The Souls Looking Glass, Treatise · Part 11
The bond of conſcience.
NOw we muſt look back unto the foure propoſitions which at the beginning I obſerved in the text I am upon;
1. That there is in every man a conſcience.
2. That the light which directeth conſcience is knowledge.
3. That the bond which bindeth conſcience is Gods law.
4. That the office of conſcience is to bear witneſſe, to accuſe or excuſe.
I have in the handling of theſe a little altered the method, and ſpake of the two firſt and the laſt. Now followeth the third, and that is conſciences bond, which is Gods law: which ſhew the work of the law written in their hearts, &c. It is onelyonly the work of Gods law that it beareth witneſſe of, that it accuſeth or excuſeth for:The bond of conſcience is Gods law. The law of God is conſciences bond. Nevertheleſſe we muſt here diſtinguiſh: The bonds of conſcience are either primarie and ſupreme, or ſecondarie and relative.
1. The primarie and ſupreme bond of conſcience is onelyonly Gods word and law: that onelyonly is the ſupreme bond of conſcience:Jam. 4:12. There is one lawgiver, who is able to ſave or to deſtroy: who art thou that judgeſt another? that is, There is but one ſupreme lawgiver to bind the conſciences of men, and that is God. And the reaſon is given, Becauſe it is God onelyonly who is able to ſave and to deſtroy. As if he had ſaid, God onelyonly hath power over life and death, either to ſave a man for ever, or deſtroy a man for ever, and to judge a man according to all that he hath done: and therefore he onelyonly can make laws to bind the conſciences of men.
2. Now the ſecondarie or relative bond of conſcience is, when others who have authoritie from God bind conſcience to this or that. I call this a relative bond, becauſe it is onelyonly in relation to the authoritie of God. For though men cannot challenge any doings or omiſſions contrarie to their law to be ſinnes, yet if they have authoritie from God to command any thing, then they become beams and parts of Gods law, and do by virtue of that bind a mans conſcience.
This relative bond of conſcience is twofold. Firſt, other men may bind our conſciences; as magiſtrates, and maſters, and parents: who though they cannot bind conſcience as they are men, yet when they have authoritie from God, their commands have Gods ſeals upon them, and do bind, I ſay, in relation to Gods law, which biddeth us obey them; Rom. 13.5. Ye must needs be ſubject, not onelyonly for wrath but alſo for conſcience ſake. The Apoſtle there ſpeaketh of Magiſtrates; and he telleth us that their laws bind our conſciences in relation to Gods, and therefore we muſt be ſubject unto them for conſcience ſake. Thus others may bind our conſciences. Secondly, we our ſelves may bind our own conſciences; and that is by vows which we make unto God, or by our promiſes which we lawfully make unto men. The vows which we freely make unto God, theſe bind conſcience to keep them: Numb. 30.4. the vow of a woman is called the bond wherewith ſhe hath bound her ſoul. Mark; ſhe bindeth her ſoul and her conſcience with it. So the promiſes which we lawfully make unto men, theſe alſo bind conſcience: For though before we promiſe it was in our own power, yet when we have promiſed we have bound our own conſciences to the performance, becauſe there is Gods ſeal upon it; Gods law commandeth us to be true of our words. Theſe are relative bonds, bonds onelyonly in relation to Gods law: Gods law is ſtill the ſupreme bond of conſcience. I will handle that firſt.
I.The law of God the prime bond of conſcience.The law of God whereby he willeth and commandeth and forbiddeth this or that in his word, this is the main bond of conſcience: When this bindeth it, nothing elſe can looſe it; and contrary, if this looſe it, nothing elſe can bind it. It ſo bindeth conſcience as the obſerving and violating of it is that which maketh conſcience clear or guilty before God. This is it which maketh a man a debtour; I am a debtour, ſaith Paul,Rom. 1.14. both to the Grecians and to the Barbarians: that is, I am bound in conſcience by Gods command to preach the Goſpel unto both. This is it that denominateth a man to be bound:Acts 20.22. I go bound in the ſpirit unto Jeruſalem; that is, I knowing it to be Gods will am bound in conſcience to go. This is that which layeth a neceſſity upon a man; A neceſſity is laid upon me to preach;1. Cor. 9.1…. i. I am bound in conſcience by Gods word ſo to do. This is that which layeth a kind of enforcement upon men;Acts 4.20. We cannot but ſpeak the things which we have ſeen and heard; that is, If we ſhould not, our conſciences would flie in our faces: We are bound by Gods will to do ſo, and our conſciences lay a charge upon us that we cannot go againſt it. The onelyonly will and word of almighty God is that which ſupremely bindeth conſcience.
