Conflicts and Comforts of Conscience, Introduction – Treatise
THE PROEME.
TO goe about to write of Conscience (it selfe being a Booke worne and borne about either in the Closset of euerie mans Brest, or at least in euerie mans Portmantue, wherein all his particular thoughts, words, and acts are recorded) may seeme to bee a labour better spared then spent. Yet considering how little vse most doe make of this their Bosome-booke, how little time they spend in looking in it, which though their maine Account-booke, yet they make least account of it; as the Traueller, neuer opening his Portmantue, till hee come to his iourneys end, like the young Spend-thrift, running euerie day vponupon a new Score, but not once willing either to looke into the Merchants or Mercers Book, sauing onelyonly (for feare of the Crocodile) by starts, when he comes to set to his hand for new commodities, or much lesse, to cast vp the old Score; and againe, considering how either by the fall of Adam, through the depriuation of originall and naturall light, the defaced Characters of this moth-eaten Booke are hardly legible to his Bleare-eyes; or through the habituall custome of deceitfull sinne, the Conscience is growne so hard, as scarcely it will admit of any impression; or through the generall practise of sinne in the world, it doth plead a prescription, and hath learned to cloth it selfe in the habit of vertue, accounting the fashion of the time a Law sufficient to frame it selfe by: I hauehave therefore thought it not altogether superfluous, to speake something of Conscience, if not for the contemplatiue part in this so learned an age, at least for the practicke, as more necessarie; and if not for others profit, at least for mine owne comfort, as more voluntarie. Wherein (to win the better credit to this Discourse) I imitate the Chyrurgion, who hauing ript vp, and cured the Impostume in his owne body, is carefull to improue his experience to the instructing of others, laying before them his own infallible rule for all to follow in the like case. Nor am I afraid to launce mine owne wound, so I may thereby both cure my selfe, and procure others safetie. It is a foolish feare, or shame, that conceales the sore, till it proues mortall. For, as Saint Augustine saith,Aug. in Ps. 133. If they bee miserable, who feare to come into their houses, where they hauehave a scolding wife: How much more miserable are they, who are vnwilling to returne into their owne Conscience, least there they bee ouer-borne with the brawlings of their sinnes? To buckle with which, a Christian courage and resolution is requisite.V…aliquid auri extrahamus terrum peruertimus: vt summum bonum occupemus, scrutars pectus piget. Senec. Prouerb. We digge into the Bowels of the Earth (saith the Heathen man) that wee may thence draw forth some gold: and that wee may possesse the chiefe good, wee are loth to search our heart. The Authour of those Sermons, Ad fratres in Eremo, inserted in Saint Augustines workes, saith, Hee that trusting to his good Conscience, neglecteth his good name, is cruell. And such is the inseparable combination of these two, that on the other side we may as truly say, Hee that trusting to his good name, neglects his good Conscience, is cruell. These two may not be seuered. A good name is a precious ointment poured forth. But whence poured, sauing from the pure Alabaster boxe of a good Conscience, the onelyonly shrub, distilling the true Balme of Gilead, yeelding the fragrant smell of a good name? Yet too too many (alas!) are too cruell on both sides; some, bearing themselues too boldly vponupon their good Conscience, and not fearing in the meane time to abstaine from (at least) appearance of euill, incurre thereby an euill report: others carrying all fairely without, to purchase a good name, yet looke not inward, that their Conscience bee answerable, while therein lurke some inuisible monstrous corruption, be it pride, self-louelove, ambition or the like euill habite. By which meanes it commeth too commonly to passe, that a good Conscience is attended with an ill name: and a good name vnworthily bestowed vponupon a man of bad Conscience: So easie are misgiuings and mistakings on all hands. Some can better get a good name, then keepe a good Conscience; others (yet the lesse vnhappy of the two) can enioy a good Conscience, euen with the losse of a good name. And did not the innocent Lambe of God, for conuersing with Publicans and Sinners, heare of the Pharisees, Behold, a glutton, and wine-bibber? So fickle and false is fame, as well to mis-apply Crucifige to the good Conscience, as Hosanna to the bad.
