A GOOD CONSCIENCE THE Strongest Hold. A Treatise of Conscience handling The Nature Acts Offices Use of Conscience The Description Qualifications Properties Severall sorts of good Conscience The Excellency Necessity Utility Happiness of such a Conscience The Markes to know Motives to get Meanes to keep it By JOHN SHEFFEILD Minister of Swythins LONDON Acts 24. 16. And herein do I exercise my self to have a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Discamus in terrâ quorum scientia perseveret in Caelo Hierom. ad Paul Scientia inflat charitas aedificat Conscientia verò maximâ cum Religione est aedificanda Ames LONDON Printed by J. B. for SAMUEL GELLIBRAND at the BALL in Pauls Church-yard 1650. To the Right Honourable EDMUND Earle of Mulgrave Lord Sheffeild of Butterwike Right Honourable IT was an excellent saying of Lewis of Bavyer Emperour of Germany Hujusmodi comparandae sunt opes quae cum naufragio simul enatent such goods are worth getting and owning as will not sinke or wash away if a shipwrack happen but will wade and swim out with us A meditation never more needful to be studied and practised then in such Naufragious times as these wherein we have seen the Greatest States in the world the Greatest Families in those States and the Greatest Persons in those Families to have suffered the most fatall and Tragicall shipwracks The windes and Sea were never more high and rough nor the ship more Tossed the earth never more rent with Earthquakes nor the world lesse setled What is to be done There is a Fort that standeth firme when the earth is Removed There is an Arke that swims aloft when the whole world is drowned and the highest mountaines thrown into the midst of the Sea This Fort is Faith This Arke is Conscience These are the goods to be gotten and made store of in these dayes These make one truly rich and safe and happy All other goods whatsoever without a man be they Inheritances of houses lands and honours are but bare Moveables uncertaine and unconsiderable Moveables one may have them but he cannot say how long he shall hold them These whoso hath shall hold Other goods are put into the worlds Inventory these never which therefore saith but falsly such a one dyed rich for he dyed worth so many thousands valuing the man by his estate They are mistaken They might say so much he had or at most he lived worth so much but when he died he might die worse then nothing what is the state to the soule One living Dog is better then many dead Lions But Faith and good Conscience are the onely goods to be put in the Christians Inventory the man that had them we may say he died rich dyed rich though he lived poor and which is best of all his riches he carryed with him He lived and dyed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rich toward Lu. 12. 21. God for such a one dies worth as much as both Christ is worth and heaven is worth as Christ for Grace as heaven for Glory as Christ for Promise and security as heaven for performance and satisfaction For good Conscience departs not dyes possessed of them both And it is infinitely more for one to be able to say one of these two is mine then to say a thousand mines of gold are mine He that hath these hath all Rev. 21. 7. He shall inherit all things for God will be his God he shall be his son And as long as God hath any thing to give he shall not want A good Conscience then if had and kept all is safe all depends upon it Grace and Comfort here Glory Blisse hereafter But this if lost or neglected all goes to wrack and is but losse and dung and worse if worse may be and the man a lost man for ever Take this take all as one said well Tolle Caelum Tolle animam so I may add Tolle Christum Tolle Caelum Tolle Fidem Tolle Christum Tolle Conscientiam Tolle Fidem Yea Tolle Conscientiam Tolle omnia Take away Heaven said he and take my Soul too so say I Take away Christ take away Heaven take away Faith and take away Christ and take away Conscience you take away Faith yea take away Conscience and you make short work and take away all For what were my Soul worth if it were not for He â—â—n what were Heaven worth if it were not for Christs what were Christ worth to me if it were not for Faith and what were all Faith worth if it were not for Conscience Therefore as dying Gardiner said truely Open that window once assert Justification and deny merit and farewel all together farewel Popish Religion So say I Assert Liberty and deny Conscience open that window once and farewel all together farewell all true Religion Yea take but away part of Conscience and you take away all take but away one syllable and what is simple science good for without Con to shew that it is not science but Conscience that makes the Christian and no Conscience but that which is entire and kept whole that maketh the happy Christian Your Lordship is descended of Noble and truly Honorable Progenitors highly Honoured for their Greatnesse highly Beloved for their Goodnesse their Goodnesse shining eminently in the discoveries of their Religion Loyalty Valour and Activenesse to serve their Country in the greatest perils They were to Truth Patrons to Religion Ornaments to Peace Champions fighting her Battels when she was in danger both by sea and land and to their Country Dear