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B01215 Good conscience: or a treatise shewing the nature, meanes, marks, benefit, and necessitie thereof. By Ier: Dyke; minister of Gods word at Epping in Essex.. Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639. 1626 (1626) STC 7415.5; ESTC S91797 128,341 350

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man to the reformation of that which is amisse and will not cease to vrge and ply a man till it be done Frequent examination as it helpes to the making of schollers so to the making of Consciences good Hence mens lying in so grosse neglects of good duties in so many great euills because men and their Consciences neuer reckon Men take not themselues aside into their closets and chambers there set not vp a priuy sessions to make inquirie into their owne hearts waies and therefore are their wayes Consciences so much out of order Many a man thinkes his estate in the world to be very good and thinkes hee growes rich and wealthy when his estate indeede is weake and growes euery day worse then other Now what is it that causes fo great a mistake Nothing but this that he neuer looks ouer his books nor casts ouer his reckonings If he had done this he should haue seen that his estate was not answerable to his conceit and the knowledge of his misconceit would haue made him haue liued at a more wary and thrifty ●ate and haue kept himselfe with such a compasse as might haue kept vp his estate whereas now the not examining his bookes puts him into a conceit of wealth and this conceit beggers and vndoes 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 shee should haue seene that which Christ saw that she was poore blind naked and miserable and the sight of this would haue made her to haue sought after that counsell which Christ there giues her Reuel 3. Men would haue far better Consciences if they knew in what ill case their Consciences stand and examination would helpe them to the knowledge of this If men would but ouer-looke the book of their Conscience and see how many omissions of good how many sinnefull commissions stand registred there it would both make them marveilous sollicitous how to get thē wiped out and wondrous wary how any more such Items came there Often reckonings 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 conuersation as God did with the works of his Creation He not onely surueighed at the fixt dayes end the whole worke of the weeke but at each dayes end made a particular surveigh thereof Do thou Omni die cum vadis cubitum examina diligenter qùid cogitasti quid dixisti in die quomodo vtile tempus spatium quod datum est ad acqui rendum vitamaeternā dispensasti Et si bene transiuisti lauda Deum si male vel negligenter lugeas et sequenti die non differas confiteri Sialiquid cogitasti dixisti vel fecisti quod tuā Conscientiā multum remordeat non comedas antequam confitearis Ber form vit honest Suauius dormiunt qui relinquunt curas in calceis so not onely at the weeks end at thy lifes end search thine heart and examine thy course but at euery daies end looke backe into the day past and examine what thy carriage and behauiour hath beene This being done a man shal find his works either good or euil If good how shal his conscience cheer him with its peace If evill then if cōscience haue any life or breath in it it will make a man fall to humiliation to a godly resolution of watching ouer his wayes for the future so shall Conscience be much holpen for Integrity Dauids counsell is good Ps 4. 4. Examine your hearts vpon your beds and his resolution is also good vers 8. of the same Psalme I will lay me down and sleep in peace Who would not be glad so to sleepe to take his rest so Would we sleepe vpon Dauids pillow sleepe in peace then hearken wee to Dauids counsell to examine our selues vpon our beds There is nothing makes a mans bed so soft nor his sleepe so sweet as a good cōscience It is with Sins as with Cares both trouble a mans sleep both are troublesome bed-fellowes as they therfore sleepe sweetly that leaue their cares in their shooes so they sleep with most peace that let not sinne lye down to sleepe with them who are so farre from lying downe in their sinnes that by their good will will not let the sun goe downe vpon their sin but by examination ferret out the same This being done it may be sayd as Prov. 3. 24. thou shalt lye downe and thy sleepe shall be sweete Nay further examine thy conscience vpon thy bed and thou shalt not onely sleep in peace but thou shalt awake arise the next morning with an vpright frame of heart disposed to the more caution against sinne the day following So much Dauid seemes to intimate in that forenamed place Tremble and sin not That is be afraid to sin take heed ye sinne no more But what course may one take to come to that integrity of conscience as to feare to sin Take this course Examine your hearts vpon your beds But alas how rare a practise is this therfore are good consciences so rare Many thinke this an heauy burden and a sore taske and count the remedy a great dea●e worse then the disease there is nothing they tremble at more then a domesticall Audit this reckoning with their conscience They say of conscience as Ahab of Micaiah and care as little to meddle with consciēce as Ahab with Micaiah I hate him for he neuer speakes good to me 1. King 22. So they thinke their conscience will deale with them They know their conscience will speak as Iob sayes God wrote Thou writest bitter things against me Conscience hath such a stinging waspish tongue that by no means they dare endure a parley with it It is with many and their consciences as with men that haue shrewish wiues Many a mā when he is abroad hath no ioy at all to come home nay hee is very loath to come within his owne doores he fears hee shall haue such a peale rung him that he had rather be on the house top as Salomon speakes or in some out-house and lodge as our Sauior at Bethlem in a cratch or a Manger then come within the noyse of her clamorous clattering tongue So many think 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 bee able in hast to clawe off againe How much and how seriously are they to be pittied that to preuent a few houres or dayes supposed sorrow and sadnesse by which they might come to procure both peace integritie of conscience will adventure the racke and eternall torture of conscience in Hell Remember that there is no melancholly to the melancholly of Hell CHAP. VI. Two further meanes to procure Integritie of Conscience IN