Reaſons1. Becauſe God onelyonly knoweth the heart; he ſeeth our thoughts, and he onelyonly can reach to the ſecrets of our ſpirits; and therefore he onelyonly can bind our conſcience. For who elſe can tell whether we make conſcience of a thing yea or no? perhaps we do, perhaps we do not. Nor man nor angel can tell certainly: but God knoweth certainly, and he onelyonly; and therefore he onelyonly can bind our conſciences. When the Lord doth command or forbid, the conſcience is privy that God ſeeth it; and therefore now it is bound. The word of God is quick and powerfull; Heb. 4.12.it pierceth even to the dividing aſunder of ſoul and ſpirit, and is a diſcerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. This bindeth a mans thoughts and intentions; he cannot be free in theſe things: and the reaſon is given by the Apoſtle; All things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. verſ. 13.As if he had ſaid, We are conſcious of Gods all-ſeeing power; he ſeeth our hearts and our thoughts and all that is in us: and therefore his word doth bind us, yea it bindeth all our ſecrets: we cannot think a vain thought but our conſcience will crie guiltie before God, becauſe our conſcience doth know that God knoweth all. Beſides, the conſcience cannot fear any law but onelyonly Gods law. Ye know when conſcience is once in a doubt, it is fearfull, and beginneth to ask queſtions with it ſelf, May I do this? or may I not do it? 1. Cor. 10.27.asking no questions for conſcience ſake. The conſcience when it doubteth uſeth to ask queſtions. Now this ſuppoſeth the lawgiver to be able to ſee it: otherwiſe the conſcience would not be thus afraid, if it were onelyonly the commandment of a creature, that could not ſearch the heart. So that here ye ſee one reaſon why Gods law is the ſupreme bond of conſcience; Becauſe no eye can ſee it but Gods.
2. Becauſe God onelyonly hath power over conſcience: It is his commandment onelyonly that maketh any thing ſinne or not ſinne unto us. Auguſtine defineth ſinne to be A thought, or word, or deed, or luſt againſt the commandment of God. Againſt thee, Pſal. 51.4.againſt thee onelyonly have I ſinned, ſaith David. He ſaith he had ſinned onelyonly againſt God. Why? you will ſay, he ſinned alſo againſt man: Did not he commit adulterie? that was a ſinne againſt Bathſheba: and murder? that was a ſinne againſt Uriah. True, he ſinned againſt man relatively, in relation to the commandment which ſaith, Thou ſhalt not injure thy neighbour: but primarily and principally the ſinne was againſt God. Conſcience is like the kings ſervant, whom none can arreſt or attach without leave from the king: ſo no man can bind conſcience without leave had from God: for conſcience is onelyonly ſubject to his power: he onelyonly hath power over conſcience.
3. Becauſe conſcience is Gods book. Now no creature can adde to Gods book or diminiſh from it. Ye may remember that dreadfull anathema at the end of Gods book;Rev. 22.18, 19. If any man ſhall adde to this book, God ſhall adde to him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man ſhall diminiſh from this book, God ſhall take away his part out of the book of life. Now conſcience is alſo Gods book wherein his law is written. Nay, conſcience is called Gods law: For it is ſaid,Rom. 2.14. that when the Gentiles which have not the law do the things conteined in the law, they having not the law are a law unto themſelves: that is, Their conſcience is Gods law unto them. Like as the Bible conteineth Gods law for us Chriſtians, ſo did their conſciences contein the law of God to them: yea, to us Chriſtians much rather: For we are not to let Gods law be written onelyonly in our Bibles, but we muſt get it written in our conſciences: our conſciences are to be Gods books wherein his laws are to be written. And therefore if it be a ſinne to adde a new law in the materiall book to bind men, then it muſt needs be a ſinne for any creature to put a new law into conſcience, which is the ſpirituall book of God. It is God onelyonly who can write laws in this book: his book is above all the laws in the world; and none but God can put in and put out: and therefore none but he can bind conſcience. I ſ…eak ſtill of this abſolute, and ſupreme bond of conſcience: For Magiſtrates may bind relatively; but not as they are the…r laws, but by the law of God before made. Thus ye ſee the neceſſity of this truth, That Gods law is the abſolute and ſupreme bond of conſcience.