Exercitations Divine, Book 1 · Exercitation 5
EXERCITAT. V.
How the Law is ſaid to be written in the heart of man after the fall.
Rom. 2. 15.
Which ſhew the worke of the Law written in the hearts.
FIrſt, let us enquire how theſe firſt Principles which are called primo-prima, are made up in the hearts of man. Secondly, how theſe ſecundo-prima principia are deduced out of theſe. And thirdly, how theſe principia make up this which wee call Conſcience: and laſtly, we ſhall ſhew that man by this naturall knowledge ingraft in his heart, cannot come to the true and ſaving knowledge of God.
Theſe firſt Principles are made up after this manner: The Lord hath put two faculties into the Soule, one which we call ſpeculative in the underſtanding, and another which we call a practik facultie in the will, to proſecute theſe things which the underſtanding ſheweth to her. God hath placed firſt the ſpeculative in the underſtanding, that it might follow that eternall reaſon that is in Gods Law; for as it is the perfection of Art to imitate nature, ſo it is the perfection of nature to imitate this eternall reaſon, which is Gods Law; Then he hath placed the will into the ſoule of man to proſecute thoſe things, which the underſtanding the ſpeculative facultie ſheweth unto it.
There are ſome primo-prima principia, in the ſpeculative Some principles in the ſpeculative, and ſome in the practicke faculty.faculty, and ſome in the practick facultie; this is a principle in the ſpeculative facultie; Omne totum est majus ſua parte, and this is the firſt principle in the practike faculty, the will, Matth. 7. 12. Whatſoever yee would that men ſhould doe to you, doe yee even ſo to them.
Theſe primo-prima principia are not naturally knowne How the firſt principles are knowne.quoad actum perfectum, but they are in potentia propinqua, that is, they may be moſt eaſily knowne; for that which is actually perfect in the firſt degree, is alwayes knowne, and as ſoone as the creature exiſteth, ſo ſoone they are knowne; as the knowledge of an Angel is not potentiall but ever actuall: but theſe firſt principles are made up without any reaſoning diſcourſe or foraigne helpe. And as it is naturall for a ſtone to move downeward, although it be not alwayes moving downeward, yet becauſe it hath that weight within it ſelfe, and needeth no other helpe to make it move downeward, as it needeth of a foraigne helpe to cauſe it to aſcend; therefore this motion is ſaid to be naturall to it. So becauſe How the firſt principles are naturall to the mind.the mind can make up theſe principles without any diſcourſe; therefore they are ſayd to be naturall to it: but when we make up a concluſion in a ſyllogiſme, the knowledge of this concluſion is not ſo eaſily knowne to me: but we muſt borrow ſome midſts, which are more knowne to us, to make up this concluſion. Theſe firſt principles are naturally knowne, but the concluſion in the ſyllogiſme is ratíonaliter knowne onelyonly, by way of diſcourſe. Theſe firſt principles the Divines Firſt principles are naturally knowne, but the concluſions are knowne by diſcourſe.call rationes eternas, dignitates, immobilia principia, and the Greekes call them foreign. If the judgement be ſound and well diſpoſed, then it agreeth to thoſe firſt principles; but if it be corrupt it declineth them. It is not neceſſary that all agree in theſe firſt principles, for although ſome be found who deny them, yet they ſtand as principles to thoſe who are of ſound judgements; children and mad men underſtand not theſe firſt principles, yet thoſe who are of ſound judgement, doe acknowledge them.
Theſe firſt principles are not actually written in the The firſt principles are not actually, but potentially written in the minde.heart of man, but potentially: the mind of man is not like a ſeminarie, which containeth in it diverſe ſorts of ſeedes: neyther is it like the Flintſtone which hath the fire lurking within the veynes of it, and being ſtrucken upon the ſteele, caſteth out the ſparkels of fire which lurked in the veynes of it before: but it is like unto the eye, which being inlightened by the Sunne, hath that naturall facultie in it to diſcerne colours: So the mind frameth theſe principles when the objects are laid before it.A difference betweene the firſt inbred principles, and the ſecond inbred principles.
