as for them he was in a manner delivered up to Satan to be contumeliously used as he seemes to conceive from Shimei's cursing of him 2 Sam. 16. 10. For Shimei being an instrument of Satans in cursing and Satan thereto permitted by God upon some crime for which he had accused him to God he there calls it Gods saying to Shimei Curse David And yet because he continued not with indulgence in any of them his heart presently smiting him as in the case of numbring the people and recalling him to instant reformation save onely in that concerning Uriah the Hittite wherein it appears that he continued neere the space of a yeere from before the conception till after the birth of the child as is cleare by the time of Nathans comming to him 2 Sam. 12. 1. t is therefore left upon record by God That David did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the dayes of his life save onely in the matter of Uriah the Hittite 1 King 15. 5. 67 From whence although I shall not conclude that God saw no other sinne in David but that in the matter of Uriah because I know he saw and punisht that of numbring the People and for that other though not acted yet designed under oath against Nabal 1 Sam. 25. 22. Abigail discernes that it was a causelesse shedding of blood and an act of revenge v. 31. and so no small sinne in Gods sight yet t is cleare that the sin in the matter of Uriah that onely sinne continued in for any long time made another manner of separation betweene God and David contracted another kind of guilt and was a farre greater waster to conscience then any of those other more speedily retracted sinnes did was the onely remarkable {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} drawing back or turning aside from obedience to God the onely grand defection shaking off Gods yoke and so the onely chasme in his regenerate state 68 These 4 Propositions being premised whereof 3 were affirmative and this last of a middle nature The rest will be negative As 69 Fiftly Hypocrisie is not reconcileable with a good conscience I mean not Hypocrisie which consists in the concealing from the eyes of men the sins or frailties he is guilty of for supposing those frailties to be what they are i. e. acknowledging in them a guilt proportionate to their nature I cannot see why the bare desire to conceale them from the eyes of men separated from the sins or frailties themselves and from any treacherous designe in such concealing should be thought to superadde any farther degree of guilt when on the other side the publicknesse of a sinne is an aggravation of it makes it more scandalous and so more criminous also Nor againe doe I meane that hypocrisie which is the taking in any thought of the praise of men and the like in our best actions for as long as we have flesh about us some degrees of this will goe neare sometimes to insinuate themselves and then though they prove blemishes to those best actions and by anticipating the payment and taking it here before hand robbe us of that heavenly reward hereafter which would otherwise be rendred to us according to those works yet stil being but spots of sons reconcileable with a regenerate estate as the straw and combustible superstruction is in Saint Paul compatible with the true substantiall foundation they will be reconcileable with good conscience also which is alwayes commensurate to a regenerate estate 70 But the hypocrisy which I meane is first that which is opposite to and compatible with Sincerity first the deceiving of men with a pretence of piety putting off the most Un-Christian sins having no more of Christianity then will serve to mischieve others i. e. onely the pretence of it to disguise the poyson of a bitter heart Secondly the deceiving of God or thirdly his owne soule not dealing uprightly with either and nothing more contrary then this to a good conscience 71 Secondly the maimed mutilate obedience the compounding betwixt God and Satan the Samaritanes fearing the Lord and serving their owne Gods joyning others with God and paying to them a respect equall or superiour to that which they pay to God serving Mammon and God or Mammon more then God Or 72 Thirdly the formall profession the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or outside-garbe of Godlinesse not joyning the inward but making a meer pageant of piety denying the power thereof Or 73 Fourthly the hypocrisy of the wisher and woulder that could wish he were better then he is could be well pleased to dye the death of the righteous to have all the gainfull part the revenue and crown of a good Conscience but will not be at the charge of a conscientious life Or 74 Fiftly the hypocrisy of the partiall obedient that is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of duty chooses out the easy smooth plyable doctrines of Christianity the cheap or costlesse performances the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} will serve the Lord his God of that which costs him nothing will doe some things that have nothing contrary to passions in generall or particularly to his passions like Herod that could heare Iohn Baptist gladly be present at as many Sermons as he could wish and many the like painlesse performances but when the weightier matters of the law expect to be taken up also cannot submit to such burthens Or 75 Sixthly the hypocrisy of the temporary which abstaines onely as long as the punishment is over his head and awes him to it or as long as he meets with no temptations to the contrary both which what place they have in the death-bed repentance even when it is not onely a sorrow for sinne but a resolution of amendment also I leave it to be considered Or 76 Seventhly the hypocrisy of those which commit evill that good may come of it who venture on the most Vn Christian fins for Gods glory accept the person of the Almighty doe injustice for his sake or rather suppose him impotent and fetch in the Devill or their owne vile lusts to releive and assist God of whom the Apostle pronounceth their damnation is just Rom. 3. 