what your censures are what sentēce you passe vpon me but know ye that I no whit at all regard the same I make no reckoning therof at all Why might the Corinthians say do ye count vs so silly so iniudicious Nay sayes Paul I speak it not as if you were sillier then others with me it is a small thing to be iudged of you or of mans iudgement let them be the most wise iudicious that are in the world or of mans Day though by men convened in solemne maner for iudgement I passe not what their censure is I regard not their mis-iudgings of me I but what makes Paul thus slight mens iudgement of him That in the fourth verse I know nothing by my selfe mine owne Conscience iudges me not nor sentenses me that layes no such thing to my charge and therefore so long as my Conscience is on my side I regard not a whit what the world iudges Now then see what a motiue this is to get and keepe a good Conscience As we would be glad to haue comfort and confidence against the malice of opprobrious tongues as wee would haue a counter-poyson against their venome so get a good Conscience Here is that which may make vs in loue with a good Conscience Reproach must full often be the portion of Gods deare children Israelites shall bee for ever an abomination to Egyptians And though the Egyptian dogges moued not their tongues against Israel Exodus 11. 7. yet dogged Egyptians will moue their tongues and their teeth too The Apostles must be counted the filth of the world and the off-scowrings of all things 1 Cor. 4. 13. The Lord Iesus himselfe dranke of this cup Psal 22. 6. 7. I am a worme and no man a reproach of men and dispised of the people All they that see me laugh me to scorne c. The way to heauen is a narrow way and this narrow way is beset with snakes spitting adders barking and biting and mad dogs and a man must passe to heauen through good and euill report 2. Cor. 6. 8. Well then it being so hard a passage Currentem attrites super aspidas basiliseos declinare senem vipera non poterit prosp dc Aug. Conscia mens recti famae mendaci◠ridet Sed no◠in vitiūm credula treba famus Ovid. how may a man get himselfe so armed that hee may passe cheerfully through all these get a good Conscience and thou shalt regard these snakes serpents vipers and dogs no more then a straw vnder thy foot If thou haue a good Conscience thou shalt laugh at the reproaches of enemies as Eliphaz speaks of destruction Iob 5. A good conscience will say vnto thee Goe on cheerily in the wayes of God what euer discouragements the diuell rayses by reproaches and slanders feare them not Behold I acquit and excuse thee I will beare thee out I will witnesse at Gods tribunall for thee Lo I giue thee balme against their poyson a buckler against their swords Let them curse yet I will blesse thee let thē reproach yet I will 〈…〉 for t let them condemn fame thee yet I will be thy compurgator let them cast dirt in thy face yet I will wash it off let them disquiet yet behold I am ready to cheere thee Oh the sweet and vnconceivable comfort that a good Conscience will speake even in the middst of the cruell speakings of vngodly men Iude 15. that will speake comfortably when they speake cruelly and most comfortably when they speake most cruelly Such is the benefit of a good Conscience in case of reproach and disgrace CHAP. IX The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience in the times of common feares and calamities and in the times of personall evils as sicknesse and afflictions for Conscience sake IN the second place let vs see what the benefite and comfort of a good 〈◊〉 Common calamities When the 2 fort of a good Conscience in the times of cōmon feares and calamities world is full of scares and dangers and calamities breake in how fares it then with an evil conscience in what taking are they that want a good conscience They are absorpt with feares and the very tydings puts them to much perplexitie Isa 7. 2. Aha◠is told of a confedracy between Syria Ephraim and see in what feares hee and his people were His heart was moved the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind So deepely do reports and evill tydings affect them the trees in the wood are not so shakē with the blustering windes as evill Consciences are with evill tydings When ill newes and ill Consciences meet there is no small feare The signes that prognosticate sorrowfull times see how deepely they affect evill Consciences Luke 21. 25. There shall be signes in the sun and the moone and in the stars and vpon the earth distresse of Nations with perplexity mens hearts failing them for feare and for looking after those things which are comming on the earth But when calamity indeed comes and not ill newes but ill times and ill consciences meete how are they then They are then either in the case the Egyptians were in the famine Gen. 47. 13. They were at their wits end or as those in a storme at Sea Psa 107. 26. 27. Their soule is melted because of trouble They reele too and fro and stagger like a drunken man and all their wisdome is swallowed vp Excesse of feare puts them into as great distempers as excesse of wine it vtterly stupifies them and they by feare are as much bereft of the vse of their senses wit and wisdom as a drunkard is in his drunkennesse Yea their feares make them not onely drunk but starke madde Deut. 28. 