Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Conſcience deſcribed.
THe maine ſubject of this Proteſtation, and the ayme of this following diſcourſe being concerning a good Conſcience, for the more orderly handling thereof, conſider theſe ſpecialls.
1. What Conſcience is.
2. What a good Conſcience is.
3. How a good conſcience may be gotten and kept. The meanes of it.
4. How a good Conſcience may be knowne. The marks of it.
5. The Motives to get and keepe a good Conſcience.
1. What Conſcience is: It may be thus deſcribed: Conſcience is a power and faculty of the ſoule taking knowledge, and bearing witneſſe of all a mans thoughts, words and actions, and accordingly excuſing or accuſing, abſolving or condemning, comforting or tormenting the ſame. I know there be other definitions given by others more ſuccinct, and neat, but I rather chuſe this, though it may be not altogether ſo formall to the rules of Art. The rules of love and profit many times may make bold to diſpence with rules of Art. So I may be profitable, I care the leſſe to be artificiall. It may ſuffice that this deſcription is anſwerable to that Auditory for whoſe ſake it was firſt intended. A plaine familiar deſcription agrees well enough with ſuch a people. For the better conceiving of it, let it be taken in pieces, and every parcell viewed ſeverally.
It is a faculty or power of the ſoule. It is therefore called the Heart, 1 Ioh. 3. 20. If our heart condemne us, Eccl. 7. 22. Thine own heart knows that thou thy ſelfe likewiſe haſt curſed others, that is, thine own Conſcience knowes. It is alſo called the ſpirit of man, 1 Cor. 2. 11. For what man knowes the things of a man, ſave the ſpirit of man which is in him. And Rom. 8. 16. The ſpirit it ſelfe beares witneſſe with our ſpirit, that is, with our Conſcience. Not that Conſcience is a ſpirit diſtinct from the ſubject of the ſoule, as Origen miſtooke, but becauſe it is a faculty of the ſoule, therefore the name that is oft given to the ſoule, is given to it. If it be asked in what part of the ſoule this facultie is placed, we muſt know that Conſcience is not confined to any one part of the ſoule: It is not in the underſtanding alone, not in the memory, will, or affections alone, but it hath place in all the parts of the ſoule, and according to the ſeverall parts thereof hath ſeverall Offices or acts.
Taking Knowledge: Eccl. 7. 22. Thine owne heart knowes. Conſcience is placed in the ſoule, as Gods ſpy, and mans ſuperiour and overſeer, and inſeparable companion that is with a man at all times, and in all places, ſo that there is not a thought, word, or worke that it knowes not, and takes not notice of. So that that which David ſpeakes of God himſelfe, Pſa. 139. 3, 4. Thou compaſſest my heart, and my lying downe, and art acquainted with all my wayes, for there is not a word in my tongue, but loe thou knoweſt it altogether. Whither ſhall I goe from thy ſpirit? If I aſcend up to heaven, &c. The ſame may be alſo ſaid of conſcience, Gods deputy; it is acquainted wth al our waies, not a motion in the mind, nor a ſyllable in the mouth, to which it is not privy: yea it is thus inſeparably preſent with us not only to ſee, but alſo to ſet downe, to regiſter, and to put downe upon Record all our thoughts, words, and works. Conſcience is Gods Notary, and there is nothing paſſes us in our whole life good or ill, which Conſcience notes not downe with an indeleble character, which nothing can raze out but Chriſts Nam quocū que me verto vitia mea me ſequuntur ubicunque vado conſcienſcia mea me non deſerit, ſe praeſens adſiſtit, & quicquid facio ſcribit. Idcirco quā quam humana ſubterfugiam judicia judiciū propriae conſ. …ugere non valeo Et ſi hominibus celo quod egi, mihi tamen (qui novi malū quod geſſi) celare nequeo. Bern. de inter. Com. cap. 31.bloud. Conſcience doth in this kind, as Iob wiſhes in another, Iob 19. 23, 24. Oh that my words were now written, Oh that they were printed in a booke, That they were graven with an iron pen, & laid in the rock for ever. Conſcience prints, and writes ſo ſurely, ſo indelebly, yea it writes mens ſins as Iudah his ſin was, with a pen of iron, with the point of a Diamond, and they are graven upon the Table of their hearts, Ier. 17. 1. Conſcience doth in our pilgrimage as travellers in their journey, it keepes a Diary, or a journall of every thing that paſſes in our whole courſe, it keepes a booke in which it hath a mans whole life pend. In regard of this office conſcience is placed in the memory, and is the Regiſter and Recorder of the ſoule.
