Christian See to Thy Conscience, Dedication 2
To the right Worſhipfull, and worthily honoured, Sir Robert Gorge, Knight; And to his truly religious Lady, the peace of a good Conſcience heere, with perfection of bleſſedneſſe hereafter.
Right Worſhipfull,
I HaueHave done my beſt endeauour to lay open before mens eyes what Conſcience is, becauſe I gladly would hauehave eueryevery one to be acquainted with Conſcience. For the too much neglect thereof it may bee ſaid to moſt, as once Chriſt ſpake to Maries Siſter (when hee ſaw her ouer much buſied about prouiſion for the body) Martha, Martha, thou art troubled about many things, but one thing is needfull. Many men know much, and are toiled in the world with a croude of cares and earthly vndertakings. They ſeeke after theſe fraile, fading, and tranſitory things, and ſome after meere ſpeculatiue knowledge. But moſt neglect this moſt needfull point: whereupon it happeneth, that for the moſt part men generally ſlight the practiſe of that which they daily heare and vnderſtand: and the onelyonly reaſon is, they are vnwilling to be acquainted with Conſcience. This Fellow Conſcience is too preciſe for looſe Libertines; Hee will marre the Market of couetous worldlings, of ouer-cunning Crafts-men, deceitfull Trades-men, and fraudulent Merchants. He is to waſpiſh to be in company with merry Mates, and too ſullen for ſuch as cannot endure to become ſorrowfull for ſinne. Conſcience, they thinke, will caſt them into a Melancholicke fit, and moue their ſecure hearts out of their bed of reſt; therefore wil they take no knowledge of it, till they needs muſt: which will certainely bee at one time or another. For it is in eueryevery man, and will hauehave to doe with vsus, ſooner or later, here or hereafter, and that whether wee will or no. But better it were for vsus voluntarily to bee acquainted with it, then of neceſſitie.
All holy bookes tend to informe vsus of Conſcience, to reforme the euill, to direct the good, and ſo to rectifie vsus: for effecting of this, the Booke of Nature, the Law written in the heart, the Law of the tenne Precepts, the Law of Faith, the holy Goſpell, are all helpes. All theſe are for inſtruction of Conſcience, and to make vsus conſcionable.
Not onelyonly theſe bookes of Gods owne making, but alſo Bookes, Sermons, and pious Labours of all holy men doe aime at this, to worke Conſcience in vsus.
Conſcience is it ſelfe aThe excellency of Conſcience. Booke, whereof all other Bookes are expoſitions: It is as the Text, they the interpretation. In reading therefore theſe, wee muſt hauehave an eye to it: our knowledge in them muſt informe vsus in this; elſe we reade them to no purpoſe. They that grow cunning in the Booke of Conſcience by reading Gods and good Mens Books, are vndoubtedly the beſt Chriſtians, the beſt Lawyers to pleade their owne Cauſe, and the beſt Iudges to Iudge of themſelues aright.
This book is of Gods own hand writing; it is alſo very legible to any that will giuegive themſelues to reade it.
If we open this booke, marke it, and conſider well what it aduiſeth, what is it that ſhall not then be reformed? It is the faſhion of people generally to cry out of the world, and the manners thereof, in the meane ſpace they know not the cauſe, or will not know it, and yet is it neere them, and within them; and that is the badneſſe of mens Conſciences. For amend theſe, and the world ſhall not be blamed; for as mens conſciences be ſo is it alſo: reforme theſe and reforme it; better them, and the World will bee good enough, and the complaint will ceaſe.
Conſcience as it is good or euill, ſo it makes or mars a man: by a good Conſcience he becomes good, thinks, deſires, affecteth, and ſpeaketh of good things; and doth them: by a bad Conſcience hee turneth a cleane contrary courſe: For as our Conſciences be, euen ſo are we: if it be naught, we are vicious, we are vaine, lewd and naught too: if it be good, we fly from ſinne as from a ſerpent, and feare to offend God and our Neighbour.
Conſcience is appointed by God to bee our carefull watchman, to eye vsus well, to record all our thoughts, ſayings, and doings, & ſo to witneſſe againſt or with vsus vntounto God, when he ſhall call vsus to an account. It attendeth when God ſhall ſummon us; then will it plead hard, howſoeuer it ſeemeth now to be ſilent in moſt.
By Cōſcience we become well acquainted with our ſelues, elſe to our ſelues we remaine meere ſtrangers; for nothing within vsus but it can make vsus to know our ſelues, which is the moſt excellent point of knowledge. To ſee themſelues many looke into glaſſes; Let us looke then into this glaſſe of Conſcience, that we may ſee our ſelues, and that not only in ſome outward part, as by the Artificiall glaſſe we do, but by this alſo as well inward as outward. By the artificiall a man may ſee himſelfe, and ſoone forget what manner of one he was; but this will not only ſhew vsus what we bee, but will alſo keepe vsus in remembrance of our ſelues, that in no buſineſſe we ſhall forget our ſelues.
Conſcience is a thing ſo diuine, and hath ſuch acquaintance with God, as it can and will tel vsus whether God be with vsus or againſt vsus, whether he be friend or foe, and how our caſe ſtandeth betweene him and vsus: which to know, is ſo neceſſary and behoouefull, as all knowledge in reſpect of this is but vaine, and in the end to little purpoſe.