34. Thou shalt be oppressed and cursed alway so that thou shalt bee madde for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see The perplexities of an euill conscience in evill times are vnspeakably grievous Isay doth exceeding lively describe them Isa 13. 7. 8. 9. Therfore shall all hands bee faint and every mans heart shall melt And they shall bee afraid pangs and sorrowes shall take hold of them they shall be in pain as a woman that travells they shall be a mazed one at another their faces shall be as flames c. Hence that same strange question of the Prophets Ier. 36. 6. Aske ye now and see whether a man doth travell with childe A strange question what should make the Prophet aske it Because he foresaw such strange behaviour amongst them carrying themselues in the same fashion in the day of calamitie that women vse to doe in the extremity of the pangs of child-birth Wherefore doe I see every man with his hands on his loynes as a woman in trauell and all faces are turned into palenesse Alas for that day is great so that none is like it it is euen the time of Iacobs trouble When such wofull dayes befall a man all
The spring and fountaine of all actions good or euill is the Conscience and all actions and courses of men are as their Consciences Out of the heart are the issues of life Pro. 4. 23. The Heart Conscience is the fountaine euery action of a mans life is an Issue a little rivelet a water passage thence Are these waters then that issue thence Naught The way to heale them is to Non erit fructue bonus nisi arboris bonae Muta Cor et mutabitur opus Aug. de ver Dom. Serm. 12. cast the salt into the spring Mend the Conscience and all is mended Good Consciences would make Good men and Good men would make Good Times Lo here a Proiect for the reformation of evill Times Were this Proiect set on foot and a good Cōscience set vp how should we see profanations of Gods holy Name Day Iniustice Bribery Oppression Deceit Adulteries and Whoredomes and all other Iniquites how should we see all these as our Saviour saw Satan falling down like lightning from heaven How should wee see them come tumbling downe like so many Dagons before Gods Arke yea tumbled downe and broken to the stumps The onely Arke that must dash and ding downe these Dagons is a good Conscience And if we would wel weigh the matter what is there equally desirable with Ecce quid prodest plena bonis arca cum sit Inanis Conscientia Bona vis habere bonus non vis esse tū quid est quod vis habere malū Nihil omni no non vxorem non filium non ancillā villam tunicā postremo nō caligam et tamen vis habere malā vitam Rogo te Praepone vitam tuam caligae tuae sic Conscientiā Aug. ibid. vbi supra Ipsa ergo diuitiae bonae sunt sed istae omnia bona a bonis malis haberi possunt Et cū bona sint bonos tamē facere non possunt Aug. de verb. Dō Serm. 5. a good Conscience What is that men would haue but they desire to haue it Good And yet amongst al other things they desire to haue Good what little care to haue the Consciēce such Wife children servants houses lands Ayre food rayment who would not haue these Good And yet that without which none of all these are good nor will yeeld vs any true good that alone is neglected and whilest men would haue all other things Good yet their Consciences thēselues are Naught Now alas what good will all other goods doe vs whilest this one and this mayne Good thing is wanting How excellent is this Good aboue al other good things A good wife good children good land c. these may a man haue and yet he himselfe not Good these finde men sometimes Good but make none so these goods may a man haue and yet himselfe bee Naught Not so with a good Conscience which no evill man can haue which whosoever hath it makes him and all hee hath good So great and so good a Good why is it so much neglected Try we therefore let vs assay if by any means Gods good blessing giuing assistance we may be able to stirre vp men and to worke them to regard so great so excellent a good It may be at least some few may be perswaded may set vpon this worke of getting a good Conscience If but some few if but one be wrought vpon the labour is not in vaine If none yet our worke is with our God to whom we are a sweet savour in Christ in them that are saued and in them that perish 2 Cor. 2. 15. This portion of Scripture then which I haue chosen for the ground of the following Discourse consists of three parts 1. Pauls sober and ingenious Profession and Protestation vers 1. 2. Ananias his insolent and Impetuous Iniunction vers 2. 3. Pauls zealous Answer and Contestation vers 3. 