God either in heart tongue or hand they goe against knowledge so consequently against conscience for conscience followes the light of the understanding and so comes neere the committing of the unpardonable sin to the committers of which God hath said there shall be no mercy shewed either in this world or in the world to come Here I would have you observe this for the further clearing of what hath beene said That the word of God is the rule by which conscience compares the waies of men so far-forth as the understanding is enlightened by the word of God and no further So far-forth as the understanding is ignorant of the word of God so far-forth conscience is silent As long as St. Paul knew not lust to be a sinne conscience never accused him for lust as a sin And this surely is one reason why many shun the preaching of the word of God and the studie thereof least by encreasing knowledge they should increase griefe as Salomon saith least by this meanes they should come to the knowledge of their sinnes and so conscience pull them by the throat for them Of such as these the Apostle Saint Peter speakes where he saith Of this they are willingly ignorant that by the word of God the Heavens were of old and the earth and the world that then was perished 2 Pet. 3.3,4,5 That is they did purposely doe as much as in them lay to put out that light which was in their understandings which told them that he which at first made the heavens by his word and did by his word destroy them with water would one day againe destroy them with fire and brimstone this they did labour to keepe themselves ignorant of that so they might without checke of conscience goe on in their sinnes To such as these I may truely say with the Apostle If our Gospell be hid it is hid unto those which perish in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not least the light of the glorious Gospell of Jesus Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.3,4 He that keepes himselfe in ignorance that his conscience may let him goe on quietly in wickednesse loves to goe to hell without controle Thou that canst not indure that thy conscience should reprove thee secretly 't is no wonder that thou canst not endure that thy minister should reprove thee publikely Thou that canst not endure that thy conscience should reprove thee for sinne now must endure whether thou wilt or no conscience to torment thee for thy sin hereafter The second thing that I would have you to observe is this That conscience doth compare all a mans wayes with the rule of the word so far-forth as the understanding is enlightned with the word All that light which the understanding hath received from the word of God conscience takes it and makes it a rule by which he measures all a mans waies thoughts words and deeds to trie what agreement or disagreement there is betweene them and the rule That conscience compares the thoughts of men by the word of God so farre forth as the understanding is inlightned by the word as well as words and deeds is manifest by the language of the Apostle where he speakes of the Gentiles on this wise Which shew the worke of the Law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing witnesse their thoughts the mean while accusing or excusing one another Rom. 2.15 Divine light so far-forth as it shines into the hearts of heathens conscience makes use of it as a rule by which to examine their very thoughts and so answerably to accuse or excuse them as their thoughts are found to agree or disagree with the rule Saint Paul likewise in the ninth to the Rom. at the first verse confirmes this truth I say the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost that I have great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart for I could wish my selfe separate from Christ for my kins-folk in the flesh Saint Paul here tels us that his conscience did beare him witnesse that his thoughts and desires were thus and thus sincere respecting his brethren which conscience will never doe before he hath leavelled a mans thoughts and desires by the word of God and found them to be so by consequence then it is manifest that conscience compares a mans thoughts by the rule as well as his words and deeds Conscience keepes court in the heart and therefore can and doth observe our thoughts as well as our words and deeds Conscience keepes a Court of justice in the heart and sits upon the life and death of the soule which is ten thousand times more precious then the body and therfore will not sift this and that and let other things goe which the word condemnes as well and as plainely as it doth any thing else The word of God you know condemnes evill thoughts as well as evill words and not onely grosse evill thoughts as thoughts of murder adultery and the like but vaine idle thoughts and therefore conscience can doe no lesse as Gods Vicegerent in this lower circuit but examine these as well as words and deeds by the rule of Gods word to see how farre they agree to or disagree from it Which worke when conscience hath exactly done then it beares witnesse with or against a man answerably as a mans waies agree or disagree with this rule which is the last clause in the description of conscience and comes now according to order and method to be a little opened Conscience when he hath compared a mans waies by the rule and exactly found out how they agree with or disagree from it the next thing he doth is he beares witnesse with or against a man This clause I adde in the description of conscience because 't is a divine power placed in the soule of man to be as it were a judge betweene God and man Conscience takes notice of things together with God and compares them by the rule together with God and then pronounceth sentence with or against man for God First I say conscience takes notice of things together with God and hence it is say the learned that this power in the soule is called conscience Scire say they is said of him which knowes one thing alone so as none else knowes it with him Conscire is said of three or foure which know some secret together Conscience therefore must needs signifie a combination of two at the least in the knowledge of some secret thing Now this combination cannot be betweene man and man for man doth not know the secrets of my heart no further then as I reveale them to him this combination neither cannot be betweene man and Angels for they doe not know the secrets of my heart together with thy selfe This combination then must needs be between God and man God knowes all our