Two Treatises, Title page 1 – Treatise 1
TVVO TREATISES: THE ONE Of Good CONSCICNCE; Shewing the Nature, Meanes, Markes, Benefits, and Neceſsitie thereof.
THE OTHER The miſchiefe and miſery of Scandalls, both taken and given.
Both Publiſhed. BY IER: DYKE, Miniſter of Gods Word at Epping in Eſſex.
The Sixth Edition corrected.
LONDON, Printed by A. M. for Robert Milbourne. 1635.
GOOD CONSCIENCE, OR, A TREATISE SHEVVING THE Nature, Meanes, Markes, Benefit, and Neceſsitie thereof.
BY IER: DYKE, Miniſter of Gods Word at Epping in Eſſex.
The Sixth Edition corrected.
LVKE 10. 42. One thing is neceſſarie.
LONDON, Printed by A. M. for Robert Milbourne. 1635.
TO THE RIGHT Worſhipfull, Sir FRANCIS BARRINGTON, Knight and Baronet, a Patron and pattern of Pietie and good Conſcience.
RIGHT WORSHIPFVL,
THat which the Apoſtle Paul ſpeakes of a mans deſire of the office of a Biſhop, may be truly ſpoken of every one who deſires to gaine men to the love of a good Conſcience, that hee deſires a worthy Worke: Yea, it is the worke which is, and ought to bee made the ſcope and drift of the worthy worke of the Miniſtery. And therefore it is, that he, that deſires the calling of the Miniſterie, deſires a worthy worke, becauſe of this worthy worke of bringing mento Vnicuique liber eſt propria conſcientia, & ad hunc librum diſcutiendū & emendandum omnes alij inventi ſunt, Bern. de Conſ.good Conſcience, A worke at which all workes and books ſhould ſpecially ayme: Conſcience is a book, one of thoſe books that ſhall be opened at the laſt day, and to which men ſhall be put, and by which they ſhall be judged. Therefore to the directing, informing, and amending of this booke ſhould all other bookes ſpecially tend. Yea Salomon ſeemes to call men off from all other bookes, and ſtudies, to the ſtudy of this ſo neceſſary a point, the keeping of a good Conſcience: Of making many bookes, (ſaith he) there is Eccleſ. 12. 12, 13.no end, and much ſtudy is a wearineſſe of the fleſh; Let us heare the concluſion of the whole matter, Feare God and keep his Commandements, for this is the whole dutie of man. As if his advice tended to this, to neglect all ſtudies in compariſon of that ſtudy which aimes at the getting & keeping of a good Conſcience. It would be exceeding happy with us, if this ſtudy were more in requeſt amongſt us. Wee ſeeme to live in thoſe dayes fore-told by the Prophet, wherein the earth ſhould bee filled with the knowledge of the Lord. We Iſa. 11. 9.are bleſſed that live in ſo cleare a Sunneſhine of Gods truth, but yet the griefe is, that through our owne default, our Sunſhine is but like the winter light, all light, little or no heate, and we make no other uſe of our light, but onelyonly to ſee by, not to walke and work by. In the firſt re-entrance of the Goſpell amongſt us, how devout, holy, zealous, and men renowned Antiqua ſapientia nihil aliud quam facienda & vitāda praecepit, & tūc longe meliores erant viri. Poſtquā docti prodierunt, boni deſunt. Simplex enim illa & aperta virtus in obſcuram & ſolertem ſcientiam verſa eſt, docerumque diſputare non vivero, Seneo. epiſt. 56. Rom. 15. 14for Conſcience were our Martyrs, and our firſt Planters, Preachers, & profeſſors of Religion? They had not generally the knowledge and learning, the world now hath, nor the world now the Conſcience they then had. There bee now better Scholers, there were then better Men: they were as excellent for Devotion, as our Times are for Diſputation. It is an excellent ſight to ſee ſuch Chriſtians as were the Romanes; Full of goodneſſe, filled with all Knowledge. It is pitty that ever ſo lovely a paire ſhould be ſundred. Yet if they be parted, it is beſt being without that which with moſt ſafetie may be ſpared. A good Conſcience is ſure to doe well, though it want the accompliſhment of Learning, and greater meaſures of Knowledge and Vnderſtanding. But take Learning from a good Conſcience, and it is but a Ring of gold in a Swines ſnout; or that which is worſe, A thorne in a Drunkards hand. Learning Prov. 26. 9.is to bee highly apprized; Riches, Honours, and all other earthly bleſſings are vile to it. But yet though it take place of all other things, yet muſt it give good Conſcience the wall and upper-hand, as that which is farre before it in worth, vſe, and neceſſitie. As Salomon of wiſdome, ſo may it be ſaid of good Conſcience, Shee Prov. 3. 15.is more pretious than Rubies, and all the things thou canſt deſire are not to be compared to her. Gold and Rubies cannot ſo enrich a man as good Conſcience doth, and yet alas the blindneſſe of men, how willing are they in this caſe, with a wilfull povertie? Not Rubies, but handfulls of Barley, morſels of Bread, and Cruſts are preferred before the invaluable treaſure of a good Conſcience.