Conſcience next vnderunder God, is that to which we may moſt ſafely commend and commit our ſelues, our whole eſtate, the diſpoſing and ordering of all our affaires: It is a good counſellour to vsus aliue, and a moſt faithfull Executer of our laſt will and Teſtament, left in other mens hands for our Children and poſterity.
Conſcience is onelyonly that which will and can make vsus honeſt men, and of credit among men: for as our Conſcience is knowne to be, ſo are we reputed, and ſo ſhall we be truſted. It is that which alwaies wee muſt bring with vsus for our ſuretie in all promiſes, contracts, and bargaines, or elſe none will credit vsus. The word of Conſcience, when it is once knowne, wil procure vsus more credit, then we for the preſent are worth. The honeſty of it is aboue all bonds: It will carrie great matters in few words, when without it by many words we ſhall not be truſted for trifles: For Conſcience will not giuegive it word for any diſhoneſt man, though clothed in ſilk and ſatten, yea, though he hauehave Lands and large reuenues, Conſcience will not be bound for him. It onelyonly will be ſurety for honeſt men, whom it both may vrge, and will make them keep day with others punctually.
As for Time ſeruers, looſe companions, ſhifting Fellowes, Hypocrites, cogging Merchants, and irreligious perſons: it will hauehave nothing to do with them; which appeareth by this, for that it forbiddeth ſuch to vſe their wits to coozen and to defraud one another. But for whom it once giueth its word, it is ſtill calling on them, and charging them to remember honeſty, equitie, fidelitie, and to doe as they would be done vntounto.
Conſcience is the chiefeſt maintainer of iuſtice and equity among men: And men generally are content with what it decreeth, concludeth, and alloweth, as may appeare by ſuch ſpeeches as theſe, In Conſcience giuegive what you thinke fit; I appeale to your Conſcience in this and that: betweene God and your Conſcience be it.
From Conſcience do ariſe all the commendations of all our actions, or the diſcommendations. If any do ill, ſtraightway Conſcience is queſtioned, Is this your Conſcience? Can you do this of your Conſcience?
Conſcience is a mans beſt friend, or his worſt foe, in trouble & diſtreſſe, here in this life, at death, and at the laſt iudgement. It will ſpeake with or againſt a man, as the cauſe requireth; It pleads without fee; it reſpects no perſon, be he Poore or Rich. It will ſide with none, it hateth to the death partiality, lying, equiuocating, flattery and all falſhood.
Conſcience is the conſort of charity, of faith, of truth, and of vprightneſſe; It is the Caske wherein to keep the miſtery of faith and true godlineſſe: without which all theſe periſh. A man making ſhipwracke of Conſcience loſeth all power of religion, of which he hath no more, then he maketh Conſcience of.
Conſcience, is that whoſe aduiſe a man muſt firſt take in all his actions, before he vndertakes to do them. For if it be either neglected, or oppoſed, or careleſly ſlighted, the act will turne to ſinne.
Conſcience in a word is Gods Record, out of which hee will take notice of eueryevery man: and as there he finds him, ſo will he iudge him, and thereafter pronounce ſentence, either of abſolution or condemnation, at the laſt day.
And therefore by this ſo large an Epiſtle (Right worſhipfull) you may ſee how it is not onelyonly fit, but very neceſſarie alſo to be acquainted with Conſcience; which in moſt is without all authority to bind them to the good behauior, ſo looſely, ſo licentiouſly do moſt men liue. But bleſſed be God, that you hauehave better learned Chriſt, and hauehave felt the commanding power of the word, and the comfort of a good Conſcience by ſhewing your ſelues Patternes to that your wel reformed Family; In which true pietie is attended vponupon with louelove vnfaigned one towards another, and your profeſſion adorned with workes of charitie abroad. Your frequent reading of holy Scriptures, I well know, affords you examples not a few of holie duties: but you want not a rare preſident at home, that moſt honorable Ladie Marchioneſſe, your noble Mother. Whoſe ſingular humility, great bountie, deſire to pleaſe God, louelove to his word in the powerfull plainneſſe thereof, and performance of good duties are much to be admired eſpecially in ſo great a Perſonage, in one ſo verie aged & full of daies, in one ſo long brought vp in her former yeares in the moſt eminent place of royall ſeruice vnderunder that famous Queene Elizabeth. I hope I need not to ſtirre your readie minds to a thankfull acknowledging to God of this and other his mercies, nor to excite you to ſtriue for the euerlaſting hope of bleſſedneſſe; ſeeing that your iuſtifying Conſcience, accompanying your iuſtifying faith, as I am perſwaded, giueth you good aſſurance in your waies of well doing. For your happie continuance wherein, I am bold in this ample manner to preſent vntounto your courteous acceptance the excellencie of Conſcience and to commend the ſame to your Chriſtian meditations. And ſo I humblie take leaue, in my heartie prayers commending that right Honourable Lady, with your worthy Selues, beloued Children, and all your religious houſhold to the fauour and guidance of the Almighty; euer reſting,
Your worſhips in any Chriſtian ſeruice at command, Ric. Bernard. Batcomb. Calend. Ian. 1630.