And bearing witneſſe. This we find. Rom. 2. 15. Their conſcience alſo bearing witneſſe. Rom. 9. 1. My conſcience alſo bearing me witnes. 2. Cor. 1. 12. This teſtimony of our conſcience. And this the end of the former office of the conſcience. For therefore it is exact and punctuall in ſetting downe the particulars of a mans whole life, that it may bee a faithfull witneſſe either for him, or againſt him. For a faithfull witneſſe cannot lie. Prou. 14. 5. This office it is ready to doe, at all times Peccata mea celare non poſſum, quoniam quocū que vado cōſc. mea mecum eſt, ſecum portans quod in ea poſui ſive bonum, ſive malum, ſervat vivo, reſtituet defuncto depoſitum quod ſervandū accepit. Bern. Med. de vot. cap. 14.of triall, affliction, and moſt of all at the laſt day, the day of iudgement, when it ſhall be more ſolemnly called in to give in evidence. Rom. 2. 15. 16. Their conſcience bearing witnes, &c. In the day when God ſhall iudge ſecrets of men. At that day it ſhall eſpecially witnes either for or againſt a man, if our life and actions have beene good, it will then doe like the true witneſſe, Pro. 14 25. A true witnes delivers ſoules. If wicked & ungodly, it will deale with it as Iob complaines God did with him. Iob 10. 17. Thou reneweſt thy witneſſe againſt me. It will teſtifie according to every mans deeds. And this teſtimonie of conſcience is without all exception, for in the mouth of two or three witneſſes every word ſhall ſtand, and conſcience (as our common ſaying is) is a thouſand witneſſes: for it is an eye-witneſſe of all our actions, yea a pen-witnes, bringing teſtimonie from the authentique Records and Regiſter of the Court of Conſcience. Concerning this teſtifying office of Conſcience that place is worth the noting, Eſa. 59. 12. For our tranſgreſsions are multiplied before thee, & our ſins teſtifie againſt vsus, for our tranſgreſsions are with vsus, and as for our iniquities we know them. By which place wee may know the meaning of the word Conſcience. Conſcience is a knowledge together. How together? Firſt, a knowledge together with another perſon, namely with God when God and a mans heart know a thing, there is Conſcience, knowledge together Rom. 9. 1. My conſcience (foreign) Co-witneſſing, witneſſing together. How together? God knows it and witneſſes, and my conſcience together with him knowes & witneſſes. Secondly a knowledge ioyned together with another knowledge; for there is a double act of the vnderſtanding, Firſt, that wherby wee thinke or know a thing. Secondly, there is a reflecting act of the ſoule wherby we thinke what we thinke, and know what we know, and this is the action of the Conſcience; and this ioyning of this ſecōd knowledge to the firſt, giues it the name of Conſcience: As here in this place, As for our iniquities wee know them, that is, we know that wee have had evill thoughts, and our knowledge tels vsus, & witneſſes to vsus, that we have done ſo. This agrees with Bernards definition, that Conſcientia eſt cordis ſcientia; Conſcience is the knowledge of the heart, namely paſſively. It is the knowing of what the heart knowes: which others in better termes have expreſſed thus, Conſcience is the recoiling of the ſoule vponupon it ſelf; Sutable to that of the Apoſtle 1. Cor. 4. 4. I know nothing by my ſelfe. As if he had ſaid, I know not any thing that I know againſt my ſelfe, my Conſcience doth not witneſſe againſt mee. And this ſecond office of Conſcience in bearing witneſſe is alſo in the memory.
And accordingly accuſing or excuſing, abſolving or condemning] Theſe acts of Conſcience we finde Rom. 2. 15. Their thoughts accuſing or excuſing one another. Rom. 12. 22. Happy is he that condemneth not himſelf in that he allows. The ground of theſe acts is this; Conſcience, before actions are to be done, determines of their lawfulneſſe, and unlawfulneſſe; iudges of them whether they be good or evill. And if it iudge them good, it inuites, ſtirres vp, vrges, and bindes to the doing of them. Rom. 13. 5. Ye muſt be ſubiect for conſcience ſake; that is, becauſe Conſcience determines it to be good, & vrges & bindes thereunto. Hence that phraſe in common ſpeech, my conſcience vrgeth me to it, or he was vrged in conſcience to do it, and I am bound inconſcience to doe it. Certainly if it judge & determine actions to be evill & unlawfull, then it binds from them. So much that ſpeech implies, 1 Cor. 10. 27. Eate, asking no queſtion for conſcience ſake. So that conſcience hath a power to bind to, and to bind from.