8. Or 77 Lastly the hypocrisy of him which keeps any one close undeposited sinne upon his soule These are each of them contrary to some part of the ground of good Conscience to the foundation of Christian confidence some to the sincerity some to the resolution and some to the obedience {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in all and some to the perseverance which is absolutely necessary to the good Conscience 78 A sixth Proposition is that a supine wilfull course of negligence and sloth whether in duties of mans particular calling or more especially in the duties of the generall calling as we are Christians that sinne of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}
in it selfe an idoll being simply nothing yet to them which doe it when they think it unlawfull and all have not knowledge saith he in the beginning of the verse i. e. are not sufficiently instructed in their duty it is pollution or sinne according to the fore-mentioned place Tit. 1. 15. To the pure all things are pure all things i. e. all things of that nature of which he there speaks though in themselves indifferent are pure i. e. may lawfully be used by the pure i. e. by them which are rightly instructed but to the polluted and unbeleevers i. e. to them that are misled by Jewish fables or by the dogmatizing of false teachers and brought to beleeve things to be prohibited by God which are not prohibited to them that are guilty of this kind of Judaisme and as it is interpretative unbeliefe there is nothing pure but their mind and conscience are polluted both their understanding is in an errour taking falsity for truth and their practicall resolution is sinfull also nay obliged to sin which way soever they turn themselves whether they abstaine superstitiously when they are not bound by God to abstaine which is the sinne of those that are subject to ordinances Col. 2. 20. of which I have spoken at large in another place or whether they abstaine not when they are perswaded that they ought to abstaine which is sin against conscience 9 From whence by the way you may observe the miserable lot of those which have not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} knowledge in the beginning of that verse which are missed to think any thing unlawfull which is lawfull and continue in that errour without seeking of light which are thus impure for to such {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} nothing is pure they are as long as they remaine so obliged to sinne which way soever they take to abstaine or not abstaine For though in things indifferent and uncommanded simply to abstaine were no sinne yet then to abstaine {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as from a thing abominable or unlawfull is both by Scripture and the ancient Councels in case of marriage and meats every where condemned as sinfull and yet on the other side to eate without or against Faith i. e. being doubtfull whether it be lawfull or no or being perswaded it is unlawfull is sin saith the Apostle and there is great necessity to such of seeking and in others great charity of helping them to {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} instruction or right information in this case which is the onely cure for this unfortunate malady 10 So againe ver. 10. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the conscience of him that is weake or which is the same v. 7. and v. 12. the weake conscience signifies the false perswasion of him that is in an errour an erroneous Conscience weaknesse noting sicknesse in the Scripture stile John 5. 14. 1 Cor 11. 30. and errour being the disease or sicknesse of the soule and that with a little improvement growing destructive and mortiferous as in case he that hath that erroneous sick conscience doe act somewhat against conscience and so adde sinne unto errour for then {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} v. 11. that sick man dyes perishes of that disease Soch 10 25 27 28 29. the word Conscience is still in the same sense for conscience or consideration of duty and so 1 Pet. 2. 19. forementioned 11 So likewise 1 Pet. 3. 21. where Baptisme is called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the answer of a good conscience to Goa the good conscience signifies conscience rightly instructed in its duty as in baptizing those of full age it is supposed to be which Conscience is then to answer and consent to all Gods proposals in baptisme or the ministers in Gods stead such as wilt thou forsake the Devill c. and so the words will be interpreted in a sense proportionable to that of denying ungodly lusts Tit. 2. 12. which there the appearing of Christ is said to teach us For as lust proposes ungodly questions to us which we are bound to deny so God in baptisme is supposed to propose good questions to us which we are bound to grant and stipulate the performance of them and that is the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the answer of a good conscience to God or to his questions proposed in baptisme after the manner of ancient pacts among the Romans made by way of question and answer as part of the ritus solemns or formalities of them 12 But then for the second acception of the word as it notes conscience of what we have performed or passing judgement on my selfe for what I have done and that either for any one individuall act or for the maine of our lives our state and that againe either 1 acquitting or 2 condemning or 3 considered in a third notion common to both those passing sentence in generall so shall you find it in many other places and indeed in all the rest which we have not hitherto named 13 For the first of these three species as it acquitteth you have it Act. 23. 