrifice clean giuen away from vs and consecrated only to God and the vse of his spirituall house the Church And thus of the sacrifice proper to some Christians There are other sacrifices in the Gospel now that are common to all Christians And these are diuers For fi●st Christ is to bee offered vp daily to God as the propitiation for our sins God hath set him forth of purpose in the Gospel that so many as beleeue may daily run vnto him and in their prayers offer him vp to God as the reconciliation for al their sins and this is the continuall sacrifice of all Christians Without this there is the abomination of desolation in the temple of our hearts This is the end of all the ceremonious sacrifices the substance of those shadowes Those sacrifices serued but as rudiments to instruct men how to lay hold vpon Christ and to carry him into the presence of God and laying hands vpon his head to plead their interest in his death who was offered vp as a whole burnt sacrifice for their sinnes Wee are Christs and Christ is giuen vnto vs as our ransome wee must euery day then lay hold vpon him and see him bleed to death for our sinnes and bee consumed in the fire of Gods wrath for our sinnes Secondly a broken and contrite heart is a sacrifice God will not despise yea such hearts are the sacrifices God especially cals for from men Hee euer loued them better then all the outward sacrifices in the Law Psal. 51.17 It is the heart God cals for and yet not euery heart but a heart wounded with the knife of mortification that is cut and bleedeth in it selfe with godly sorrow for sinne and is broken and contrite with the daily confession of sinne This is required of all Christians and this very thing makes a great deale of difference between Christian and Christian Thirdly praier and thanksgiuing to God are Christian and holy Sacrifices as many scriptures shew Psal. 141.2 Heb. 13.15 Hos. 14.4 Psal. 51.21 Fourthly we must offer our selues our soules and bodies as a liuing sacrifice to God Rom. 12.2 2. Cor. 8.5 and that First in respect of obedience deuoting our selues vnto God liuing to him and wholy resolued to be at his appointment Psal. 40.6 Loe I come to doe thy will this is in stead of all burnt offerings Secondly in respect of willingnes to suffer affliction of what kind soeuer as resoluing that through many afflictions as through so many flames wee must ascend vp to heauen as the smoak of the incense or sacrifice on the Altar Acts 14.21 Hence are trials called fiery trials 1. Pet. 4.12 Thus of the kindes of sacrifices which remaine vnto Christians The lawes about those sacrifices follow For there bee many things to to be obserued by Christians in their sacrifices if they would euer haue them acceptable to God which the shadowes in the old law did euidently signify as First the sacrifice must bee without blemish Malach. 1.7 which the same Prophet expounds Malach. 3.11 Our offrings must be pure offerings wee must tender them in the sincerity of our hearts Our sacrifices are without fault when wee iudge our selues for the faultinesse of them and desire they might haue no fault Secondly it must bee presented before the Lord and consecrated to him which signified that we must walk in Gods presence and doe all in the sight of God deuoting all to his glory Genes 17.1 Mic. 6.8 Thirdly our sacrifices must bee daily some kindes of them There were sacrifices euery day in the Temple and it was an extreme desolation when the sacrifices ceased so it must bee our euery daies worke to imploy our selues in some of those spirituall sacrifices Heb. 13.15 Fourthly There must bee an Altar to consecrate the gifts Math. 23.19 This Altar is Christ who is the onely Altar of Christians Heb. 13.10 Reuel 8.3 No seruice can be acceptable to God but as the Apostle heere saith by Iesus Christ We must doe all in the name of Christ Col. 3.17 Fiftly there must bee fire to burne the sacrifice This fire is holy zeale and the power and feruencie of the spirit in doing good duties The fire on the Altar first