and Cordial Patriots some of them not loving their lives to the Death have sacrificed them to the service of their Country Their persons through the lustre of their Virtues and Heroick actions shone out in their higher and greater Orbs while they lived and their precious Names and memory though themselves withdrawn leaving a splendor and brightnesse behind as the Sun when set continue immortalized in our English History and Chronicles to all Posterity Your Lordship is the head of a great Family and the highest Branch of a numerous name all whose sheaves do willingly bow to your Lordships sheaf as gladly and willingly as Josephs Brethren did to him accounting themselves Honoured not so much in your Lordships Honour as Honourablenesse and honouring you not so much for your Great and Honer est honorantis Honorabilitas honorati High Birth as Greater and Higher worth and aprroved sincerity in these trying times My Lord Hold fast that you have received secure your Faith and you secure your soul Secure your Conscience and you secure your Honour yea your Crowne Then you shall not be shaken Rev. 3. 11. with any shakings nor afraid of any amazement That your Lordship may do worthily in Ephratah and your name and Family be famous in Israel as it is all the aime and ambition of this ensuing Treatise so it is and shall be the Prayer of the Author who craving your
Lordships pardon for this boldnesse and Prolixity and a favourable acceptance and perusal of this homely Treatise shall continue to efflagitate and importune God that as he hath made you high in Place and Honour and Dignity So you may be made much more high in Name and Praise and Grace and Glory Your Lordships humble servant in every Christian service Jo SHEFFEILD To the Conscientious Reader CHristian and Consciencious Reader for such I desire to find at least to leave thee the World is now full of Books so full that it cannot contain all that is written and of how many may it be said that they do but proclaim the vanity of the Writer and procure wearinesse if not vexation to the Reader As for the subject and matter of this Discourse it cannot but receive thy Approbation Howsoever the homely and plain language in it the unelegancy and untakingness of the composure and composer in this now so knowing but more censorious Age may cause it to be laid aside with neglect by some who as in hearing they hear not Sermons but names so in reading use not to read Treatises but Titles O my Lord I am not Eloquent Vir verbâ—rum Ex. 4. 10. but of a slow Speech and of a slow Tongue yet if the Lord say I will go with thee and be with thy mouth and with this Rod and Pen in thy Hand how much may a stammerring and discouraged Moses undertake and go through with Jerom said he did diligere Christum in Augustino Love Austin the better for Christs sake our times invert it and we do onely diligere Augustinum in Christo we love Christ the better for St. Austins sake and it may be should not like Christ at all if it were not in Austins mouth and parts The preaching of Christ in a crucified stile now is accounted foolishnesse as heretofore in a crucified state But as of all Divinity it may be said Ornari res tanta negaâ— contenta doceri so especially a discourse of Conscience needs least the dresse of humane Ornaments requires most the strength of Divine Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit It is a subject wherein many of eminent worth have travelled some more antiently many more of latter times and among our selves All which will have their deserved praise in the Churches of Christ unto succeeding Ages And yet it were much to be wished that either more were written in these dayes by those who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of more leisure and abilities or that what is already written were more read studied perused and practised As for me although I cannot but be so far at least Conscious to my own weaknesses and insufficiencies as to say with Gideon Is not my thousand the least in the Tribe and is not some others Gleanings better than my whole Vintage yet having expected that some of more dayes and name and parts should have spoken in Abners language to Joab calling for a Cessation 2 Sam. 2. 26. or a Retreat How long shall it be ere thou bid the People return from pursuing their Brethren that our Swords of Contention may he beaten into Plough-shares of more use and fruitfulnesse for the Lords field and our Spears of difference into Pruning-hooks to prune and dresse the Lords Vineyard least all practicall Divinity be eaten up of controversal which being exhaled first from more specious utrums shortly congeales into more gross dubious neutrums at last dissolves into irreligious nihilums and settles in scepticism at last or foulest Atheism and fearing least our smal Coal or Spark which is yet remaining our sacred Coal of Israel of Religion Faith and good Conscience should be quite put out which to me seems to be struck at and in great danger I have with Craesus Son who had never spoken before till he saw his Fathers life in that danger broken that silence and broke out from that privacy which I could gladly have enjoyed But if Religion be in danger as clearly it is I concluded that if Dumb men should not cry out the very