After the many worthy endeavours therefore of ſo many as have bin before me in this worke of labouring men to a good conſcience: I have adventured alſo to lend my weake ſtrength to the ſame worke. If one or two witneſſes prevaile not, yet who knows what an whole cloud may doe? Though Eliah and Eliſha bee the Horſemen and Chariots of Iſrael, yet the Footmen do their ſervice in the battell, and Apollo may without offence water, where Paul hath planted.
Now theſe my poore endeavours ſuch as they are, I am bold to publiſh under your Worſhipfull name, and to put them foorth under your Patronage, entreating you to countenance that in a Treatiſe, which you have ſo long countenanced in the practiſe. None ſo fit to bee a Patron of a Treatiſe of good Conſcience, as he that hath bin a religious both profeſſor, & protector of the practiſe therof. To hauehave a Naile faſtned in a ſure place, the antiquity Iſa. 22. 25.of a long ſtanding Name, and Family, to be hewen out of the Quarry of the beſt Stocks of Parentage, to have faire Lines, and a faire lot in outward poſſeſſions, to be bleſſed with a fruitfull Vine, and Olive plants, fairely growne and planted round about a man, all theſe are to bee held high honors, and great favours from the God of heaven. And with all theſe hath the Lord honoured your ſelfe. But yet your greateſt honour that hath given luſtre to all the reſt, hath bin your love to the Truth, Religion, and a good Conſcience. Auguſtine repented him that he attributed more to Mallius Theodorus, to Diſplicetautē illic quod Mallio Theodoro, adquem librumipſum ſcripſi, quā vis docto & Chriſtiano viro plus tribui quam deberem. Aug. Retr. lib. 1. cap. 2.whom he wrote a booke, than he ſhould have done, though otherwiſe hee were a learned and Chriſtian man. A man may eaſily overſhoot himſelfe in the commē dation of a good man, eſpecially, if a great man. It ſhall ſuffice therfore to have ſaid ſo little, and that to this end, that hereby, the World may know the reaſon of my choice of your Patronage of this Treatiſe. It would have bin an incongruity to have had the name of a perſon of an evill Conſcience, prefixed before a booke of good Conſcience. I deſired a Patron ſutable to my ſubject. I preſume the very ſubject ſhall make the Treatiſe welcome to you: Be you pleaſed to afford your acceptance, as I will afford you my poore prayers, that the Lord who hath already ſet upon your head the crowne of the Elders, Prov. 17. 6.Childrens Children, and one Crowne of glory here one earth, Age found in the Prov. 16. 1.wayes of righteouſnes, would alſo in his due time give you that incorruptible crowne of righteouſnes, and eternall glory in the heavens, which that righteous Judge ſhall give to you, and to all thoſe that in the wayes of a good Conſcience waite for the bleſſed appearance of the Lord Ieſus.