wrath or griefe or lust or the like may come infection to the childe but not from their soules Thirdly rather the Argument may be retorted vpon them that in asmuch as the soules of all children are not like in qualities to the soules of their parents that therefore they receiue not their soules from their parents Obiect 5. Genesis 9. Leuit. 17. The soule is said to bee in the blood Now it is euident that the blood is from the parents Solut. The soule is in the blood but how By the effect of it which is life otherwise the soule is neither deuoured in the bloud nor depends vpon it in it selfe Obiect 6. It is said Genes 2. That God rested from all his works Now if hee did daily create newe soules then hee rested not from all his works but continues creation still Solut. The meaning of Moses cannot bee that God rested simply from all creation For then it must needes follow too that the soule of Christ was not created but propagated which cannot bee true But his meaning is that he rested from creation of things in specie hee made no more newe sorts of things That hinders not creation in indiuiduo which is a work of God preseruing those sorts hee had made at the first by creating successiuely a new supply as in this case of the soules of men That God did not rest absolutely is plaine by the words of our Sauiour Christ My Father worketh hitherto and I work Iohn 5. Fiftly hitherto of the Originall of the Soule The vnion of the soule with the body followes which is a consideration of no lesse difficulty then the former no lesse needfull to be knowne no lesse certaine That it is vnited to the body so as to make it one man is apparanti by the words of God in the creation Hee breathed into him the breath of liues and so Adam became a liuing soule Hee became then a man or a liuing creature distinct from other creatures vpon his coniunction of the soule with the body And by this vnion with the body doth the Spirit of man differ from the Angels who are Spirits separate and such as exist without relation to a body wheras the soul of man in the creation of it and the disposition of it also tends vnto this coniunction with the body and doth not fully exercise it selfe liuing without the body and that is the reason why man is not absolutely perfect after death in his soule till the day of Iudgement For though the soule doe enioy an estate free fron sinne or paine or misery yet two of the faculties of the soul are without exercise till it bee vnited againe to the body viz. the faculties of vegetation and sense which cannot bee exercised but in the body The manner how the soule is vnited to the body is full of difficulty to expresse The question is whether the soule work vpon the body from without and so is by that means ioyned to it or whether it be placed in the body and work there and from thence This later is the truth for the soul doth not work from without which I shew by a comparison The light the eye are ioyned together in seeing but how The light from without extends it self to the eye and so is ioyned to it so is not the soule ioyned to the body but is seated within the body which appears so partly by experience for wee may all perceiue that our thoughts reason will affections c. doo discouer themselues within vs and it is manifest that God infused the soule not vpon the body but into the body seating it within vs. The soule then is within the body and so ioyned to it but how Diuines haue sought out diuerse similitudes to expresse their mindes And first to shew how it is not ioyned First not as water and the vessell that holds it are ioyned by contact or touching one another for the soule is not a bodily substance and therefore cannot be ioyned by touching nor doo the water and vessel make one thing as the soule and body doo one man nor do they work together as the soule and body doo for the water doth all the work therof in watering or clensing without the vessell Secondly not by mixture as water and wine are mingled together for things mingled cease to be what they were for there is no longer water nor wine now they are mingled nor is the soule materiall to suffer such a mingling Thirdly not as the heat of the fire is vnited to the water when the water is heated for though the heat bee ioyned to the water as the former yet it is but an accidentall form and they are one by accident not per se. Thirdly not as the voice is in the aire for though the voice be dispersed abroad the air and doo likewise carry something to the vnderstanding besides the sound yet doth not this reach to express the vnion of the soule with the body For the voice is not the form of the air nor is it conceiued in the air without the breaking of the air and besides it presently vanisheth whereas the soule is a substance and doth not easily depart out of the body Fiftly nor as the Mariner is in the shippe with the Gouerner for the dispatch of his iourney for though the body be as a tabernacle wherein the soule dwels yet that similitude doth not express this vnion because the soule body make one thing whereas the ship and the Mariner do not make one thing but are two distinct sorts of things yea the soule and body are so one that by sympathy what one suffers the other feeles whereas the wounding of the Mariner is not the tearing of the ship or contrariwise There are two similitudes doo more neerly reach this Secret The first is of Christ. For as God man