Now then when a man in his particular actions doth follow the Preſcriptions, Dictates, Injunctions, Prohibitions, and Determinations of Conſcience, and hearkens to the incitements therof, then conſcience excuſes him, acquits and abſolves him. But if in his actions he go againſt any of theſe, then Conſcience accuſes him of offence, & condemns him for that offence. The accuſation of conſcience hath reſpect unto a mans guilt, the condemnation of it unto a mans puniſhment. Accuſation is an act of Conſcience paſſing ſentence upon a mans action, as when conſcience tels him, This was ill done, this action was ſinfull. Condemnation is an act of conſcience, paſſing ſentence not onelyonly upon a mans action, but upon a mans perſon, as when it tels him, Thou deſerveſt Gods wrath for this Sin. Conſcience in accuſing ſhewes what is the quality; in condemning what is the deſert of a mans actions. And theſe actions of conſcience are in the mind, and underſtanding part of the ſoule. The act of the conſcience in the memory determins de facto, and tels us what wee have done, or not done. The act of Conſcience in the underſtanding determines de jure, and tels us whether we have done well or ill, and ſo accordingly either excuſes or accuſes, acquits or condemns.
Comforting or tormenting the ſame] theſe be the laſt acts of conſcience following the former. If Conſcience determining, preſcribing, and inciting to good, be hearkned unto, then it excuſes, acquits, & thereupon followes comfort, joy, hope, 2 Cor. 11. 2. This is our rejoycing, the teſtimony of our Conſcience. Contrarily, if Sic in domo propria & … propria familia habeo accuſatores, teſtes, judices, & tortores, Accuſat me conſcientia teſtis eſt memoria, volūtas carcer, timor, tortor oblectamentum tormentum. Bern. Med. de. vot. cap. 13.the dictates of Conſcience be not regarded, it accuſes and condemnes, and then torments with feare, griefe, diſpaire, and violent perturbations, in all which is that worme, Mar. 9. 44. And theſe actions of the conſcience are in the will, and in the affections. And thus according to the divers parts of the ſoule, the acts and office of conſcience are divers. In the memory it hath the office of a Notary, Regiſter, & Witneſſe. In the underſtanding it hath the office of a Iudge, and an accuſer, of a Felix and a Tertullus. In the affections either of a Comforter, or Tormenter.
The ſumme of all may be thus knit up. Conſcience containes three things:
1. Knowledge practicall.
2. Application of that knowledge to our particular eſtates, and actions.
3. Thoſe affections which ariſe thereupon.
Now the ſpeciall worke of Conſcience conſiſts in the ſecond, in the applying our knowledge to our eſtates & actions. Now in this application it looks on things paſt, or preſent, ſimply as things, and ſo it witneſſes of them to be done, or not done, Eccl. 7. 22. Or elſe it looks at the good or evill of things paſt, preſent, and to come. Super nos etiam poſuit ad cuſtodiē dum ſi deliquiſſent qui accuſarent, qui teſtificarentur, qui judicarent, qui punirent: conſc. quippe eſt accuſatrix, memoria teſtis, ratio judex, timor carnifex. Bern. hom de vill. iniq.If things paſt, or preſent, ſeeme good, it excuſes; if evill, it accuſes, & bites, Rom. 2. 15. If things to be done ſeeme good, it excites, urges, and bindes to the doing thereof. If evill, it urges, and binds therefrom. Now according to theſe ſeverall acts there follow in us divers affections, joy, hope, feare, griefe, and the like. The whole proceſſe of the worke of Conſcience fals within the frame a of practicall Syllogiſme, as for example.
Every one that ſins in betraying innocent Conſcientia Syntereſiseſt qua victi voluptatibus vel furore ipſa que interdum rationis decepti ſimilitudine nos peccare ſentinuis. Hieronym. in Eccl. ca. 1. Syntereſis eſt promptuarium principiorū ſeu regularum practicarum ejus officium eſt regulas legis divinae proferre, & cōſc. ſubminiſtrare, ut illarum ope poſſit cenſorem agere de propriisactionibus. Alſted. Theol. Caſ. cap. 2.bloud, is worthy of Gods wrath.
But I (ſaith Iudas) have ſinned in betraying innocent bloud, therefore I am worthy of Gods wrath.
Here the Major is knowledge practicall, the rule & law by which conſcience keeps her Court. This is Syntereſis.
The Minor that is Syneideſis, the proper worke of Conſcience applying that knowledge, and generall rule for a mans particular eſtate, or action. Here Conſcience witneſſes concerning the fact, judges of the quality of it, and accordingly accuſes or excuſes.
The Concluſion is the ſentence of conſcience abſolving or condemning, and accordingly cheering or ſtinging, comforting or tormenting a man.