The Souls Looking Glass 2, Tract 2 · Proposition 2
Propoſition II. The light that conſcience acteth by is knowledge.
THis knowledge is twofold;II. Propoſition 1. Of Gods law, 2. Of our ſelves.
1. The knowledge of Gods law. To know Gods will what is good, what is …ad; what God cōmandeth, what he forbiddeth. Every man under heaven hath this law of God in ſome meaſure writ in his conſcience. I confeſſe, Gods children onelyonly know Gods law to purpoſe, …as it is a light to guide them in the way of ſalvation: but all the world have ſome meaſure of knowledge, whereby they may gather that there is a Go… and that he ought to be worſhipped a… obeyed, and that he hath power ov… life and death. All the world ha… knowledge in ſome meaſure what … good and what is not, what is to b… done and what not, what is accordin… to conſcience and what not: All th… world have this knowledge in ſom… meaſure; I do not ſay, enough for ſalvation, but enough to make them inexcuſable before God for not following that light and not living according to that knowledge which they have. I… there were not ſome light in this behalf, ſome knowledge of the law o… God in every man, conſcience could do… nothing.
2. Knowledge of our ſelves: This alſo is the light that conſcience acteth by. There is in every man ſome meaſure of knowledge of himſelf according to the meaſure of knowledge that he hath of Gods law. Our conſciences look backward and forward; forward to Gods law, and backward on our ſelves, Whether we be ſuch as Gods law requireth, yea or no. Firſt, ye may find this in good men. This light did the conſcie…e of David go by:Pſal. 18.23. I was upright be…e God, ſaith his conſcience, and I kept … ſelf from mine own iniquitie. His …nſcience had a light whereby he …ew what he did. Secondly, ye ſhall …d this in wicked men. This light the conſcience of Achan went by:Joſh. 7.20. I have …ed againſt the Lord God of Iſrael, and …us and thus have I done.
Theſe are the two lights that every …ans conſcience goes by: It hath light in ſome meaſure to know the law of God, what he ſhould do and what he ſhould not do; and it hath light in ſome meaſure to know himſelf, what he hath done or not done, whether he hath done …s he ſhould yea or no. Now theſe two …ights are neceſſary; as thus I prove.
Firſt, the knowledge of Gods law is neceſſary. For elſe conſcience cannot work. A drunkard might be drunk every day in the year, and yet conſcience could not trouble him nor condemn him of ſinne unleſſe he knew the law,
That God hath forbid drunkenneſſe. And ſo the ſwearer. And ſo evil wo… and bad thoughts conſcience cannot a… cuſe for, unleſſe there be ſo much lig… as to know they are forbidden. A… therefore Divines do all ſay that th… Syntereſis is neceſſary to the exerciſe … conſcience. The Syntereſis is this: Whe… a man keeps in his mind the knowledg… of the things conteined in Gods law namely, That we muſt obey God, honour our parents, not commit adultery not kill, not ſteal, not lie, not covet, &c Unleſſe the knowledge of theſe be kep… in mind conſcience cannot work. And therefore when we would ſtirre a man… conſcience, we appeal to his knowledge;1. Cor. 6.9. Know you not that the unrighteous ſhall not inherit the kingdome of God? As if he had ſaid, Your own conſciences may condemn you to the pit of hell if ye be unrighteous, becauſe your Syntereſis can tell you that the unrighteous ſhall not inherit the kingdome of God. This is the reaſon why we ſay that there is a naturall conſcience and there is an illuminated conſcience; becauſe ſome have no light but onelyonly the light of nature, ſome have beſides the light of …s word, which ſheweth that which …re ſheweth, and much more clearly, …eacheth many things more which …e cannot teach: And hence the …cience of the illightned condem… for ſuch things as the naturall con…ce never ſtirreth about.
…econdly, the knowledge of our …lves is needfull; elſe conſcience can…t neither. Though we know what …s law requireth and what not, …t is good and what not, yet un… we know whether we go with it … againſt it conſcience cannot accuſe nor excuſe. As for example; A cloſe hypocrite, he knoweth wel enough that the Lord hath condemned hypocriſie, and that hypocrites muſt have their …tion in hell: yet if he do not know …ſelf to be an hypocrite, his conſci…e can never condemn him for being …e. And therefore both theſe know…ges are neceſſary, as well the know…ge of a mans ſelf as of Gods law. …any who had a hand in crucifying our …viour, ſinned grievouſly; yet they ſinned not againſt knowledge beca… they knew not what they did:Luke 23.34. Fath… forgive them, they know not what they …
Thirdly, It is a contradiction to … a blind conſcience in act. The conſ… ence cannot be blind and yet actual… condemn. Indeed the conſcience it ſ… may be blind, but it can never act and … blind: If it truly accuſe or excuſe muſt have ſome light. It is true, it ma… erroneouſly excuſe or accuſe, and y… have no true light: Seeming light … enough to do that: ſeeming knowledg… is enough to make conſcience erroneouſly excuſe: As they who killed th… Apoſtles,John 16.2 their conſciences excuſe… them, and told them they did Go… good ſervice: they ſeemed to know i… was good ſervice to God, and therefor… their conſciences excuſed them, &c▪ Thus ye ſee that the light that conſcience workerh by is knowledge.
Vſe 1 The uſe of this point is firſt, to le… us ſee the infinite neceſſity of knowledge. As good have no conſcience a… all as conſcience without knowledge: for it cannot act and perform its office. …is is the reaſon why ſo many thou…ds go on in their ſinnes without re…tance, becauſe being ignorant they …e no conſcience to prick them there…o: as Jer. 8.6. No man repenteth him …his wickedneſſe, ſaying, What have I …e? Why, what was the reaſon that …nſcience did not prick them, and ſay, …is thou haſt done and that, Thus ye …e rebelled, &c? The text anſwereth … the next verſe, My people know not … judgement of the Lord. The ſtork …weth her time, and the turtle, and the …llow; but my people do not know their …ies.
Vſe 2 Another uſe is, to exhort us that we would labour to perfect the light of …onſcience, that it may be able to guide … and direct us unto heaven. Our con…ience hath knowledge enough by the …ght of nature to make us inexcuſable, …nd to clear the juſtice of God though …e ſhould damne us for ever: but there …uſt be a greater light then that, that …uſt guide us to heaven. O let us …ray to Chriſt the true light to ſet up …his light in us, that we may never be at a loſſe in our way to happineſſe, n… ver ſtep out of the right path but o… conſcience may be able to put us in … gain, never go ſlowly but our conſ… ence may ſpurre us on faſter; that o… conſcience may not be like the ſ… of a candle in a ſocket, that flameth … now and then and then is dark aga… and again it flameth out and is dark … gain: A man may ſee his book by i… but he cannot ſee to reade; he may ſe… his pen and ink by it, but he cannot ſe… to write; a woman may ſee her need… and cloth by it, but ſhe cannot ſee t… work: ſo it is with ſome mens conſciences: Their light is ſo dimme tha… they can ſee the duties, but they canno… ſee to do them; they can ſee the commandments of God, but they canno… ſee to obey them. O labour to perfec… the light of your conſciences, that ye… may ſee to walk by them. And thu… much alſo of the ſecond propoſition, The light that conſcience acteth by is knowledge.
Now I ſhould come to the third propoſition which as I firſt propounded …hem was this, The bond that bindeth conſcience is Gods law: But I will now a little …ter the method, and make the other …hich was propounded laſt to be the …ird in the handling; and it is this,