But no maruaile, if men may bee so mistaken in the iudging of others Consciences, whereas most are deceiued in the discerning of their own. The Conscience, like the heart, being (through misguidance of the iudgement) deceitfull aboue all things.Ier. 17.9. And this comes to passe (as wee touched before) by the similitudes between the good and bad Conscience. For, (as Lib. de Conscientia.Bernard hath well distinguished, better then defined) there is, as a good Conscience, and quiet; and a good Conscience, and troubled: so, a bad Conscience and quiet, and a bad Conscience and vnquiet. A like symptomes in both. How shall wee then discerne the good, from the bad Conscience? Surely thus. The bad Conscience and quiet, is that, whose tranquilitie or calme is contracted either of a benummednesse,Consuet… do peccandi tollit sensum peccati and Cawle growne ouer it through long custome in sinne, or from a profound ignorance of the nature of sinne, and of the Law of God, or from a prophane contempt of sauing knowledge, and the meanes thereof, and the like; such are said by the Prophet to bee at ease, setled vponupon their lees,Ier. 48.11. not poured from vessell to vessell: but the good Conscience and quiet, is that, whose peace, after trouble for sinne, as a calme after a storme, floweth from no other Fountaine, but the merciemercy of God in Christ apprehended by Faith for the pardon of the sinnes of the belieuing penitent sinner; as the Apostle concludeth, Therefore being iustified by Faith, Rom. 5.1we hauehave peace with God, through our Lord Iesus Christ. Hee that wants this Conscience, flowing from Faith, which layeth one hand on the Sacrifice, Christ, saying, Lord be mercifull: and so repentance, laying the other hand on sinne, saying, To me a sinner; can neuer goe home iustified; his Conscience wants the true peace. And this peace and quiet of a good Conscience is further setled by a firme purpose of pleasing God in all good duties for the time to come. As the same Apostle saith, Pray for vsus, for we trust wee hauehave a good Conscience in all things, Heb. 13.18.willing to liue honestly. So that the good Conscience looks both waies, both backwards, finding true peace in Christs righteousnes by Gods merciemercy imputed, and by Faith apprehended, and applyed for the pardon of sinne past: and forwards, with a sincere purpose of reformation, and conformitie to the Word of God for the time to come, willing, resoluing, and indeuouring to liue honestly. This is the good Conscience, and quiet.
Again, the bad Conscience, and vnquiet, is that, which being strucke with the sting of sinne, either with Iudas and Achitophel, runs to the halter, as if that were the next way to heale it; or by diuersion seekes to put it off, as Cain fals a building of Cities, and following his pleasures, if so he may charme the Serpents biting, or skin ouer the wound, or weare out the skarre and ruthfull remembrance, or still the hideous cry of his horrid murther; or by this kind of Dictamne, cause the mortall Arrow, sticking in his side, to loosen away. But the good Conscience and troubled, is that, which for sinne being humbled, and vponupon repentance, through Faith, hearing, The Lord hath put away thy sinne: yet as a woman with her after-birth, is exercised with grieuous conflicts afterwards. It was Dauids case; after his absolution pronounced by the Prophet from God, whereupon hee might, and did no doubt for the present find solid and assured comfort; Yet how many a bitter storme doth he indure in his soule? How many a sharpe fit? So that as a man in an Hecticke feuer, without intermission hee cryeth out, Thy hand is heauy vponupon me day and night. And,Ps. 32. Ps. 38. There is no soundnesse in my flesh, because of thine anger, nor any rest in my bones, because of my sinne; for mine iniquities are gone ouer mine head, as an heauy burthen, they are too heauy for me. All his penitentiall Psalmes breathe nothing else, but groanes and sighes from a troubled Spirit. Yet all the while hee possessed a good Conscience, though the fruition thereof was for a time to his greater humiliation, and exercise of his Faith, denied and suspended from him. Holy Paul in that perillous Nauigation, though hee was comforted by the Angel with a promise of safetie for his owne life, and theirs which sayled with him, yet arriued not at the Port, without great difficultie, and with the losse of the lading, and wracke of the Ship: So Gods Child, as Dauid, though vponupon repentance for sinne, hee hauehave his Pardon sealed, and life secured, yet so hideous are the stormes of renued remorse for sinne, which still lye beating vponupon his brittle Barke, that hee must suffer much dammage temporall, before hee can, vponupon the Planke of redubled repentance, waft and worke himselfe, to reach the calme and comfortable Hauen of Melita. This is that Conscience, that troubled Conscience, of the Conflicts and Comforts whereof wee are here to speake.
For as for the afflicted bad Conscience, as of all such, as liue in a knowne sinne without repentance, and now and then are troubled with some fearefull qualmes comming ouer their stomacks, while they seeke to hauehave not the cause, which is sinne, but the effect onelyonly remoued: Wee purpose not to bee troubled with such. In such cases let the Adulterer repent and beccome continent; the Drunkard repent, and become sober; the oppressing Vsurer repent, and restore, and become liberall to the poore; and so in the rest. Otherwise, neuer let them looke for any true comfort and peace of Conscience. Yet for their better instruction, such also may reape much helpe by this Treatise, to further them in the practise of true repentance, thereby to obtaine true peace of Conscience. For here we propound and describe the case of a troubled Conscience in the highest degree, together with the remedies of it: that so no troubled Conscience, in any lesse degree, or kind, might here faile to find comfort in time of need. For he that knowes how to cure the greatest wound, can the more easily cure the lesse.