Sacred Therapy, Book 1 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Of Conscience in general.
SEing our purpose is to speak of the curing of sundry ordinary cases▪ or diseases concerning Regeneration, by a prudent application and use-making of divine Covenants▪ made about and with man, for his coming to eternal life; it is needfull to speak in the entry a little, first, of the nature of the Conscience, and use thereof in general; next, of the cases of the conscience in general; thirdly, what Regeneration is, and who is the man regenerat; fourthly, of divine Covenants, relating to everlasting happiness; and, fifthly, of the orderly and prudent application of these Covenants in general, that thereafter we may descend to speak of application thereof in particular Cases the more clearly.
2. As to the first, what conscience is, It hath pleased God, the soveraign Lord and Judge of all men, in the Creation, to put in mans soul a natural power or faculty, whereby he might not only understand the revealed will of God, (the only Lord of, and Law-giver to, the Conscience) not only concerning what he should believe and perform, but also might judge of his own faith and obedience, whether performed or not performed; yea, and might judge also of the faith and obedience of others, in so far as evidences may be had of their conformity unto, or dis-agreement from, the revealed rule of faith and maners. This power of the soul of man, whether it be considered only in its natural aptitude and fitness to judge, (though not as yet, or for the time, actually judging) or whether it be looked upon as it is putting forth it self in exercise, we call it by the name of Conscience.
3. The word Conscience is divers wayes taken; for sometime by it is meaned the natural power of the mind, to judge both of our own and others conformity to the rule: and in this larger acception we say, Every man hath a Conscience, that is, every man, whether male or female, whether old or young, whether sleeping or waking, hath a faculty, which may, and sometime shall, judge of their own and others behaviour towards God. Sometime it is taken for that natural power of the mind, putting forth it self actually in exercise, by judging of others; So doth the Apostle take it, 2 Cor. 5, 11. I trust, saith he, we are made manifest in your consciences. But here, in this Treatise, we take Conscience more strictly, as it examineth and judgeth of our selves; for, in this sense, it is most properly called Conscience, or joint knowledge; partly, because it supposeth, that God and we know our obedience, or disobedience, to the rule prescribed to us by Him; partly, because Conscience imports, first, our knowledge of the rule; and, next, our knowledge of our behaviour in relation to the rule, and our comparing of these two together, and passing of sentence of our selves answerably.
4. Conscience, as it doth respect our selves, is no other thing, in effect, then the understanding power of our souls examining how maters do stand betwixt God and us, comparing His will revealed, with our state, condition and carriage in thoughts, words or deeds, done or omitted, and passing jud…ment thereupon as the case requires: So that in the court of Conscience, (which is Gods Depute in us, as it were) these five things are to be considered; 1. the duty of self-examination; 2. the thing we are to examine; 3. the rule whereby we are to examine; 4. the process of the Conscience unto sentence giving; and, 5. the execution of the sentence, so far as the Conscience may.
5. As to the first, the duty of examination of our selves and ju…ging our selves, it is required of us, lest we be judged of God and chastised with sharp rods, 1 Cor. 11. 31. 32. and hereunto we are exhorted, Ps. 4. 4, Commune with your own hearts upon your beds, and be still.
6. As for the second, the thing which we are to examine concerning our selves, it is one of three, or all the three, in their order; to wit, either our estate, whether we be in the state of nature, under wrath, or not; or whether we be regenerat and in the state of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, or not. Of this speaketh the Apostle, 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith. Or it is our condition, whether being in the state of grace our present disposition or inclination of heart and affections be such, as becometh a man reconciled or not. To this point of examination, Christ doth call the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, Rev. 2. 5. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen. Or, the thing we are to examine is our deeds, words and thoughts actually done or omitted; the neglect of which examination is reproved, Ierem. 8. c. and Revel. 2. 19, 20.
7. The third thing to be looked unto in the court of Conscience, is the rule whereby we are to examine our selves in all, or any, of the former respects, which is the revealed will of God in holy Scripture; wherein is set down to us what we should believe, and what we should do, and what is the reward of the obedience of faith, and what is the punishment of disobedience. And here if the Conscience be not well informed, and the rule closly cleaved unto, the erring Conscience may swallow down the grossest idolatry, and cry up Diana for a great goddess, Act. 19. 28 and make the murtherers of the Saints conceive, that in killing them they do God good service, Ioh. 16. 2.
8. The fourth thing is, the judicial process of the Conscience, for giving such a sentence of direction for what is to be done, or of absolution or condemnation, in the point examined and found done or not done: which process, if the Conscience be well informed, is after the maner of clear reasoning, by way of Syllogisme, wherein we lay down the rule given by the supreme Law-giver, in the major or first proposition. Then we do lay our selves to the rule in the minor or second assumed proposition; and from the comparison of our selves, with the rule, we give out sentence in the third room, which is called the Conclusion. As for example, If the Conscience be about to give direction for what is to be done, it reasoneth thus,
What God hath appointed to be the only rule of faith and maners, I must take heed to follow it as the rule.