1. The first is Pauls Protestatiō in these words Men and brethren I haue liued in all good Conscience vntill this day With this Protestation of a good Conscience Paul begins his Plea And how euer to distinguish our selues from Papists we beare the name of Protestants yet wee shall neuer be sound and good Protestants indeede till we can take vp Pauls protestation that our care endeauour course is to liue in All good Conscience A Protestant with a loose a naughty Cōsciēce hath no great cause to glory in his desertion of the Romish Religiō As good a blind Papist as a halting Protestant The blind and the halt were equally abominable vnto the Lord. Paul was here brought forth to answer for himselfe before the chiefe Priests and the Councel And his Preface as I said to his entēded Apology if he had not bin iniuriously interrupted is a protestation of the Goodnes of his Conscience And this his good Conscience or the goodnesse of his Conscience he sets foorth 1. From his Conversation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I haue lived or conversed A good conversation is a good evidence of a good Conscience indeed there can bee no good Conscience where there is not a Conversing in good It is not some moods fits in some good actions duries frō whence Conscience gaines the reputation of Goodnes but a good conversation godly religious in the generall tenour therof proues the conscience worthy such an honor as to be holden Good He may be said to haue a good conscience that can be said to liue in a good Conscience Many a man is frequently in the Citie and yet cannot be said to liue there There a man liues where he hath his Converse and Residence A mans life is not to be measured by some few actions in which at some time he may be found but by his generall course and conversation God will iudge euery man not according to his steps but according to his waies It were ouer-rigid censoriousnes to condemne a righteous man to question whether his conscience were good because some steps of his haue bin beside◠the way We know for the general his way is good wherein hee walkes and therefore according to his good way we iudge his Conscience good Contrarily whē we see a mans way for th◠generall to be evill though some tim◠he may tread a right step or two an◠chance to chop into the faire roade fo◠a rod or two for this to iudge a man Conscience good were a bottomless◠and boundlesse Charitie Every man◠Conscience is as his life is 2. From the Generality of his care obediēce In all good Conscience It mus◠be All good or it is no good Cōscience a◠all There bee that liue in some goo◠Conscience yea Herod seemes to haue much good Conscience he did many things gladly but yet Paul goes further and liues not in some not in much but in All good Conscience 3. From the Sincerity and Integritie of it before God Before men how many haue their Consciences exceeding
good yet their consciences are far short of goodnes because they are not good before God the Iudge of conscience Whilest conscience is made only of the Capitals of the second Table or of the externals ceremonials of the first which duty is not done out of obedience to God his Commandements but a mans selfe either in his gaine or in his prayse is sought base ends are the first mouers to good duties here the conscience what euer applause it hath from or before men for it goodnesse yet of God shall not be so esteemed For that is not a good conscience which is one outwardly but which is one inwardly whose prayse is not of men but of God And that hath its prayse of God which is before God 4. From his continuance constancie vntill this day To begin a good life and course and to liue in all good conscience that before God are excellent things but yet one thing is wanting to make vp this goodnesse compleate To bee so for a day or some dayes will not serue but when a man can say at his last day I haue liued in al good conscience vntill this day that man may bee safely iudged to haue a good conscience indeed Thus in these foure particulars doth the goodnes of Pauls conscience appeare It is not my purpose to confine my selfe to keepe me within these bounds alone but to take a larger latitude within the compasse whereof I will bring both those forenamed and all other materiall points which this protestation doth afford CHAP. II. Conscience described THe maine subiect of this protestation and the ayme of this following discourse being concerning a good conscience for the more orderly handling thereof consider these specialls 1. What Conscience is 2. What a good Conscience is 3. How a good conscience may bee gotten and kept The meanes of it 4. How a good conscience may bee knowne The markes of it 5. The motiues to get and keepe a good conscience 1. What conscience is It may be thus described Conscience is a power and faculty of the soule taking knowledge and bearing witnesse of all a mans thoughts words actions accordingly excusing or accusing absoluing or condemning comforting or tormenting the same I know there be other definitions giuen by others more succinct and neat but I rather chuse this though it may bee not altogether so formall to the rules of Art The rules of â—oue and profit many times may make bold to dispence with rules of Art So I may be profitable I care the lesse to bee artificiall It may suffice that this description is answerable to that Auditory for whose sake it was first intended A plaine familiar description agrees well enough with such a people For the better conceiuing of it let it be taken in pieces and euery parcell viewed seuerally It is a faculty or power of the soule It is therefore called the Heart 1. Iohn 3. 