make one Christ so the soule body make one man But I will not meddle with the breaking open of that dreadfull mystery The other is of the light of the Sun in the air for there are many things in this comparison do fitly resemble this diuine light which is our soules as they are ioyned to our bodies 1. This light doth fitly resemble the soule because it is a thing that cannot bee corrupted or diuided 2. This light doth so pearce into and penetrate the air that they are both made one and are not separated so doth the soule the body 3. The light and the air though ioyned together are not confounded or mingled together for the light remaineth light and the air the air so is it in this vnion between the soule and the body 4. The light is so in the air that the air beeing smitten yet the light is not touched nor diuided nor carried about as the air is so doth the soule remain vnpearced though the body bee wounded and fall yea and die too 5. As the light is onely from the Sun so is the soule

they should thereby bee made carefull to order themselues aright in bearing reproaches in a right manner as resolued to prepare for the triall of this affliction if they be not scourged with it for as the diuell when he gaue-ouer to tempt Christ is said to cease but for a season so if wicked men hold their tongues we must not think they will be quiet alwaies for till God turn their hearts they are apt to speak euill Now that a godly man may be rightly ordered in respect of reproaches hee must look to three things First he must be sure he bee free from this euill himself that hee help not the wicked against the righteous and by his owne intemperance raise euill fames by reason of which Religion is euill-spoken of for railing cursing slandering censuring and the like will make the very godly look like wicked ones yea like the diuell himself Shall it bee accounted a Paganish offense and shall a godly Christian bee guilty of it Especially such Christians should be extremely abased for their euill natures that raise euill reports of other Christians in cases where wicked men themselues are silent Secondly that hee carry himself in a holy manner when he is reproached and so he must remember two things 1. That hee render not reuiling for reuiling but if he finde himself stirred with Dauid to go to God and betake himself to praier Psalm 109.4 1. Pet. 3.9 2. That he striue to confute them by reall apologies and so he doth if hee endeauour to put them to silence by his good works and a carefull course of conuersation Thirdly because the godliest men may haue their passions and may bee stirred vp with such indignations as appears Ier. 8.18 21. hee must labour to fense his owne heart with store of arguments that may make him patient and comfortable vnder this crosse and thus it should comfort him to consider 1. That no reproaches can make him vile in God's sight how vile soeuer he seem to bee vnto men yet in God's eies he is honourable Esay 43.4 2. That thou art but as an euill doer not an euill doer It is not miserable To be as an euill doer but it is miserable To be an euill doer 2. Cor. 6.8 9. 3. This is not to resist vnto bloud Heb. 12.3 This is a farre lesse crosse than hath been laid vpon many of the best seruants of God they haue lost their liues in the defense of pure Religion 4. That howsoeuer it go with thee in this life yet in the Day of Iesus Christ thy innocencie shall bee cleared and thy faith and sincerity shall bee found vnto praise and honour and glorie thou shalt haue aboundant praise in that Day 1. Pet. 1.7 Thus of the vse that concernes either wicked men or godly men There is yet a vse that concerns all men and that is To take heed of receiuing euill reports against the godly for seeing it is so vsuall for ill-minded men to deuise divulge euill reports of them all men should be wary and take heed of receiuing the euill speeches that are bruited or spoken of any in the businesse of godlinesse The receiuing of false reports is forbidden in Scripture as well as the deuising or divulging of them Exod. 23.1 And it is made a signe of a wicked disposition To giue heed to false lippes and that man is himself a lyar that harkneth to a naughty tongue Pro. 17.4 And therefore GOD will plague in hell not onely lyars but such as loue lies Reu. 22.8 And a good man is said to haue this property that he will not receiue an ill report against his neighbour Psal. 15. And by receiuing euill reports a man becomes accessary to the slander and guilty of it for as it is true that the receiuer of euill-gotten goods is accessary to the theft so is it in the case of slander and somewhat worse for there may be theeues though there bee no receiuers but there can be no slanderers