The Book of Conscience Opened and Read, Title page – Epigraph
THE BOOKE OF CONSCIENCE opened and read.
In a Sermon preached at the Spittle on Easter-Tuesday, being April 12. 1642.
By JOHN JACKSON▪
LONDON, Printed by F. K. for R. M. and are to be sold by Daniel Milbourne at the New Exchange, and at the holy Lambe in little Britaine. 1642.
TO THE RIGHT Honourable Sr RICHARD GURNY Knight and Baronet, Lord Major of the City of London, together with the Right Worshipfull the Sheriffes and Aldermen of the same City, The continuall feast of a good Conscience be ever multiplyed.
SIRS,
MAy it please you, The Scottish King being imprisoned in Mortimers hole, comforted himself and deceived the sorrowes of his bondage, by scraping the Story of Christ crucified upon the wals, with his nailes: Even so God writeth the lawes, and dictates of Conscience upon a wall, the wall of Conscience, Murus aheneus; so as all the rules of Divinity, of nature, of nations, and of positive lawes, as they relate to Conscience, are like the handwriting, Dan. 5. herbae Parietariae, wall-flowers. And they are written and sculptured with a naile too; but a more stiffe and potent naile then that of the Scottish King. Judge not ex ungue, &c. but by a retrograde crisis, judge the naile by the finger, which is expresly called digitus Dei, Exod. 31. 18. and what can the naile of such a finger be, but unguis adamantinus, as it is adjuncted, Jer. 17. 1? and need it hath to be no lesse, unlesse the pen be more soft then the paper: for if our hearts be hearts of adamant, Zech. 7. 12. then the stile that writes characters upon them had need be a pen of iron, and the naile of an Adamant.
I present here your Worthinesses with a booke; a booke, as St Bernard ingeniously, for the rectifying whereof, all other bookes are written; I except not the very Booke of bookes it self. For there are foure Bookes written by God, for the sons of men, which are thus to be classed and ordered. They are either the Bookes of Grace, or of Nature. The Bookes of Grace are either outwar… or inward. The outward Booke of Grace is the holy Bible. The inward Book of Grace is the holy Spirit, the great Doctor of the Church. The outward booke of nature is the world, or book of the Creatures, which is God unfolded. The inward Booke of nature is this very booke, whose seales I have, in the ensuing Tra…a…e, broke open, the Book of Conscience, so called Apoc. 20. 12.
That which one likes another will dislike; some have been such grosse flatterers as to commend Nero, and some againe such detractors as to dispraise Trajan; one mans pottage will be anothers coloquintida; the same son was Rachels Ben-oni & Jacob's Benjamin. The same in scription on the plaister which made Belshazzar quiver for feare, made Darius, his successor quav…r for joy. The very same facultie of Conscience which entertaines and feasts one, starves or choakes another.
And the Commentary must not looke for a better lot then the Text, nor the Sermon then the Theame. I know too well the wayes of this towne, to expect other: but for the publishing hereof, I have this excuse, which must prevaile with an ingenuous nature, that I have beene mastered by entreaties thereunto, so as if there be any errour, in that regard, their burthen must be my case.
Now I pray God keep your Honour, and Worships, in grace, unto glory, and that as the best meanes▪ conducing to that end, you here exercise your selves to keep a good Conscience in all things, both towards God, and towards man.
Your Hon. and Wor. humble, and faithfull Servant, in the things of God, and Christ, JOHN JACKSON.
The readings of the Text of Prov. 15. ver. 15.
Hebr.
foreign
Graec.
foreign. Sept.
foreign Symmac….
Lat.
Secura mens quasi juge convivium. Vulg.
Cujus bilaris est animus convivium est continuum. Transl. Chald. Paraphr.
Cor bonum quasi juge covivium. Munst.
Secura mens, hoc est, bona conscientia, &c. Stephanus.
Jucundus corde, convivio jugi. Vata….
Joci…dus corde, &c. Pagniu.
Laeta mens perpetuum …, C… stalio.&c.
Angl.
A good Conscience is a continuall feast.
He that is of a merry hea…t hath a continuall feast.