And out of theſe primo-prima principia, the minde frameth, and maketh up ſecundo-prima principia: the difference betwixt theſe primo-prima principia, and ſecundo-prima is this: theſe primo-prima principia, firſt inbred principles are contained in the concluſions; but theſe ſecundo-prima principia, theſe ſecond inbred principles, are as concluſions contained in the principles: now to cleare this by example; this is a firſt inbred principle in the mind; whatſoever yee would that men ſhould doe to you, doe yee even ſo to them: this is a ſecond imbred principle drawne from the firſt, yee ſhall not murther; this concluſion drawne from the firſt principle, containeth in it this firſt principle, whatſoever yee would men, &c. So that any man may inferre thus; I may not kill my neighbour, becauſe I will that no man ſhould kill me; here this principle is contained in the concluſion. There are other concluſions drawne from theſe ſecundo-prima principia, which may be called Difference betweene the concluſions drawne from the firſt principles, and the concluſions drawne from the ſecond inbred principles.tertiae concluſiones, and theſe are not ſo eaſily made up as the firſt; here the concluſions are contained in the principles, and not the principles in the concluſions as before; example, honour thy father, and thy mother; this is a ſecond principle; and this; thou ſhalt riſe up before the hoare head, Livit. 19. 23. is a concluſion of the third ſort: for this followeth not ſo clearely as the former concluſion, Yee ſhall riſe up before the hoare head; therefore yee ſhall honour your father and your mother: but rather this wayes, yee ſhall honour your father and your mother; therefore yee ſhall riſe up before the hoare head: heare the concluſion is contained in the principle and not contra.
This law written in the heart of man, maketh up this Conſcience, what.which we call conſcience, which is an inbred light in the mind of man, teaching him to follow that which is good, and to eſchew that which is evill: and it is called conſcientia, quaſi concludens ſcientia; and it hath a twofold A twofold act of the conſcience.Act; the firſt is to give teſtimony to things, whether we have done them well or ill; if wee have done them well, then it giveth teſtimony for us, Rom. 9. 1. my conſcience alſo bearing me witneſſe; and if we have done evill, then it teſtifieth againſt us. Gregory Nazianzen Greg. Nazain.uſed to call the conſcience paedagogum animae; for as a Pedagogue waiteth upon a child, and commendeth him when he doth well, and whippeth him when he doth evill; ſo the conſcience when a man ſinneth, it ſtingeth him like Hornets, Deut. 7. 20. but when hee doth well, it alloweth him: and that which wee call conſcience, the Syriack calleth it Tira, Rom. 2. 15. Which ſignifieth foreign conſcientia a foreign formavit, pinxit.a paynted thing, for the conſcience now is like a table, in which ſundry things are paynted; and this ſort of writing in the conſciences, hath not beene unfitly compared to that writing, which we write with the juice of an Onion; here the letters at the firſt are not legible, Simile. but hold the paper to the fire, and that maketh the letters legible: So theſe evill deeds, which ſinke firſt into the conſcience, and are not legible, yet when the conſcience is put to the fire of Gods wrath, then they begin to appeare legible, and then the Lord ſetteth their ſinnes in order before them, Pſal. 50. 21. The ſecond act of the conſcience is to binde or looſe; for even as a man, when he is bound hand and foote, he cannot ſtirre out of the place; ſo the light which is in the conſcience, bindeth the will of man, ſo to doe a thing; that he cannot doe any other thing unleſſe he ſinne againſt it. Rom. 14. 23. Whatſoever is not of ſaith is ſinne, that is, whatſoever he doth againſt his conſcience, in that, he ſinneth.
This conſcience is eyther a good conſcience, a bad conſcience; a doubting conſcience, a probable conſcience, or a ſcrupulous conſcience.Conſcientia recta. erronea. dubia. probabilis. ſcrupuloſa.
A good conſcience is that, which is well informed, and concludeth rightly.
A bad conſcience is that, which is wrongly informed, and concludeth falſly.
A doubtfull conſcience is that, which neyther doth aſſent nor diſſent, and therefore concludeth nothing.
A probable conſcience is that, which concludeth as it thinketh, upon probable and good reaſons.
And a ſcrupulous conſcience is that, which concludeth, but with ſome feare or doubting, which troubleth the minde. Let us take but this one example for all in the caſe of eating of meate: The good conſcience A difference betweene theſe ſorts of conſcience.ſaith, To the pure all things are pure, and therefore I may eate of this meate: the bad conſcience of the Iew ſaith, Touch not, taſte not, handle not; therefore I will eate none of this, becauſe it is uncleane. The doubtfull conſcience doubteth whether hee may eate of it, Rom. 14. 23. but doth not fully conclude with the Iew, that he may not eate of it. The probable conſcience is this, which upon probable grounds, concludeth to eate of it. In Corinth ſome doubted whether they might eate of fleſh ſold in the Shambles, 1 Cor. 10. becauſe perhaps they might light upon that in the Market, whereof the other part was ſacrificed to Idols; but the probable conſcience concludeth to eate of it, becauſe in the Shambles it hath no relation to the Idoll, and it knoweth, by all probability, that the reſt of it was not ſacrificed to Idols, but that the Prieſt got the reſt for his portion; he ſeeth others who are men of a good conſcience, eate of ſuch; and upon theſe probable grounds he eateth of it. The ſcrupulous conſcience is this which inclineth to eate, but with feare and greefe to his minde, when he eateth it.
The light in the conſcience ſince the fall maketh not The light of nature ſince the fall maketh not up a good conſcience.up this good conſcience, but it maketh this ill conſcience, and it troubleth the ſcrupulous conſcience, and this doubtfull conſcience.