without some to receiue the slander Neither is there any great difference between the tale-bearer and the tale-hearer for the tale-bearer hath the diuell in his tongue and the tale-hearer hath the diuell in his eare Quest. But what should wee doo to auoid tale-bearers or if we do hear reproaches or slanders of other men Ans. As the North-winde driues away the rain so must thy angry countenance doo the slandering tongue thou must not any way shew any liking of his discourse but the contrary yea and further thou must as farre as thou art able make apology to the godly man that is euill-spoken of And the tongue of a godly wise-man should be in this sense healthfull because it should be ready to heal that wound which the tale-bearer hath made in the name of his neighbour Pro. 12.18 25.23 Thus of the second reason The third and fourth reasons are contayned in these last words viz. That they may by your good works which they shall behold glorifie God in the day of visitation The reasons are because God may visit them and if he doo they will glorifie God vpon the remembrance of your good works But heer I purpose to handle the words as they lie in the order of reading them and so I haue foure things to consider of First of good works secondly of the beholding of good works thirdly of the glorifying of God fourthly of the day of visitation Good works Diuerse obseruations are implied heer First that Religion sets men to work there is labour in godlinesse He must work that will bee truely godly or religious God entertains no seruants but he sets them to work they are called to labour all the daies of their life Wee must work out our saluation without working we cannot be saued though our works be not the cause of saluation This point proues that the Gospell is not a doctrine of liberty religion doth call men to working not to liue as they list but as he lists that died for them and requires their seruice And secondly this doctrine shewes who is a true Christian. For as the Scripture is wont to describe a profane man by saying that hee is a worker of iniquity so doth it auouch that he is a godly man that worketh truth and righteousnes Psal. 5. Pro. 14.23 Iohn 3.21 Psal. 106.2 To be a worker of iniquity imports three things First grosse knowne sin secondly a daily custome in the practice of it and thirdly an estimation of sinne as the means of our happy life The wicked man liues by sin as the labourer doth by his trade So heer that man that will labour and that constantly about the works of a holy life making it his euery-daies care to doo God's will and accounts it the happinesse of his life to doo good duties that man is a godly man It is not talking of Religion will serue the turn nor the shewes of it but hee must work and endure the labour of godlinesse Iames 1.25

good Conscience and the other is that a man runnes onely blindefolded so long till death and hell may seaze vpon him Thus of the effects of an euill Conscience The meanes how Conscience may bee made good follow That an euill Conscience may bee made good two things must bee looked into First that wee get a right medicine to heale it Secondly that we take a right course in application of the medicine First the medicine for the curing of an ill Conscience is onely the blood of Christ the disease of Conscience is of so high a nature as all the medicines in the world are insufficient nothing but sprinkling it with blood will serue the turne and it must bee no other blood then the blood of the immaculate Lambe of God as the Apostle shews Heb. 9.14 The reason of this is because Conscience will neuer bee quiet till it see a way how GODs anger may bee pacified and sinne abolished which cannot be done any way but by the blood of Christ which was powred out as a sacrifice for sinne Now vnto the right application of this medicine foure things are requisite First the light of knowledge Secondly the washing of regeneration Thirdly the assurance of Faith Fourthly the warmth of loue First knowledge a man must haue both Legall and Euangelicall For they must knowe by the Law what sinnes lie vpon the Conscience and trouble it and they must knowe by the Gospel what a propitiation is made by Christ for sinnes And for the second an euill Conscience will neuer bee gotten off vnlesse our harts bee sprinkled and washed from the filth and power of the sinnes which did lie vpon the Conscience Heb. 10.22 1. Tim. 1.5 Now vnto such remouing of such sinnes from the hart two things are requisite First that by particular confession wee doe as it were scratch off the filth of those sinnes that foule the heart and trouble the Conscience Secondly and then that wee wash our harts and dayly rinse them with the teares