20. If our heart condemne vs. Eccl. 7. 22. Thine owne heart knowes that thou thy selfe likewise hast cursed others that is thine own conscience knowes It is also called the spirit of man 1. Cor. 2. 11. For what man knowes the things of a man saue the spirit of man which is in him And Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit it selfe beares witnesse with our spirit that is with our coÌ„science Not that conscience is a spirit distinct from the substance of the soule as Origen mistooke but because it is a faculty of the soule therefore the name that is oft giuen to the soule is giuen to it If it bee asked in what part of the soule this faculty is placed wee must know that Conscience is not confined to any one part of the soule It is not in the vnderstanding alone not in the memory will or affections alone but it hath place in all the parts of the soule according to the seuerall parts thereof hath seuerall Offices or Acts. Taking knowledge Eccle. 7. 22. Thine owne heart knowes Conscience is placed in the soule as Gods spy mans superiour and ouerseer an inseperable companion that is with a man at all times and in all places so that there is not a thought word or worke that it knowes not and takes not notice of So that that which Dauid speakes of God himselfe Psal 139. 3. 4. Thou compassest my heart my lying downe and art acquainted with all my wayes for there is not a word in my tongue but loe thou knowest it altogether Whither shall I goe from thy spirit If I ascend vp to heauen c. The same may bee also said of conscience Gods deputy it is acquainted with all our waies not a motion in the minde not a syllable in the mouth to which it is not priuy yea it is thus inseperably present with vs not only to see but also to set downe to register to put downe vpon Record all our thoughts words and workes Conscience Nam quocunque me verto vitia mea me sâ— quuntur vbicuÌ„que vado conscientia mea menon deserit se praesens adsistit quicquid facio scribit Idcirco quanquam humana subterfugiaÌ„ iudicia iudicium propriae consc fugere non valeâ— Et si hominiê° celo qucd egi mihi tameÌ„ qui noui maluÌ„ quod gessi celare nequeo Ber. de Inter. Dom. c. 31. is Gods Notary and there is nothing passes vs in our whole life good or ill which coÌ„science notes not down with an indeleble character which nothing can raze out but Christs blood Conscience doth in this kinde as Iob wishes in another Iob 19. 23. 24. Oh that my words were now written Oh that they were printed in a booke That they were grauen with an iron pen and laid in the rocke for euer Conscience prints and writes so surely so indelebly yea it writes mens sins as Iudah his sin was with a pen of Iron with the poynt of a diamond and they are grauen vpon the Table of their hearts Ierem. 17. 1. Conscience doth in our pilgrimage as trauellers in their iourney it keepes a Diary or a iournall of euery thing that passes in our whole course it keepes a booke in which it hath a mans whole life pend In regard of this office conscience is placed in the memory is the Register and Recorder of the soule And bearing witnesse This wee finde Rom. 2. 15. their conscience also bearing witnesse Rom. 9. 1. My conscience also bearing me witnesse 2. Cor. 1. 12. The testimony of our conscience And this the end of the former office of the conscience For therefore is it exact punctuall in setting downe the particulars of a mans whole life that it may bee a faithfull witnesse either for him or against him For a faithfull witnes cannot lye Pro. 14. 5. This office it is ready to doe at all times of tryall affliction and Peccatâ— mea celare non possum quoniaÌ„ quocuÌ„que vado consc mea mecum est secum
loue were readie to fasten a poysond tooth in him This was Dauids case and this may be any mans case but now at such a time and in such a pinch appeares the excellency and benefit of a good Conscience Though all a mans friends should proue Iobs friends like the Winter-brookes of Teman that in Winter ouerswell the bankes but in the scorching heat of Sommer proue drie ditches yet then eâ—en then well fare a good Conscience That will heale Dauids heart broken with reproach that will cheere him vp in his heauines that will sweeten the gall and take away the sharpnes of the vineger which his enemies haue giuen him to drinke There is a generation Pro. 30. 14. whose teeth are as swords and their iaw-teeth as kniues and Prou. 12. 18. that generation speakes as the piercings of a sword There is a generation whose words are wounds that goe downe into the innermost parts of the belly Prou. 18 8. These be dangerous generations But what generations are they Generations of Vipers Ps 140. 