stones would cry out against them Conscience is the Book of Books the ancientest piece of Scripture in the World the first Tables of Gods own hewing and Hand-writing in the heart of man for whose sake all other Books since yea the Scripture was after purposely written to Comment upon it Unicuique suus liber Conscientia propter hunc libellum omnes alii libri inventi sunt if Bernard say true This is thy Book which thou must be well versed in or all thy other reading will be unprofitable To study other Books may make thee a Scholler but to study this makes thee a Christian Conscience is a little Map or volume of Divinity there is more of God to be seen in Conscience than in any other piece It is the rarest piece that God ever made Of all Creatures there is more of God to be seene in Man than in them all in Man most in the Soul in the Soul most in the Conscience This smelleth more of God saith one than the Heavens the Sun the Stars or all the glorious things of the Earth Gold precious Stones Rubies or the sweetest Herbs Roses or Lillyes Conscience is the Art of Arts and Science of Sciences which every one of whatsoever Degree Quality Science is of absolute necessity bound to be skilled and exercised in A Book it is which neither the Learned when it is delivered to him with this Charge Read this I pray may refuse put away as he Esa 29. 11 12. and say I cannot for it is sealed It is an open Book Or when to the unlearned with the same Charge Read this now he may not say I cannot for I am not Book-learned It is â—n easie Book the Lay-mans Book or Primmer Multae sunt Scientiae hominum sed nulla melior illa quâ homo cognoscit seipsum Many Sciences there are but none like that whereby a man knowes himself The Tree of Knowledge hath often proved to the sons of men the Tree of Evill the fruit though delightful to the eye and pleasant to the taste often proving bitter Apples of contention God hath justly hedged it in and set an Angel to keep man from approaching it But the Tree of Conscience is ever the Tree of Life his fruit is meat his leaves medicine and his very shade comfortâ—ble And truly if a man have but so much Knowledge as to get and keep a good Conscience though he can never attain to those high Speculations which the world admires it is enough I would have you saith the Apostle to the Ro. 16. 19. Romanes as simple to evill as wise to good And our Saviour to those of Thyatira whose parts could not reach the bottome of those strange and deep notions which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 depths though depths of Satan counting their doctrines of licentiousnesse depths and the old plain sincerity and conscientiousnesse but
to be beaten She accounted her self honoured saith the Historie and went home and sang nevertheless as she was wont to do Yea the Ecclesiasticall writers of that Age tell us that when that Apostate Julian had thrown down Christian Religion and set up all kindes of Religions and Idol-worship the Christians would sing publikely and at their burials c. Confundantur omnes qui Magd. Cent. 4. c. 3. adorant sculptilia c. Confounded be all they that worship graven images No Restraint could hinder them from professing their Religion and reproving his impietie This is right tenderness when in a clear cause of God it makes one like a Brazen wall Jer. 1. 18. or like Adamant harder then flint or like fire invincibly resolute against all discouragements to break through whatsoever difficulties to declare for the Honor and Worship of God Josiah was a man tender-hearted no man more yet in the Cause of God and in promoting Reformation in Religion how beyond measure was he passionately zealous that he could not possibly escape the worlds Censure of immoderate Rigour Crueltie and too much Severitie yet he hath this honourable Testimonie from the Spirit of God 2 King 22. 25. Like to him there was no king before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul according to all the Law of Moses neither after him arose any like unto him Yet this tender-hearted Josiah burnt idolatrous Priests alive and sacrificed them upon the altars and burnt the bones of the dead He threw down Altars and would not leave standing any of the old high Places that some worse Kings had set up and some better Kings had in their daies tolerated he would allow no longer diversitie of worships and pluralitie of Religions upon any such pretence as giving Libertie of Conscience This had been a foolish tendernesse had hee done so and had fitter for a weak Rehoboam been the greatest impietie that could have been shewed to God and the greatest crueltie to mens souls Jeroboam and Jehu in their own things zealous in matter of the subjects libertie seemingly and Politickly tender stout Champions against and bold Opposers of the Exorbitancies of Princes but all was to builde their own houses in the things of God as cold as Coleworts Jeroboam frameth a Politick Religion sutable to the Temper of the People and hee would have Priests of the Temper of his Religion no Scripture Canon to settle his Religion by or any bred up in the Schools of the Prophets their then Universities for his Priests but any gifted or rather giving brother though of the lowest of the people fit to Officiate in that Emploiment which they atheistically look upon as a humane but politick Invention to keep men in awe and Order Here was State-tenderness indeed but too much but no Church-Tenderness at all great and tender respect had to their own glorie none to God's and accordingly it prospered On the other side you finde Nehemiah earnest and tender in God's Honour and Interest carefull he was and strict order he gives that the Sabbath be more religiously Neh. 13. 