This bad conſcience it excuſeth or accuſeth: it excuſeth When the bad conſcience excuſeth or accuſeth falſely.an unregenerat man falſly, when he heareth the curſes of the Law, and bleſſeth himſelfe in the meanetime, Deut. 29. 19. Ioh. 16. 2. Secondly, it excuſeth him falſely, when he aſſenteth to the principles in generall; but when he commeth to the particular application; he concludeth not rightly. When the Huſbandmen killed the Lord of the Vineyard, Chriſt asked of the Iewes, what ſhould become of theſe Husbandmen? Matth. 21. 41. they anſwered, he will deſtroy theſe wicked men: but Luk. 20. 16. when they conſider this, that the matter touched them more nearely, then they ſayd God forebid. The thing which they aſſented to in the generall, they ſhune it in particular, as if they ſhould ſay, we are no ſuch men, and wee hope that God will not ſo deale with us. So when it accuſeth for the breach of any ſuperſtitious ceremonie, as it did the ſuperſtitious Philiſtims; if they did but tread upon the Threſhold of the Doore, where Dagon breake his necke, 1 Sam. 4. 5. So a bad conſcience accuſeth a man truly ſometimes, as Eccleſ. 7. 22. for oftentimes alſo, thine owne heart knoweth that thou thy ſelfe haſt curſed others.
The conſcience bindeth as the Lords deputie; the The conſcience is Gods herauld.conſcience may be compared to the Kings Herauld. The Herauld intimateth to the Subjects the Kings lawes; When they are intimated, the Subjects are bound to obedience: but if the Herauld ſhould make intimation, of that which were not the Kings Law, unto the Subjects; yet they are to give obedience to it, untill they know the contrary: ſo a man is bound to obey his conſcience, that is, to doe nothing contrary to it, although it intimate a falſehood unto him.
How can an evill conſcience binde a man to that Queſt. which is evill; it being Gods Deputie, and God can binde no man to doe evill?
It bindeth him not ſimply to doe the evill, but it bindeth Anſw. him to doe nothing againſt it: God cannot bind a man ſo, but he ſimply bindeth him alwayes, to doe right becauſe he cannot erre; judging that to be done which is not to be done, as the conſcience doth.
When a good conſcience doth bind a man, and Queſt. when an evill conſcience doth binde a man, what is the difference betweene theſe two ſorts of binding?
A good conſcience bindeth a man for ever, but a bad Anſw. conſcience bindeth not for ever, but onelyonly ſo long as he taketh it to be a good conſcience: he is bound to doe nothing againſt his conſcience, albeit it be erroneous: but he is bound to ſearch the truth, and then to lay aſide this erroneous conſcience.
So out of theſe principles naturally bred in the heart, A difference betweene the law of nature and the lawes of nations.ariſe all theſe lawes which are written in the heart; and they differ from the lawes of nations, or municipall lawes of countries. Eſay 24. 5. ſaith, they have tranſgreſſed the lawes, changed the ordinances and broken the everlaſting covenant: they have tranſgreſſed the Lawes, that is, the municipall Lawes of the common-wealth: they have changed the ordinances: that is, theſe things wherein all nations agree; as not to doe wrong to ſtrangers, to embaſſadours and ſuch: and then he commeth to the greateſt of all; they have broken the everlaſting covenant; A greater ſinne to breake the law of nature than the law of nations.that is, the law of nature: it is leſſe to breake a municipall law, than the law of nations; or it is leſſe to tranſgreſſe the law of nations, than to violate the Law of nature; for this Law is that: light which lightneth every man, that commeth into the world, Ioh. 1. 9.
A man by this naturall knowledge, cannot be brought Naturall light cannot bring a man to the knowledge of his owne ſalvation.to the knowledge of his ſalvattion; therefore the Law muſt be written anew againe in his heart. It is a ſtrange poſition of Clemens Alexandrinus, who holdeth that there was alia juſtitia ſecundùm legem naturae, alia ſecundùm legem Moſis, et alia ſecundùm Chriſtum; and hee calleth theſe two firſt foreign, or degrees to leade to Strom. cap. 6. 7.Chriſt; and as the Law led the Iewes to Chriſt, ſo did philoſophy leade the Greekes; and hence he concludeth, that the good men amongſt the Heathen were ſaved, or at leaſt had ſome ſteps to ſalvation.
The concluſion of this is, ſeeing the conſcience is ſo Concluſion. obſcured, and corrupted through the fall, we muſt labour to reduce it to the firſt eſtate againe. When a compaſſe is out of frame, we touch the needle of the compaſſe with a Loadſtone, that the ſtone may draw it right to the pole againe: So the mind muſt be touched with the Loadſtone of the Spirit of grace, that it may come backe againe to the Lord, as to the pole.