the fourth place Deale with thy Conscience as God would haue Abraham doe by Sarah Gen. 21. 12. In all that Sarah shal say vnto thee hearken vnto her voice So here If we would get and keepe a good Conscience in all that it shall say vnto vs being enlightened and directed by the Word hearken vnto it Conscience being enlightened hath a voyce and no man but some time or other shal heare this voice of consciēce Conscience is Gods Monitor to speak to men when others cānot or dare not speake Sometimes men cannot speake as not being privie to other mens necessities failings Sometimes they may not be suffered to speake as Ahab will not endure Micaiah to speake to him Sometime if a man speak he may haue rough and angry answers as the Prophet had from Amaziah 2. Chro. 25. 16 Art thou made of the Kings Counsell forbeare why shouldest thou be smitten God hath therefore provided every man even great men which may not bee spoken to he hath provided them a bosom Chaplein that will round them in the eare and will talke 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 feares not to smite the greatest 2 Sam. 24. 10. And Dauids heart smote him after that he had numbred the people It may bee many there were about Dauid that had not the hearts to smite Dauid with a graue reprofe though he giues leaue to the righteous to doe so Psal 141. Let the righteous smite me but yet whilest others it may be are fearefull and timorous to doe him that good office conscience is at no demurre vpon the poynt that feares not but smites Dauid for his sinne Gods Ministers are oft slighted and light set by Preachers cannot be regarded but God hath giuen men a Preacher in their own bosome this Preacher wil make many a curtaine Sermon will take men to taske vpon their pillow and will bee Preaching ouer our Sermons againe to them And though many will not be brought to repetitions of Sermons in their Families yet they haue a Repeater in their bosome that will be at priuate repetitions with them in spite of them will tel them This is not according to that you haue bin taught you haue bin taught otherwise you haue bin reproved for and convinced of this sinne in the publike Ministerie c. Why doe you not hearken reforme Thus then conscience having a voyce and doing the office of a Preacher vnto vs if wee would haue conscience good then in all things that conscience enlightened shall say vnto vs hearken vnto it More distinctly Conscience hath a two-fold voyce 1. A voyce of Direction telling vs what is good or evill what is lawful vnlawfull Isa 30. 21. And thine eares shall heare a word behinde thee saying This is the way walk ye in it That is vnderstood Ita enim desuper in silēto sonat quiddā non auribus sed mentibus August in Psal 42. of the voyce of Gods spirit in the secret suggestions therof such is the voice also of conscience within vs dictating to vs and directing vs what duties are to be done what courses to be avoyded How many times doth conscience presse vs to repentance and reformation of our wayes how often doth it call vpon vs to settle to such such good courses and so with Dauid Psal 16. 7. Our raynes doe teach it in the night season 2. A voyce of correction and accufation checking and chiding taking vp and snibbing vs when we do amisse So Psal 42. 5 11. and Psal 43. 5. Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me And Psal 77. 10. whilst in the foregoing verses he was complaining and vsing some speeches that might savour of some diffidence see how conscience doth her office by a correcting voyce And I said This is my infirmity as if he had said whilst I was vsing such diffident expostulatiōs mine owne conscience told me I did not doe well Consciēce so speakes vnto vs as the Lord to Ionah Iona. 4. 4. 9. Doest thou well to be angry So saies conscience oft Doest thou well to be thus earthly thus eager vpō the world thus negligent and formall in holy duties Thus conscience giues her privie nips and her secret checks This is that of which Iob speaks Iob 27. 6. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I liue Implying that conscience after sinne hath a reproaching 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 reproached him 2 Sam. 24. 10. I haue done very foolishly yea Psal 37. 22. it puts the foole and the beast both vpon him So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a heast before thee This is the smiting of the conscience 2 Sam. 24. 10. Conscience first points with the finger and giues direction if that be neglected it smites with the fist and giues 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 workes of pietie to the care of family worship and priuate devotion to the reading of the Scriptures sanctification on the Sabbath c. In any case be so wise as to hearken to the counsels to the vrgings and to the Iniunctions which come out of the Court of Conscience Hearken in any case to this Preacher whom thou canst not suspect of partialitie malice ill will as thou dost others thereby giving way to Satans policie that hereby stops vp the passages of thine heart that the Word may not enter Here can bee no such suspitious Conscience cannot be susspected to be set on by others though Ieremy be charged to be set on by Baruch Ier. 43. 3. Therefore hearken to the voyce of this Preacher and this will helpe thee to a good Conscience Againe doth thy conscience rebuke thee doth it chide and checke thee doth thy heart reproach thee for thy wayes Doth it say doest thou well to liue in such and such sinnes Doth it punctually reprove thee for thine evils Ideo quantum potes teipsum coargue inquire in te accusatoris primū partibus fungere deinde Iudiciis novissime deprecatoris aliquando offende te Senec. ep●st 28. Doe not answere Conscience as Ionas answered God frowardly Yea I doe well but even close with Conscience and do thou accuse thy selfe as fast as it accuses acknowledge thy folly yeeld promise and couenant 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 dutie is it which breeds so much ill conscience in the world Men