1. I have lived or behaved my selfe in all my conversation towards men {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in all my politique or publique relations with or in all good conscience in such a manner as I cannot excuse my selfe of any thing done contrary to my Christian profession or dignity of my Apostolicoll calling So 1 Cor. 9. 12. the Testimony of our Conscience is exprest by what followes that in simplicity c. we had our conversation in the world So good conscience is taken 1 Tim. 1. 5. and 19. and 3. 9. and 2 Tim. 1. 3. Heb. 13. 18. 1 Pet. 3. 16. but above all you have a speciall place belonging to this first branch of the second in Act. 24. 16. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} we render it a Conscience void of offence the meaning is a confidence and assurance that he hath done nothing subject so much as to the censure of having scandalized others for Saint Paul being there accused by the Jewes v. 5. 6. for 3 crimes sedition heresie and profaning of the Temple he answers to the first v. 12. to the second v. 14. to the third v. 16. 18. and his being purified in the Temple after the Jewish manner he makes an evidence of his innocence in that particular a proofe of his not having scandalized any Jew which to have done would have been a fault in him whose office it was to become all things to all men that he might gaine or save all and not to discourage or deter any who might be gained by complyance and the doing so is it which is called being {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 1 Cor. 10. 32. giving none offence to the Jews the very word in the place
{non-Roman} is not reconcileable with a good Conscience Omissions being destructive such they may be as well as commissions whether it be omission of the performance of morall or Christian precepts Christs improvements of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount being not onely as Counsells but Precepts obligatory to Christians or whether it be onely the wilfull supine slothfull neglecting the meanes of knowledge such as are agreeable to my course of life Or the neglecting to make use of those meanes which are necessary to enable me to get out of any sinne One act of which nature was by Christ noted and censured in his Disciples Their not fasting and praying to cast out that Devill that would not otherwise be cast out Or the not avoyding such occasions which are apt to betray me to it Such acts as these are as Christ saith to those Disciples acts of faithlesnesse and perversenesse Mat. 17. 17. and cosequently the continued course of them contrary to the sincerity of endeavour and so unreconcileable with a good conscience 79 The seventh Proposition is that all habituall customary obdurate sinning is unreconcileable utterly with a good Conscience I adde the word Obdurate which signifies the hardning of the heart against the knowledge of the truth against exhortations against threats of Gods word against checks of naturall Conscience or illuminations of grace against resolutions and vowes to the contrary for this will make any habit certainly unreconcileable with a good Conscience Whereas it is possible that some Customary sinning may be through ignorance of the duty and that ignorance if it be not contracted by some wilfulnesse of mine may be matter of excuse to me and so reconcileable with a good conscience by force of the second Proposition But the obdurate holding out against Gods spirit either knocking for admittance but not opened to or checking and restraining from sin after conversion and not harkned to resisting all Gods methods of working on us and still resolutely walking after the flesh this is by no means reconcileable with a good conscience nay nor any habit of sin simply taken for that is exclusive of the habit of piety necessary to the good coscience unlesse it have that authentique plea of faultlesse ignorance to excuse it 80 The eighth proposit on is that any deliberate presumptuous act or commission of any sin against which damnation or not inheriting the Kingdome of heaven is pronounced in the New Testament being not immediately retracted by repentance humiliation and all the effects of godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. 11. is wholly unreconcileable with a good conscience Such are Gal. 5. 19. Adultery fornication uncleannesse lasciviousnesse foure distinct degrees of incontinence Idolatry witchcraft two degrees of impiety hatred variance emulation wrath strife sedition heresies envyings murthers nine degrees of the pride of life or that other branch of carnality flowing from {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or the irascible faculty drunkennesse revelling the species of intemperance and such like and the same with some variation and addition 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. and Eph 5. 5. Every one of these at the very commission have the nature of peccata sauciantia wounding the Sinner to the heart letting out a great deale of good blood and vitall spirits and weakning the habit of Christian vertue of peccata clamantia crying sins the voice of conscience so wronged by them calling to heaven for judgement against such oppressours or perhaps Satan carrying an accusation thither against such offenders and if upon this they be not straight retracted by an earnest contrition humiliation and repentance they then proceed farther to be any one act of them peccata vastantia conscientiam Sins wasting despoiling the conscience betraying to some sadder punishment even desertion and withdrawing of grace and delivering up to our own hearts lusts a consequent of which are all vile affections Rom. 1. and that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} cursing Heb. 6. 