of true repentance and humiliation before God for those sinnes Thirdly assurance of faith is necessary to the cure of an ill Conscience because faith is the hand that laies on the medicine A man must apply the sufferings of Christ to himselfe and beleeue that Christ did satisfy for those sinnes that lie vpon the conscience and must accordingly all to besprinkle the conscience with that blood of Christ and then of an euill Conscience it will presently become good but men must looke to one thing and that is that their faith be vnfayned For Conscience will not be satisfied with the profession of faith they must beleeue indeed and with their harts and with sound application of the promises of the Gospell concerning the bloud of Christ or else Conscience will not bee answered Heb. 10.22 1. Tim. 1.5 Fourthly the heate of loue must bee added a man must so apply the blood of Christ as that his owne blood bee heated in him with affection both towards God and Christ and Christians Christian loue doth put as it were naturall heat into the Conscience and makes it now receiuing life by faith to bestir it selfe in all the works either of seruice to God or duty to men 1. Tim. 1.5 Heb. 9.24 Knowledge bringing it light Mortification making it cleane Faith curing it and putting life into it by sprinkling it with the blood of Christ and loue infusing or rather inflaming it with the heate of life All these things are requisite though I stand not vpon the precise order of the working of euery one of these Thus how conscience may bee made good Now I might adde a direction or two how Conscience may doe her worke aright that is a good Conscience and not doe ill offices in the soule Two things I say are of great vse for the guiding of a good Conscience First that in all her proceedings shee must follow the warrant of Gods word Secondly that shee doe not mistake in iudging of particular actions she must bee sufficiently informed about our Christian liberty For vnlesse the conscience discern that we are freed from the malediction of the Law and from the rigorous perfection of obedience and haue restored vnto vs a free vse of all things indifferent and the like shee may bee ouer-busy and troublesome disquieting the hart and restrayning the ioyes should refresh and support a man Thus of the meanes how Conscience may bee made good the signes of a good cōscience follow First by the opposition it makes against the remainders of sinne in the godly It maintains a constant combating against the law of the members hauing at command the law of the minde It doth not onely resist grosse euils but euen the most secret corruptions in the heart of man This Paul discerned in himself Rom. 7. of doing God seruice Secondly by the manner of exacting of obedience for a good Conscience First doth incline a man to doo good duties not by compulsion but a man shall finde that he doth them by force of an internall principle in himself Secondly it cannot abide dead works a good Conscience abhorres all cold and careless or luke-warm or counterfet seruing of God it puts life into all good duties it exacteth attendance vpon God in doing them Heb. 9.14 Thirdly it more respecteth GOD than all the world or the man himself and therefore wil compell a man to obey against profit and pleasure and liking of the world 2. Cor. 1.12 Fourthly it requires an vniuersall obedience it would haue all God's commandements respected and therefore Paul saith I desired in all things to liue honestly Heb. 13.18 The allowing of one sinne shewes the deprauation of the Conscience if it be a knowne sinne and still tolerated As one dead flie will spoyle a boxe of pretious oyntment I say one dead flie tho many liuing flies may light vpon a boxe of oyntment and doe it no great hurt So a godly man may haue many infirmities and yet his Conscience bee sound but if ther be one corruption that liues and dies there that is such a corruption as is known and allowed and doth by custome continue there it will destroy the soundnesse of the best Conscience of the World and doth vsually argue a Conscience that is not good Fiftly a good Conscience doth require obedience alwayes Thus Paul pleades I haue serued God till this day It doth not command for God by fits but constantly Act. 23.1 A third signe is that a good Conscience is alwaies toward God it still desires to bee before God it seekes God's presence it reckons that day to be lost and that it did not liue as it were when it found not the Lord or had no fellowship or conuersation with God A good Conscience is like a good Angell it is alwaies looking into the face of God Act. 23.1 Thus of the signes The benefits of a good Conscience are many and great for First it is the best