Christian See to Thy Conscience, Treatise · Chapter 1 – Chapter 4
CHAP. 1. That there is ſuch a thing in Man as is called Conſcience.
COnſcience is Gods ſo powerfull a Vicegerent, as there is none that is not voide of reaſon, but doth acknowledge, at one time, or other, the authority thereof.
It is that which Iew and Gentile, Pagan and Chriſtian; yea, the worſt that may be among them, hath had experience of: But what to call it, the wiſeſt hauehave queſtioned. Some affirme it to be a power, or facultie; ſome, an act; ſome, an habit; ſome other, a Created qualitie: they all agree not in one. Neither doe they all conſent to tell vsus, where it is in the Soule; though Diuines place it in the Vnderſtanding.
The Hebrew Tongue in holy Writ, hath no proper name for it: but calleth it ſometimes Spirit, Pro. 18. 14. and moſt commonly, the heart, Iob 27. 6. 2. Sam. 24 10. Eccleſ. 7. 22. In the New Teſtament it is called likewiſe by the name of Spirit, Rom. 8. 16. the Spirit of man, 1. Cor. 2. 11. and the heart, Act. 2. 37. 1. Ioh. 3. 20. But more diſtinctly by the name Conſcience. The firſt that ſo named it, was Iohn, Ioh. 8. 9. (if he wrote before Saint Paul) or elſe Paul was the firſt, who often ſpeakes of it in his Epiſtles, Rom. 2. 15. & 9. 1. Heb. 9. and 10. 2. 22. and 13. 18. as alſo in his Sermons, as Luke records. Act. 23. 1. and 24. 16. The Common ſubiect in whomRom. 2. 15. it is, is the reaſonable ſoule of eueryevery man. It is in diuels, for they beleeue, and theyIam. 2. tremble by the power of their Conſcience: ſo hee that neuer feeles the work of it, is worſe then a Divell: duplicate page duplicate page and hee that hath but a trembling Conſcience, is no better then a Diuell.
CHAP. 2. That it is diſtinct from all other faculties of the ſoule.
THough ſometime in holy Scripture, it bee called by the name of Spirit, and heart; and learned men varie in the appellation, as alſo ſome doe in placing of it within the ſoule; yet is it diſtinct from the Vnderſtanding, from the Memorie, Will, and Heart of Man. It is an other thing created of God, beſides all theſe in mans ſoule. Firſt, none that write of it, doe make them one with it. Secondly, the holy Ghoſt by his Pen-men, giues it a diſtinct name from the reſt. Thirdly, it hath differing properties from them all, as ſhall appeare by the offices thereof in this Treatiſe. Fourthly, Man hath a kind of power (as I may ſay) ouer the reſt, to ſet his minde a working, to inuent this, or that; ſo his Memory to keepe; his Will to approue, or diſallow. But Conſcience is ſuch a thing, as hee cannot worke it to his will and pleaſure: It commands him; he hath no rule ouer it, to make it ſpeake, or bee ſilent when he liſt. Fiftly, Saint Paul plainely putteth a difference betweene the Mind and Conſcience, Tit. 1. 15. and betweene it and the heart, 1. Tim. 1. 5. Laſtly, it hath ſuch an ouer-ruling power, ouer Men and Diuels, as it neither is, nor can be awed by any, but onelyonly by God himſelfe; and therefore muſt bee acknowledged ſome diſtinct thing from the reſt.
CHAP. 3. That it hath power and rule in, and ouer all the faculties of the ſoule: and how to know when, and what it workes in them.
THough Conſcience be a diſtinct thing in the ſoule from all other faculties; yet hath it to do with all of them, and worketh in eueryevery one of them; as,
In the Vnderſtanding it is, when it is as a Directour, a Iudge; either condemning, or abſoluing.
In the M…mo…y it is, when it is as a Regiſter, and as a priuie Witneſſe of our paſt thoughts, words and deeds; either ſo thought, ſpoken, and done; or not at all, or not ſo, or ſo.
In the Will it is, when it makes it Will what it ought, and to Will the contrarie. It was the work of Conſcience vponupon the Will, in the wilfull Son, who though hee ſaid, heeEccleſ. 7. 23. 1. King. 2. 44. Reu. 20. 12. would not goe; yet after repented, and willingly went into the Vine-yard to worke, Mat. 21. 19.