8. 81 Just as it was the manner of the Jewes Judicatures He that was punished by their {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} separation or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} not permirted to come neare any man within foure cubits if he did not thereupon shew and approve his repentance within the space of two moneths on that contumacy was then smitten with their {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the anathemation or execration and sometimes cast into prison So is Gods dealing with the sinner remaining imperitent for such a space substraction of Gods grace and spirit the curse of the Gospel is his portion 82 For the clearing of which truth yet faâ—therr t will be observable that the danger that arises from one sinne of the first magnitude against which the sentence is pronounced that they who are guilty of such shall never inherit eternall life is or may be to him that after the knowledge of the truth relapses into it as great as that which is incurred by many lesser sinnes or by a relapsing into a generality of impure life and therefore the remaining in that one sinne will be as unreconcileable with a regenerate estate as the remaining in many other and proportionably one act of it as noxious and wasting to conscience as apt to provoke God to withdraw his spirit as many acts of those lesser sins and though neither any single act either of lesser or greater sinne in a sincere lover of Christ presently retracted as it will be if he continue so doth so grieve as to quench Gods spirit utterly so provoke God as to make him wholly withdraw his grace and totally desert him yet if that one sin be continued in favoured and indulged to either by multiplying more acts of it or by no expressing repentance for it by all those means which the Apostle requires of his incestuous Corinthian or which are named as effects of godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. 11. this direfull punishment of desertion is then to be expected as the reward of any one such sinne and from thence will follow any impossibility for that man so diserted ever to return to repentance again Gods speciallayde which is now withdrawne being absolutely necessary to that 83 Where yet of those that thus remain in any such sin there is some difference For some that so remain in sinne doe so remain that they desire not to get out of it hate to be reformed others thoughensnared so in sin that they cannot get out yet are very earnest and sollicitous to find out some means to break through and escape out of those snares and then this latter state of soul though it be not sufficient to give claime or right to mercy the victory over the world the actuall forsaking of all such sins being necessary to that and not only our wishes that we were victorious yet is it a nearer and more hopefull capacity of the grace of repentance more likely to be blessed by the returning of
OF CONSCIENCE {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} By H. Hamond D. D. LONDON Printed for R. Royston at the signe of the Angel in Ivie-lane 1645. OF CONSCIENCE 1 AMong the many practicall errours which are gotten abroad into the world a very large proportion there is of those which have either suckt their poison from or disguised it under that specious venerable name of Conscience That which the Philosophers could call their Guardian Angell and justifie the phrase by vouching none but Angelicall dictates from it That which some good-natured Atheists did so revere that they defined the onely deity in the world and in proportion phansied nothing but God-like of it is now by some Christians like the true God among the Heathens worshipt in so many corporeous shapes that there is at length scarce any thing so vile Phansie humour passion prepossession the meanest worldly interest of the ambitious or covetous designer like the Calves the Cats the Crododiles the Onions the Leeks of Egypt but hath the favour or luck to be mistaken for Conscience and receive all the respect that I say not adoration that belongs to it 2 'T will be then but an act of justice and mercy justice to truth and mercy to the abused world and withall a speciall preparative to a prudent reformation to rescue so divine a man from such heathenish usage to restore it to its naturall primitive simplicity and cast out all the false formes which it hath been forced to appeare under To which purpose all that I shall designe will be reduced to these two enquiries 1. What is the proper notion of conscience 2. What is required to entitle a man to a good conscience 3 For the former of these what is the proper notion of conscience I shall labour to finde out not among the Scholasticall definitions or divisions of it among humane Writers but onely by observing the force and use of the word in the Scripture particularly the New Testament And he that shall meet it there 32 times and but take a view of it at every meeting will sure come to some degree of acquaintance with it and find upon judgement reason to resolve what for his ease I shall now lay before him 4 That the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Conscience is no more then Science or knowledge and therefore being but once used by the Greek Translators of the Old Testament Eccles. 10. 20. it is there set to expresse a word which is otherwise by them commonly rendred {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} onely with a peculiar relation added to it as that knowledge is in order to action Thus Tit. 1. 