But, the holy Scripture, God hath appointed to be the only rule of faith and maners.
Therefore, I must take heed to follow the Scripture as the only rule.
Or more shortly, the Lord hath commanded to repent and turn unto him, (offering reconciliation in Christ) therefore it is my duty so to do.
But in the process of the Conscience unto conviction or absolution, sometime moe, sometime fewer reasonings are used.
As for example, for conviction, the process goeth thus, That which God hath commanded me, I should have …one:But, to repent and turn to Him, He hath commanded me;Therefore, I should have repented and turned to God.
Again, He that hath not obeyed the Lord, in repenting of his evil wayes and turning unto God, is under great guiltiness, and worthy of death, by the sentence of the Law;
But, such a one am I, may every impenitent person say of himself:
And, therefore may conclude of himself, I am under great guiltiness, and worthy of death, by the sentence of the Law.
Likewayes, in the process of the Conscience, a humbled person well informed, may reason thus,
That way of reconciliation which God hath appointed a self-condemned sinner to follow, I am bound to follow;
But, this way (and no other) hath God appointed, that the sinner, convinced of sin and of deserved wrath should flee to Christ Iesus the Mediator, that by Him he may be justified, sanctified and saved:
Therefore, this way of reconciliation, and no other, I am bound to follow.
Again, Whosoever, by the grace of God, in the sense of sin and deserved wrath, is fled unto Christ for righteousness and eternal life and in Christs strength, is endeavouring to give new obedience to the will of God, is undoubtedly a true believer and child of God;
But, such a one am I, may the humbled sinner, fled to Christ, say of himself:
Therefore, I am, by the grace of God, undoubtedly a true believer and a child of God.
And yet again he may go on, to strengthen his faith, and to comfort himself in the Lord, thus,
Whosoever in the sense of sin, poverty and weakness, hath fled to Christ the Redeemer, resolved never to part with Him, and hath consecrated himself, in the strength of Christ, to endeavour to give new obedience to the will of God, he is an heir with Isaac of the promised blessings, and may hope to have them perfectly in possession at last;
But such an one am I, may the humbled sinner, fled to Christ, say of himself:
Therfore, I am an heir of the promised blessings with Isaac, and may hope to have them perfectly in possession at last.
Such a process as this doth the Conscience of the regenerat man follow, when he reneweth the acts of his repentance, and sentenceth himself worthy of what the Law pronounceth against his sin; and when he reneweth the acts of his faith in Christ, through whom alone he is fred from the deserved curse of the Law.
9. As to the fifth thing to be observed in the court of Conscience, which is, the execution of the sentence it hath pronounced; because the Conscience is set over the man by God, as Judge-depute: therefore it goeth about, in the name of God, by and by to execute, as it may, the sentence justly pronounced by it; and according to the nature of the sentence, of condemnation or absolution, pronounced by it, it stirreth up divers motions and affections in the heart; some of them sad and sorrowfull, some of them joyfull and comfortable. The sad and bitter passions that follow upon the sentence of conviction and condemnation, justly pronounced, are shame, grief, fear, anxiety, vexation and such-like; whereby the guilty sinner is either fretted, as with a worm, or fired and tormented. Of this we have an example in our first parent Adam, who, being convicted in his conscience of sin and deserved wrath, did flee from the face of God, all amazed and a frighted, Gen. 3. 9. 10. The Lord called unto Adam, and said unto him where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid my self.
But the Conscience, after it is furnished by the Gospel to absolve the penitent believer fled to Christ, doth stir up more sweet and comfortable motions in the heart, such as are, peace, comfort, joy, gladness, exultation, confidence, and such like. An example whereof we see in Paul, 2 Cor, 1. 2. Our rejoycing, saith he, is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world.
So the Conscience, after it is wounded by the mans transgression, doth the part of a Iudge, citing the man before its Tribunal; and the part of an Officer, presenting the man at the Bar; and the part of an Accuser, challenging the man for his transgression; and the part of the Recorder, producing the book of Statutes; and the part of sufficient witnesses, proving and convincing him of the deed done.
Again it doth the part of a Iudge, pronouncing sentence and condemning the convicted transgressour; and the part of a Sergeant and Marshal, binding the condemned wretch; and the part of the Prison and Stocks, pinching and pressing the bound sinner; and the part of the Burrio, scourging and tormenting him.
But the Conscience, after examination, finding the man either innocent and free of the crime, or forgiven and reconciled to God by Christ, after repentance and faith, embracing the Redeemer, it doth the part of an honest Friend, carefully comforting the innocent or penitent; and the part of an Advocat, excusing and defending the man against all challenges; and the part of Witnesses compurgatours; and the part of the Iudge absolving; and the part of the Rewarder. And so much concerning the nature and use of Conscience, as may suffice our purpose.