15 18. 19. observed how enraged was he to see the Temple or any lodging thereunto belonging to bee perverted from that use which it was first intended for he threw out Tobiahs ver 8. housholdstuff he required the Priests and Levites Portions and Tithes should be restored ver 10. 11. contended with the Nobles and took on passionately because the House of God was forsaken yet in his own particular concernments he was the most remiss man in the world to the loss of many a fair hundred of pounds that he might have made of his Publike Offices as well as others before him But thus did not he because of the fear of his God Neh. 5. 15. 2. This tenderness must shew it self again 2. Of God's truth in respect of Gods Truth which must be bought not sold How tender or jealous do you finde Paul Gal. 2. 11. when the truth of the Gospel was in danger He that could in other things be made all things to all men when truth and holiness might not bee prejudiced would not admit of any halting in Peter but fell out with him Resisted him to the face and sharply expostulated with him The least Jod and Tittle of Divine Truth is very precious and not to be thrown away As the least pieces of Jewels or filings of Gold are very precious and to be made much of He that breaks one of these least commandements and teacheth men so shall bee called least in the Kingdom of Heaven Matt. 5. 19. In the second of the Revelation the Church of Ephesus is commended by our Saviour for Rev. 2. 2. two things seeming contrarie her bearing and not bearing her Patience and Impatience I know thy works and labour and patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil but hast tried them that say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them liars and hast born and hast patience and for my Names sake hast laboured and hast not fainted Here is bearing and not bearing patience and not suffring commended which seem to imply contradictions But it is easily reconciled Any thing that touched self they could bear the least diminution of Divine Truth they could not bear There is a Patience that is a virtue sometimes and sometimes a sin There is an Impatience that may sometime be a virtue as oftener it is sinful In thy own cause shew Patience in God's cause take heed of too much Patience Suffer thou that truth may not suffer Shew Patience in suffering evil but in doing ill and approving evil Shew thy self impatient it is then the better virtue And as the good man must shew his tenderness in retaining of and contending for old Truths so must he take heed of venting any new doctrines Be not too busie in doubtful disputations Take heed of stamping God's Image on our Coin and writing his superscription about our new and uncertain Conjectures and obtruding our own conceived new lights upon the worlds credulitie Thus may the false prophets do of whom we are foretold who shall for filthy lucre or airy honour make merchandize of Gods truth others souls and their own Consciences 2 Pet. 2. 3. whose Judgment slumbereth not and whose damnation sleepeth not How happie is that Minister that can say I have done nothing against the truth but for the truth I have not followed cunning devised 2 Cor. 13. 8 2 Pet. 1. 16. fables in setting forth the Gospel of Christ nor are we as many who corrupt the word of God but as of sinceritie and as of God in the sight of God 2 Cor. 2. 17 speak we in Christ How sad is it Our Church should be troubled every day and weak unstable souls tossed to and fro with that which was the haunt of the fals prophets of old I have dreamed and I have dreamed Jer. 23.
this first part of Tenderness in respect of God Secondly Tenderness of Conscience must 2. In respect of others shew it self in reference to Men as well as to God and so both to all in generall and to each man particularly to godly to wicked to strong to weak 1. To the godly and that 1. Forbearing to 1. The Godly 1. By not grieving them offend one of them one of the least of them by any just scandal or grievance on our part Who is offended at least through my default and I burn not saith tender Conscience He is ever tender of the Peace and studious of the satisfaction of every honest man If my meat or my wine or my apparell or my hair or my Companie make my brother to offend I will eat no meat drink no wine put on no such apparel keep on no such hair frequent no such companie while the world standeth least I make my brother to offend This is the voice of Tender or True Conscience like that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 8. 13. 