15. when {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} mind and conscience are distinguished t is obvious to any to discerne the ground of that distinction that former being properly the denotation of the faculty meerly speculative or intellectuall this latter of the practicall judgement or that whether act or faculty of the understanding soule which extendeth to practice the Apostle by that phrase the mind and conscience are defiled meaning distinctly this that this errour in mens judgements which is the defiling of their mind carryes Un-Christian practice along with it which is the defiling of the practicall faculty this Judaicall mistake in thâ—â—r understanding is attended with Judaizing actions in their lives the former apportioned to the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the false Judaicall doctrines which relate to {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the mind the second to the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the commands of men perverting the truth v. 14. which relate to the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Conscience 5 For the clearing of which that it is such a practicall knowledge in the acception of the Scripture if there need any light you may have it from the survey of every place severally and in speciall from this one 1 Pet. 2. 19. This is thank-worthy if {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for Conscience of God a man suffer griefe c. i. e. if for this obedientiall practicall knowledge of God this knowledge of truth attended with a resolution not to disobey God though it cost a man never so deare he suffer gâ—iefe c. 6 This being premised there is but one thing more to be added to this matter and it is this That we take notice of the severall wayes of aspect that Conscience hath upon practice One forward in the direct line another backward or by way of reflection which are ordinarily exprest by the double office of Conscience 1. as a custos or monitor advising and instructing and keeping us to our duty 2. as a witnesse testifying to our selves and to God what we have done which is in plainer termes no more but this That there are two sorts of Conscience 1. Conscience of duty to be performed or full perswasion that such a thing ought to be done or not to be done by me a being resolved of the necessity or unlawfulnesse of any thing and 2. conscience of having performed or not performed it a knowing or judging my self to have done well or ill And under these two notions all the severalls in the New Testament and the one sole place of the apocryphall bookes of the Old will be contained If you please you may see how 7 To the former kind belongs that famous place Rom. 13. 5. You must be subject to the Supreame powers v. 1. not onely for wrath i. e. feare or danger of punishment the effect of wrath the Magistrate being Gods Minister an avenger for wrath or punishment to him that doth evill v. 4. but also {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for or because of Conscience i. e. because it is the command of God and consequently that which all inferiours every soule may if they be not wilfully blind know to be their duty to be thus subject 8 So 1 Cor. 8. 7. For some with conscience of the Idol i. e. being resolved in mind that it is not lawfull to eate or taste of any {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} part or portion of the Idol-feast whether {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} at the idoll table or having bought it at the Shambles as it seemes was the fashion for those {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} to be sold there at second hand c. 10. 25. accounting it unlawfull to eate any meat consecrated to that use doe yet eate that which is of this nature and by so doing their weake i. e. uninstructed conscience is polluted i. e. they sinne against their conscience doe that which they are perswaded they may not doe which although it be never so innocent a harmlesse thing
of God yet that zeale is a passion still one of those which Aristotle hath defined in his Rhetoricks being not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} according to knowledge or conscience Rom. 10. 2. for the Hebrew word as I told you is rendred by those two words promiscuously {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} knowledge and conscience Or 23 Fourthly diabolicall suggestion or infusion it may be an enthusiasm of that black spirit as it is or of some thing as bad in effect infallibly whensoever Rebellion Sedition Murther Rapine Hatred Envy Vncharitablenesse Lying Swearing Sacriledge c. come to us under the disguise of Religion and Conscience and therefore the Spirits must be searcht whether they be of God or of the Devill and no surer way to doe it then by these and the like Symptomes these fruits and productions of that infernall Spirit which so perfectly represent and owne their parent that none but blind or mad men or daemoniacks can beleeve them in earnest to come from God Or 24 Fiftly False doctrine it may be and that againe set off either by the authority of the teacher or by the dignity of some eminent followers and practicers of it and then the Apostle calls it having mens persons in admiration or by the earlinesse of its representation being imbibed and taken in first swallowed and digested before the truth was offered to us and then it is prejudice or prepossession and this again alwayes assisted by the force of that old axiom Intus existens c. and by that which is naturall to all habits to be hardly moveable and yet further improved sometimes by pride and obstinacy alwayes by selfe-love which makes us think our own opinions i. e. which we are already possest of the truest which in this case is in effect to think our luck the best luck and