3. Adders poyson is vnder their lips Iunius translates it Venenum ptyados The poyson of the spitting Serpent They bee then generations of spitting serpents even of fiery serpents that haue their tongues set on fire from hell so they spit fiery poyson in the faces of Innocents Now there is no man can liue in this world at whom these adders will not spit no man can be free from the sprikling of their poyson The disciple is not aboue the master If these snakes haue hissed at the Lord of the house and if these spitting serpents haue cast their poyson in his face why would they feare to doe it to the servants But is there then no balme against this poyson no buckler against these swords Yes there is the soveraign balme the impenetrable buckler of a good conscience It is a balsome that will alay the poyson of these Adders that it shall never burst a mans heart or if these swords pierce the very innermost bowels yet this will so salue these wounds that they shall not ranckle nor become mortall Oh! how mortal is this adders poyson how fatall are those swords how â—eene their edge how full of paine their wounds where inward guilt giues strength vnto them But Integritie and goodnesse of Conscience is a pretious balme of Gilead that takes away the venome of this poyson and the stinging smart of the wounds of these swords Let Paul liue with ever so good a conscience before God and man Act. 24. 16. yet Tertullus will play the spitting adder and he will spit yea spue forth his poyson in his face and in the face of an whole Court will not spare openly to slander him for an arrant varlet a lewd pestilent and a villanous fellow Such drivell will the malicious world spit in the face of Godlines But marke now the benefit and comfort of a good Conscience Either a good CoÌ„science with Stephens Angelicall face wil dazle shame the divels oratours 1 Pet. 3. 16. Hauing a good Conscience that they may be ashamed or els like Paul it can shake off those vipers without swelling or falling downe dead Yea if Satans oratours will needs be opening their mouths against Paul yet so good is his Conscience that as Iohn Hus appealed from Pope Alexander to Pope Alexander namely from him in his anger to him in his cold blood better advised so dares Paul appeale from Tertullus to Tertullus Dauid from Shimei to Shimei froÌ„ enemies to enemies from their tongues to their hearts from their mouthes to their Consciences as knowing their owne integritie to bee such as that their enemies owne hearts giues their tongues the lye and tells them that against their consciences possessed with meere malice they are hurried on in Satans service Tertullus knowes he lyes and his owne Conscience tells him hee lyes in his throate that Paul is an honester man then himselfe yea and the comfort is that Pauls Conscience comforts him and assures him that Tertullus his Conscience assures him all this So vnspeakeably sweet is the comfort of a good Conscience Dauid complaines of a great affliction Psal 35. 11. False witnesse did rise vp they laid to my charge things that I knew not What should a man doe in such a case if he had not the comfort of a good Conscience witnessing for him But now at such a pinch appeares the benefit of a good Conscience Let ever so many rise vp falsely to witnesse against him yet his conscience will witnesse as fast for him My friends scorne me sayes Iob Iob. 16. 20. They witnessed against him to bee a wicked person and an hypocrite they censured and condemned him but what was Iobs comfort That same vers 19. Behold my witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high That was one comfort but that was not all he had also a witnesse on earth and his record below Vpon whose record and witnesse see with what solemnitie and with what confidence he stands Iob. 27. 2. 6. As God liueth who hath taken away my iudgement and the Almightie who hath vexed my soule All the while my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils my lips shall not speake wickednesse nor my tongue vtter deceit God forbid that I should iustifie you till I die I will not remoue mine integritie from me my righteousnes I will hold fast will not let it goe mine heart shall not reproach mee so long as I liue As if he had said As the Lord liues whilest there is breath in my body I Nam si in â—s iniquibus me criminantur testimoniuÌ„ Conscientia mea non stat contra me in conspectu dei quo nullus oculus mortalis intenditur non solum contristari non debeo veruÌ„ etiam exultare gaudere quia merces mea multa est in coelis Neque enim intuendum est quam sit amarum sed quam falsum sit quod audio quam verax pro cuius nomine hoc audio Aug. Contra lit Petil l 3. will not yeeld vnto your accusations nor yet acknowledge my selfe guiltie of that you do charge me withall Vrge me and presse me what you will yet will I never let goe mine hold Why what is it that makes Iob thus stiffe and resolute what is it that supports him with such an excellent spirit That ver 6. Mine heart shall not reproach me so long as I liue Indeed you reproach censure condemne me you lay heavie things to my charge But I haue searched the records of my Conscience I haue called that vnpartiall witnes to testifie the truth I finde conscience witnessing strongly on my side and therefore doe what you can you shall neuer beare me downe Iobs friends may proue fickle and false but his owne Conscience will proue true to him that will plead for him animate him and comfort him against all their calumnious and iniurious reproaches