2. We must bee as tender of their Reputation 2. Not disparaging or discrediting them that we expose not them or rather Religion in them to reproch What an excellent Instance have we in Joseph who is called a just man for his labour He had looked upon Mary formerly as a godly and gracious woman and she being now with childe he knew not what to think on it but having a purpose to leave her being formerly contracted to her that he might not bring reproach upon himself he purposed to leave her privately that the world might not take notice of any such thing that so he might not bring reproach upon her Joseph her Matt. 1. 19. husband saith the Text being a just man and not willing to make her a publike example was minded to put her away privately This was his Care his Honestie his Tenderness and his Righteousness But where shall wee finde the like Tenderness or Righteousness now adayes to salve the Credit and conceal the failings of our brethren we are glad if we have any thing to Paradeigmatize them for and say Report and we will report it Jer. 20. 10. As if we were of the minde of him of whom Jerom spake whom he calls passionately Scriptorem illiteratum qui Procacitatem Ruffinus maledicentium in omnes signum estimet bonae Conscientiae that is to think there is no other token of a good Conscience then to speak ill of other men and traduce their persons and laie open their nakedness to their disgrace That godly Emperour Constantine was quite of another minde who was wont to saie if he should finde a Christian Bishop or Pastor overtaken in any infamous Act he would rather pull off his purple Robe to throw upon him to cover him then that any should come by his means to hear of it to the scandal of Religion I am sure this is more like to the Example of Christ who casts his Purple Robe upon us that our sins should not be taken notice of 3. This good Conscience will make us tender of disagreeing with or dividing from 3. Not dissenting or dividing from them any who are godly upon unnecessarie and frivolous grounds Enter not upon doubtful disputations fall not upon questions that nourish jangling but destroy Edification This is the common sin or miserie shall I say of these times Or shall I say both There is much of misery in this sin and much of sin in this misery How much good is ill spoken of ordinarily because it is the good of such persons against whom we have taken up a prejudice and how much ill is gladly spoken of with the Joy of all the heart when it is of some persons of whom we had rather hear ill then well when we should studie to make and represent one another as good as we could that we might congregate and unite we strive to make at least to represent one another as bad as we can that we may disgregate and divide This is a lamentation and cannot but be for a lamentation to all godly and peaceable spirits to see such unkinde Heats and Animosities raised and cherished among men otherwise godly judicious and learned differing about matters of no great moment yet filling the world with bitter invectives one against the other Jerom is fallen out with Ruffinus and writes bitterly against him Ruffinus thinks as much scorn of Jerom as he could possibly of him he resolves not to die in his debt he writes as bitterly against him The truth is though both good men they were both to blame There was too much of passion in them both Must they needs be condemned and abandoned by all men whom some learned men have once condemned and that haply out of inconsiderate prejudice must a godly man be presently expunged out of the Calendar of Saints and enrolled in the black Bill of Hereticks because it pleaseth some to reckon him such Must Jerom's onely Censure and sharper writings against Helvidius Jovinian Vigilantius Aerius or some others make them ipso facto execrable Hereticks When upon through disquisition and calmer consideration their reputed errors were but the prejudices of those present times Oh how were it to bee wished that this were more thought of upon all hands So that Christians might not be to Christians as the Jewes were to the Samaritans Joh. 4. 9. The Jewes have no dealing with Samaritans And that one godly man might not be to other godly men as a Shepherd to the Egyptian Gen. 46. 34. and that our publique meetings and our religions exercises there might not be as the Israelites Sacrifice in the sight of the Egyptians both of them an abomination Ex. 8. 26. How happy were we if we had so learned Christ as to put off with the old man according to the Apostles counsell Eph 4. 31 32. All bitternesse and wrath and clamour and evill speaking with all malice and to be kinde one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us 2. As we must be thus tender to all godly 2 Weaker ones ones in generall so especially to the weaker ones among them no ways to discourage them despise them or impose any burdens upon much lesse lay any stumbling-block before them but to beare their infirmities Ro. 15. 1. condescend to their terms Rom. 12. 16. And not to please our selves but them rather This is to be like-minded to Jesus Christ who is tender of all his little ones that believe in him He himself beares their infirmities and feeles their sicknesses Mat. 8. 17. He saith the Prophet gathereth up the Lambs with his arm and carrieth them in his bosome and gently leadeth them that are with young Esay 40. 11. He doth not strive nor cry nor is his voyce heard in the streets The bruised Reed he breaketh not and the smoaking Mat. 12. 18 19. flax he quencheth not But