the same which was observed in one worst sort of Heathens who whatsoever they saw first in the morning worshipt that all the day after a choosing of perswasions as country men choose Valentines that which they chance to meet with first after their coming abroad 25 Besides these many other things it may be and so 1. It is oddes enough that it will not be conscience which pretends to be so and 2. It is certainly not conscience unlesse it produce some law for its rule to direct us by And this was the Negative or first thing 26 The second or the Positive thing which followes from the premises is this that Conscience of duty in any particular action is to be ruled by that law which is proper to that action as for example The Christian law is the rule of Conscience for Christian actions the law of reason or morall saw for morall the law nationall municipall or locall for civill the naturall law of all creatures for naturall actions and the law of scandall a branch of the Christian law for matters of scandall and the law of liberty for indifferent free actions And as it is very irregular and unreasonable to measure any action by a rule that belongs not to it to try the exactnesse of the circle by the square which would be done by the compasse and in like manner to judge the Christiannesse of an action by the law of naturall reason which can onely be judged by its conformity with the law of Christ superiour to that of nature So will there be no just pretence of conscience against any thing but where some one or more of these lawes are producible against it but on the other side even in the lowest sort of actions if they be regulated by the law proper to them and nothing done contrary to any superiour law even by this God shall be glorified 1 Cor. 10. 31. a kind of glory resulting to God from that readinesse of submission and subordination of every thing to its proper rule and law to which the great Creator hath subjected it and of all lawes to that supreme transcendent one the law of Christ And though some touches there are in the Scripture of each of these lawes some fibrae or strings of them discernibly there so farre that there is nothing almost under any of the heads forementioned but by the Scripture some generall account may be given of it and againe though that of Scripture be the supreame law of all and nothing authorizeable by any inferiour law which is contradicted or prohibited by that yet is not that of Scripture such a particular Code oâ— Pandect of all lawes as that every thing which is commanded by any other law should be found commanded there or be bound to prove its selfe justifiable from thence any further then that it is not there prohibited or thereby justly concluded to be unlawful 27 From whence by the way I conceive direction may be had and resolution of that difficult practicall probleme what a man may doe in case he be legally commanded by his lawfull superiour to doe what he may lawfully doe which yet he is perswaded he may not doe or doubteth whether he may or no For in this case if he be not able to produce some plaine prohibition from some superiour law as from that of Scripture he cannot be truly said to be perswaded in conscience which implyes knowledge of the unlawfulnesse of that thing nor consequently hath he any plea for disobedience to that lawfull command of his Superiours All that may be said is that he may from some obscure place misunderstood have cause or occasion to doubt whether he may doe it or no and then although doubting simply taken i. e. where no command interposes may keep me from doing what I doubt yet it ought not to be of that weight as to keep me from my lawfull Superiours lawfull command because that very command is a sufficient ground to supersede my doubting when I have no plaine prohibition of Scripture to the contrary which in this case I am supposed not to have for if I had Then first it were not a lawfull command and secondly I should not doubt but be assured it being my duty and part of my Christian meeknesse in doubtfull matters to take my resolution from those whom God hath placed over me and it being the sinne of dogmatizing to affirme any thing for me or others to doe which some law of God c. still in force doth not prohibit which sin being added to that other of disobedience to my lawfull Superiours will sâ—re never be able to make that commence virtue which was before so far from any pretentions to that title 28 Having proceeded thus far in the search of the ground of Conscience 't were now time to reduce this operation to practice and shew you first What directions Conscience is able to afford from every of those lawes for the ruling of all actions of that kind and secondly What an harmony and conspiration there is betwixt all these
lawes one mutually ayding and assisting the other and not violating or destroying But this were the largest undertaking that could be pitcht on in the whole circle of learning Aerodius's Pandectae rerum ab omni aevâ— judicaturum and all the Schoolmens and Casuists volumes de legibus de jure justitia and on the Decalogue would be but imperfect parts of this I shall give you but one taste or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of it by which the Reader will be perswaded to spare me or rather himselfe that trouble 29 The prime of these the Christian law is the rule of all actions that come within that spheare sets downe the nature of all Christian duties of piety and love of our brethren in generall and more particularly of Faith Hope Charity Repentance selfe-denyall taking up the crosse c. of humility meeknesse mercifulnesse peaceablenesse obedience to superiours patience contentednesse and the like and the relation of a Christian being a grand transcendent relation there is no