Your Worſhips in all Chriſtian obſervance: IER: DYKE.
The Contents of this TREATISE.
The Text containes thee Maine Heads.
The firſt maine head. Pauls Proteſtation of a good Conſcience, where five things are conſidered.
1. What Conſcience is.
2. What a good Conſcience is. It is good with a twofold goodneſſe.
1. With the goodneſſe of Integritie, and this integrity is threefold.
1. When being rightly principled by the VVord, it ſincerely judges and determines of good & evill.
2. VVhen it doth excuſe for good, and accuſe for evill.
3. VVhen it urges to good, & reſtraines from evil.
2. VVith the goodneſſe of Tranquillitie, and Peace. Here are three ſorts of Conſcience diſcovered not to be good, viz.
1. The Ignorant
Conſcience.
2. The Secure
3. The Seared
3. The means of getting & keeping a good Conſcience.
1. To get and keepe the Conſcience good, peaceably, or with the goodneſſe of peace, three things required,
1. Faith in Chriſts blood.
2. Repentance from dead workes.
3. The conſcionable exerciſe of Prayer.
2. To get and keepe the Conſcience good with the goodneſſe of integrity, and to have it uprightly good, five things required, viz.
1. VValking before God.
2. Framing ones Courſe by the Rule of the VVord.
3. Frequent examination of the Conſcience.
4. Hearkning to the voice of Conſcience.
5. In caſes of queſtionable nature, to take the ſureſt and the ſafeſt ſide.
4, The markes and notes of a good Conſcience: and they be ſeven.
1. To make Conſcience of all ſinnes and duties.
2. To make Conſcience of ſmall ſinnes, & duties.
3. To effect a Miniſtery that ſpeakes to the Conſcience.
4. To doe duties, and avoid ſin for Conſcience ſake.
5. Holy boldneſſe.
6. To ſuffer for Conſcience.
7. Conſtancie, and Perſeverance in Good.
5. The Motives to a good Conſcience, and they are five.
1. The incomparable comfort and benefit of it in all ſuch times and caſes as all other comforts faile a man, and wherein a man ſtands moſt in need of comfort. The Caſes or times are five.
1. The Time, and caſe of Diſgrace and Reproach.
2. The Time of common feare, & cōmon calamity
3. The Time of ſickneſſe, or other Croſſes.
4. The Time of Death.
5. The Time and day of Iudgement.
2. That a good Conſeience is,
1. A feaſt for
1. Contentment and ſatisfaction.
2. Ioy and Mirth.
3. Societie.
2. Better than a feaſt for
1. The Cotinuance.
2. Independency.
3. Vniverſalitie.
3. Without a good Conſcience, all our beſt duties are nought.
4. It is the Ship and Arke of Faith.
5. The miſery of an evil one
1. In this world in reſpect of
1. Feare.
2. Perplexitie.
3. Torment.
2. in the world to come.
The ſecond Maine Head Ananias his inſolent injunction Whereout is obſerved,
1 What is the reſpect a good Conſciēce finds in the world.
2. The impetuous injuſtice of the enemies of good conſciēce
3. Who cōmonly be the bitteeſt enemies of good conſcience
4. That Vſurpers are Smiters.
5. What is a ſad fore-runner of a Nations Ruine.
The third maine head. Pauls Anſwere and Conteſtation Whereout is obſerved.
1. That Chriſtian patience muzzels not a good Conſcience from pleading its owne Innocencie.
2. The ſeveritie of Gods Iudgements upon the Enemies and Smiters of good Conſcience.
3. The equity of Gods adminiſtration in his execution of Iuſtice.
GOOD CONSCIENCE.
ACTS 23.
1. And Paul earneſtly beholding the Councell, ſaid, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good Conſcience untill this day.
2. And the high Prieſt Ananias commanded them that ſtood by, to ſmite him on the mouth.
3. Then ſaid Paul unto him, God ſhall ſmite thee thou whited wall.