In the heart it is, and among the affections, when it comforteth, and worketh gladneſſe; or elſe cauſeth ſorrow, feare, and trembling, 2. Cor. 1. 12. Act. 24. 25.
Thus wee ſee Conſcience not to be confined to any part of the ſoule, but worketh eueryevery where in it. But ſo diuine and heauenly a thing it is, and of ſo great excellencie, as wee may rather geſſe at it, then tel indeed what it is: yea, as it is ſaid of God himſelfe, wee may rather tell what a one he is, than what he is; euen ſo of Conſcience, which yet from that which hath been ſaid, I may thus geſſe to ſet it forth.
That it is a facultie in the ſoule, hauing all the reſt attendants ſo, as it commands the whole man in the execution of it offices.
The truth of all this, will appeare in all the following Diſcourſe, from the name, nature, offices, kinds, and effects thereof, of all which, ſeuerally in their due order.
CHAP. 4. Of the name Conſcience, and of the knowledge thereof, distinct from the vnderſtanding.
THis diuine thing in the ſoule, leſſe then God, and aboue Man, as a middle betweene both, is called Conſcience. It is a wordConſcientia, foreign, compounded of Con, and ſcience; Con is as much as with; and ſcience is knowledge; as much as to ſay, knowledge with an other: So it conteineth two things, Knowledge, and knowledge with an other.
Firſt then, Conſcience is a kinde of knowledge, as the word ſcience importeth, which in Latine is ſcientia, and commeth of ſcio, to know; in Greeke foreign, which is of foreign, video, ſcio, conſidero; for Conſcience ſeeth, knoweth, and conſidereth, before it doth his office. Yea, the Scripture giueth knowledge vntounto it; Thy heart; that is, thy Conſcience knoweth, ſaithEccleſ. 7. 22. Salomon: if it had not Knowledge, it ſhould bee blind. For albeit Conſcience workes not, without the information of the Vnderſtanding; yet it ſelfe knoweth, and manifeſteth it ſelfe, by a diſtinct act from the meere vnderſtanding of a thing, yet not ſeparated from it. For this is certaine, that Conſcience acteth beyond that, which the Mind knoweth; which a man neither doth, nor can know without his Conſcience: for,
1. The Vnderſtanding, it can, and doth apprehend, diſcourſe, and iudge, but it is Conſcience which telleth him, that hee doth apprehend, diſcourſe, and iudge; and not meerely the Vnderſtanding it ſelfe.
2. The Vnderſtanding knoweth things, without any reflection vponupon it ſelfe, to know it ſelfe, or to make man know himſelfe: But Conſcience knoweth onelyonly, with a reflection to make a man to know it, and himſelfe alſo.
3. The Vnderſtanding apprehendeth croſſes, and afflictions; it can truly diſcourſe of their nature, and iudge thereof; whether corporall, or ſpirituall; whether great, or but light croſſes; yet without application to a mans ſelfe, as deſeruing them. But Conſcience can tell him often, why they come vponupon him. This made Ionah to acknowledge,Ioh. 1. 12. that for his ſinne, the Tempeſt was vponupon the Sea. This made Ioſephs Gen. 42. 21.brethren to conſider, why the trouble was vponupon them, when they ſtood before Ioſeph, and came down to buy Corne into Egypt. This inſtructed Dauid, to2. Sam. 24. 27. apply the cauſe of the Peſtilence to himſelfe. Thus wee ſee how they differ the one from the other.
This is carefully to bee obſerued, and diſtinctly to bee diſcerned: for,
1. This will make vsus know the difference betweene knowledge, and conſcionable knowledge; between remembring, and conſcionable remembring; betweene willing and affecting, and conſcionable willing and affecting.
2. By this we may know, how wee may come to rectifie our Vnderſtanding, Memory, Will, and Affections, which theſe faculties of themſelues can neuer doe; nor Man, by any of them, come to ſee them out of order, to amend them; but onelyonly by the light of his Conſcience; which ſheweth vsus how they bee employed, whether about good or ill, and ſo thereafter to iudge of them, and of our ſelues by it.
3. By this wee ſhall not bee deceiued, as moſt bee, by a high conceit of themſelues, and of their wayes and courſes, who may hauehave naturall knowledge, and great learning, and a commendable behauiour thorough ciuill education, and yet not conſcionable, without which, the other is nothing.