action imaginable but may either in respect of the matter or motive or principle or circumstances offend against one of these and then malum ex qualibet defectu the least of these defects blemisheth it and so conscience directed by that rule or law will direct me either to doe it or not to doe it in that manner and then t is not any complyance with or agreeablenesse to any or all other lawes which will make this action Christian which hath any such notable defect or blemish in it Not to pursue this any farther having thus named it and shewed you the vastnesse of the sea it leads to it will suffice to our present designe to tell you that from what is said these 3 corollaries to omit many others will be deducible 30 1. That it is not possible for Conscience be it never so strongly perswaded to make any action lawfull which is not regulated by those rules or lawes which are proper to it and reconcileable with the grand rule the Christian law Conscience can never transforme profanenesse into piety sacriledge into justice or holinesse rebellion into obedience faction into humility perjury or taking of unlawful oathes into religion rapine into contentednesse inhumanity into mercifulnesse adultery fornication divorces save in case of adultery or any uncleannesse into purity labouring to shake a Kingdome to remove the crosse from my owne shoulders to another mans into taking up of the Crosse but contrariwise if it be truly and univocally Conscience of duty it will tel me that every one of these foule titles belongs to every such action the Scripture being so cleare in these particulars that there is no place or excuse for ignorance or mistake and by setting before me the terrors of the Lord perswade me not to venture on any one such action upon any termes or if I have ventured it will smite and wound me for it and drive me to timely repentance or if it doe not t is either a cauterized insensate conscience a reprobate mind or else some of these Images which even now I mentioned mistaken for Conscience or if it be a full perswasion of minde that what I thus am about I am obliged to doe if that be a possible thing in such matters and under so much light t is then in the calmest style an erroneous Conscience which is so far from excusing me unlesse in case of ignorance truly invincible which here is not imaginable that it brings upon me the most unparalleld infelicity in the world an obligation to sinne which way soever I turne my selfe on one side appearing and lying at my doore the guilt of committing that sinne which I have so mistaken and on the other the guilt of omitting that though sinne which my Conscience represented to me as duty and nothing but repentance and reformation of judgement first and then of practice will be able to retrive the one or the other 31 The second corollary will be this That it is the most unreasonable insolence in the world for them that can swallow such Camell-sins as these without any regrets nay with full approbation and direction perhaps of conscience it that may be called Conscience which is so divided from and contrary to knowledge yet to scruple and interpose doubts most tremblingly and most conscientiously in matters of indifferency not so much as pretended to be against the word of God and so within the law of christian liberty that they may be done if he will and yet over and above their naturall indifferency commanded by that authority in subjection to which the christian vertue of obedience consists and all this either first upon no ground of conscience at all but only that it is contrary to their Phansy their Humour their Prepossessions or Secondly because it is a restraint upon their christian liberty which yet Christ never forbid to be restrained quoad exercitium as farre as belongs to the exercise of it but hath permitted sometime the care of not offending the weak brother i. e. Charity and sometime Obedience to lawfull superiours to restreine it for if in things indifferent they may not restreine there can no obedience be payed to them or Thirdly because they are offensive though not to them yet to others who are perswaded they are unlawfull Whereas I that perswasion of those others is erroneous and not sufficient to justifie disobedience in themselves much lesse in other men in case of lawfull humane command And 2 that their censuring of such indifferent actions i. e. being angry without a cause may bee greater matter of scandall and so more offensive to others and more probable to work upon them to bring them by that example to be so argry also then the doing that indifferent action mistaken by others and condemned for unlawfull would be to bring them to transcribe that reprobated samplar i. e. to doe what they thus condemne all men being farre more apt and inclinable to break out into passions then into acts against conscience and so more likely to be scandalized or offended or insnared by following the former then the latter example to sinne for company or after another man by censuring whom he censures which is being angry without a cause then by doing what they are advised and resolved they ought not to do which is sinning against conscience Or fourthly because they are against their conscience to doe whilst yet they produce no law of God or man against them and so in effect confesse there is nothing in them against conscience unlesse as before was noted they wilfully aequivocate in the word Conscience which will and skill of theirs as it will not make any thing unlawfull which before was indifferent so will it not conclude ought save only this that they which are so artificious to impose on others and forme scruples where there were none would not be thought the likeliest men to swallow grosse sinnes under the disguise of vertues or if