The Souls Looking Glass, Treatise · Proposition 2
Propoſition II. The light that conſcience acteth by, is knowledge.
II. propoſition.THis knowledge is twofold; 1. Of Gods law, 2. Of our ſelves.
1. The knowledge of Gods law. To know Gods will what is good, what is bad; wha… God commandeth, what he forbiddeth. Every man under heaven hath this law of God in ſome meaſure writ in his conſcience. I confeſſe Gods children onelyonly know Gods law to purpoſe, as it is a light to guide them in the way o… ſalvation: but all the world have ſome meaſure of knowledge, whereby they may gather tha… there is a God, and that he ought to be worſhipped and obeyed, and that he hath powe… over life and death. All the world have knowledge in ſome meaſure what is good and what is not, what is to be done and what not, what is according to conſcience and what not: All the world have this knowledge in ſome meaſure; I do not ſay, enough for ſalvation, but enough to make them inexcuſable before God for not following that light, and not living according to that knowledge which they have. If there were not ſome light in this behalf, ſome knowledge of the law of God in every man, conſcience could do nothing.
2. Knowledge of our ſelves: This alſo is the light that conſcience acteth by. There is in every man ſome meaſure of knowledge of himſelf according to the meaſure of knowledge that he hath of Gods law. Our conſciences look backward and forward; forward to Gods law, and backward on our ſelves, Whether we be ſuch as Gods law requireth, yea or no. Firſt, ye may find this in good men. This light did the conſcience of David go by: I was upright before God, ſaith his conſcience,Pſal. 18.23. and I kept my ſelf from mine own iniquitie. His conſcience had a light whereby he knew what he did. Secondly, ye ſhall find this in wicked men. This light the conſcience of Achan went by: I have ſinned against the Lord God of Iſrael, Joſh. 7.20.and thus and thus have I done.
Theſe are the two lights that every mans conſcience goes by: It hath light in ſome meaſure to know the law of God, what he ſhould do and what he ſhould not do; and it hath light in ſome meaſure to know himſelf, what he hath done or not done, whether he hath done as he ſhould yea or no. Now theſe two lights are neceſſary; as thus I prove.
Firſt, the knowledge of Gods law is neceſſary, For elſe conſcience cannot work. A drunkard might be drunk every day in the yeare, and yet conſcience could not trouble him nor condemne him of ſinne unleſſe he knew the law, That God hath forbid drunkenneſſe. And ſo the ſwearer. And ſo evil words and bad thoughts conſcience cannot accuſe for, unleſſe there be ſo much light as to know they are forbidden. And therefore Divines do all ſay that the Syntereſis is neceſſarie to the exerciſe of conſcience. The Syntereſis is this: When a man keeps in his mind the knowledge of the things conteined in Gods law: namely, That we muſt obey God, honour our parents, not commit adultery, not kill, not ſteal, not lie, not covet, &c. Unleſſe the knowledge of theſe be kept in mind conſcience cannot work. And therefore when we would ſtirre a mans conſcience, we appeal to his knowledge; Know you not that the unrighteous ſhall not inherit the kingdome of God? 1. Cor. 6.9.As if he had ſaid, Your own conſciences may condemne you to the pit of hell if ye be unrighteous, becauſe your Syntereſis can tell you that the unrighteous ſhall not inherit the kingdome of God. This is the reaſon why we ſay that there is a naturall conſcience and there is an illuminated conſcience; becauſe ſome have no light but onelyonly the light of nature, ſome have beſides the light of Gods word, which ſheweth that which nature ſheweth, and much more clearly, and teacheth many things more which nature cannot teach: And hence the conſcience of the illightned condemneth for ſuch things as the naturall conſcience never ſtirreth about.
Secondly, the knowledge of our ſelves is needfull; elſe conſcience cannot act neither. Though we know what Gods law requireth and what not, what is good and what not, yet unleſſe we know whether we go with it or againſt it, conſcience cannot accuſe nor excuſe. As for example; A cloſe hypocrite, he knoweth well enough that the Lord hath condemned hypocriſie, and that hypocrites muſt have their portion in hell: yet if he do not know himſelf to be an hypocrite, his conſcience can never condemne him for being one. And therefore both theſe knowledges are neceſſary, as vvell the knovvledge of a mans ſelf as of Gods lavv. Many vvho had a hand in crucifying our Saviour, ſinned grievouſly; yet they ſinned not againſt knovvledge, becauſe they knevv not vvhat they did: Father, forgive them, Luke 23.34.they know not what they do.
Thirdly, It is a contradiction to ſay a blind conſcience in act. The conſcience cannot be blind and yet actually condemne. Indeed the conſcience it ſelf may be blind, but it can never act and be blind: If it truly accuſe or excuſe it muſt have ſome light. It is true, it may erroneouſly excuſe or accuſe, and yet have no true light: Seeming light is enough to do that: ſeeming knovvledge is enough to make conſcience erroneouſly excuſe: As they vvho killed the Apoſtles,John 16.2. their conſciences excuſed them, and told them they did God good ſervice: they ſeemed to knovv it vvas good ſervice to God, and therefore their conſciences excuſed them, &c. Thus ye ſee that the light that conſcience vvorketh by is knovvledge.
The uſe of this point is firſt,Ʋſe 1. to let us ſee the infinite neceſſity of knovvledge. As good have no conſcience at all as conſcience vvithout knowledge: for it cannot act and perform its office. This is the reaſon vvhy ſo many thouſands go on in their ſinnes vvithout repentance, becauſe being ignorant they have no conſcience to prick them thereunto: as Jer. 8.6. No man repenteth him of his wickedneſſe, ſaying, What have I done? Why, vvhat vvas the reaſon that conſcience did not prick them, and ſay, This thou haſt done and that, Thus ye have rebelled, &c? The text anſwereth in the next verſe, My people know not the judgement of the Lord. The stork knoweth her time, and the turtle, and the ſwallow; but my people do not know their duties.
Ʋſe 2.Another uſe is, to exhort us that we would labour to perfect the light of conſcience, that it may be able to guide us and direct us unto heaven. Our conſcience hath knowledge enough by the light of nature to make us inexcuſable, and to clear the juſtice of God though he ſhould damne us for ever: but there muſt be a greater light then that, that muſt guide us to heaven. O let us pray to Chriſt the true light to ſet up this light in us, that we may never be at a loſſe in our way to happineſſe, never ſtep out of the right path but our conſcience may be able to put us in again, never go ſlowly but our conſcience may ſpurre us on faſter; that our conſcience may not be like the ſnuff of a candle in a ſocket, that flameth up now and then, and then is dark again, and again it flameth out and is dark again: A man may ſee his book by it, but he cannot ſee to reade; he may ſee his pen and ink by it, but he cannot ſee to write; a woman may ſee her needle and cloth by it, but ſhe cannot ſee to work: ſo it is with ſome mens conſciences: Their light is ſo dimme that they can ſee the duties, but they cannot ſee to do them; they can ſee the commandments of God, but they cannot ſee to obey them. O labour to perfect the light of your conſciences, that ye may ſee to walk by them. And thus much alſo of the ſecond propoſition, The light that conſcience acteth by, is knowledge.
Now I ſhould come to the third propoſition which as I firſt propounded them was this, The bond that bindeth conſcience is Gods law: But I will now a little alter the method, and make the other which was propounded laſt to be the third in the handling; and it is this,