The Good Samaritan, Part 31
Thinkeſt thou] Text.
This learned Lawyer could not but be convinced by this Parable propounded, and now his opinion is by our bleſſed Saviour required. q. d. In hearing this thine owne Conſcience tells thee which of the three was Neighbour to this diſtreſſed man; thou haſt concluded it within thy ſelf, but let mee heare thy Judgement, What thinkest thou, &c.
Obſerve from hence,
Doct. It is a ſafe appeale to conſcience for ſentence, after the underſtanding is rightly enlightned and informed. Thus doth God, Iſa. 5.3. Hag. 1.2. And Chriſt doth ſo, Math. 21. And ſo the Saints, Rom. 9.1. 2 Cor. 4.2. & 5.11. Act. 4.9.
For the further explicating of this Doctrine, we muſt of neceſſity take ſome ſhort notice of the Nature of Conſcience.
(For I may not heere make any large Diſcourſe thereof.
There are few or none that treat of Conſcience but conclude it to be a kind of Practicall Syllogiſme. For looke what diſcourſe it hath with God or the mind of man, it doth Syllogiſtically or by way of reaſoning, as thus: Every murtherer or manſlaier is guilty of death; But thou art a murtherer, therefore, &c. The Propoſition is called the foreign of Conſcience, the Aſſumption, foreign, the Concluſion foreign
The Propoſition is made by the help of certain Principles in the mind; for without the help of the Ʋnderſtanding, it can conclude nothing, it muſt have the help of the rule and knowledge of that els it cannot be called Conſcience. The Ʋnderſtanding muſt firſt diſcerne of truth and falſhood, of good and evill, before Conſcience can approove or diſlallow, or do its offices. So that Ignorance is not conſcience.
The Aſſumption is made by the help of Memory: For though Conſcience takes information from the Ʋnderſtanding, yet by the aid of Memory that muſt be retained which the Ʋnderſtanding hath concluded: If Memorie faile, our knowledge is ſo farre loſt; for what we remember not, we know not, and ſo no Conſcience can be of that. Thus the word forgotten is made no Conſcience of.
In theſe reſpects Conſcience is defined to be Scientia cum alia Scientia, A Science conjoyned, or a knowledge with another (as the word imports) or as S. Bernard hath it, Conſcientia, quaſi cordis Scientia, and ſo he diſtinguſheth betwixt Scientia and Conſcientia: Scientia (ſaith he) is when the heart knows other things; Conſcientia quando cor novit ſe, ſo that the Etimology is not to be rejected being taken with his meaning.
The Propoſition and the Aſſumption being thus made, conſcience accordingly concludes, and this is the ſentence of the ſoule, the proper work of Conſcience, in which reſpect Conſcience is by ſome defined to be, A kind of concluding Science, it concluding with a man or againſt a man, Rom. 2.15. procuring quietneſſe or vexation. So then conclude, Conſcience cannot binde of it ſelfe, but where the word binds firſt. In ſhort, Conſcientia quaſi concludens ſcientia. So it neceſſarily implies a precedēt underſtanding.the Schoolemen define it to be, Explicatio Scientiae ad factum ſeu faciendum: And ſome of the beſt of our rew Writers ſay, it is a function of the Ʋndrſtanding, whereby wee apply the generall knowledge that is in us to our particular thoughts, words, and actions, and this is it our Saviour here requireth [What thinkeſt thou] This in briefe for Explication, now a word or two for Uſe.
Vſe 1 Firſt, It juſtifies this kind of appeale made in doubtfull Caſes, whither by God, or man to man. It may ſeeme ſtrange that God ſhould take this courſe and appeale to Conſcience: But God knows how to make uſe of it, when the Ʋnderſtanding of a ſinner is once inlightned (as in Davids caſe) Memorie being a little helped, Job. 13.26.(as Pſalm 50. it appeares it ſhall;) then Conſcience concludes for God, Prov. 20.27. and ſo God hereby brings infinite honour to himſelf and confuſion to a ſinner.
Secondly, The appeale made to Conſcience by man; as in our uſuall ſpeech (when we are wronged) I leave it to your Conſcience: Betweene God and your Conſcience be it: 2 Cor. 4.2. & 5 11.Or when accuſed and ſuſpected; My Conſcience beareth me witneſſe, Rom. 9.1. For what man knowes the things of a man ſave the ſpirit of a man within him? 1 Cor. 2.11. we may ſtate the Queſtion amiſſe to others, but Conſcience ſpeaks home. Thus S Auſtin being accuſed by Petilian for a Manichee anſwered, Me Petilianus Manichaeum eſſe dicit &c. Petilian gives out that I am a Manichee, and this he ſpeaks of an others Conſcience; I plainly affirme I am none of that Sect, and this I ſpeak from mine owne Conſcience; Cont. lit. Pet. l. 3 cap. 10.now chuſe ye which of us two you will believe. And ſurely this appeale is a ſafe appeale and very comfortable, For if our Conſcience condemne us not, we may have boldneſſe, but if our Conſcience condemne us, God is greater then our Conſciences.
Vſe 2 Next, it condemnes ſuch as hearken not to the ſentence which Conſcience gives; through often ſinning (as through often trampling upon Tomb-ſtones, nothing is left legible, unleſſe it be (as was left of Iezabells carkaſſe) the palmes of the hands and feet, and a little piece of the skull to know it by) we make not Conſcience under God our Judge, we hearken not to what it ſaith, whence it is that as Saint Paul told the Maſter of the Ship; Acts 27.21. Wee ſuffer ſo much harme and loſſe.
Queſt. But doth not Conſcience miſſe it ſometimes, doth it alwaies ſpeake ſooth and as the truth is? Will it alwaies give right ſentence?
Reſp. There is a good Conſcience and a bad: The good Conſcience is that which is well informed, and concludeth rightly; the bad Conſcience is that which is wrongly informed and concludeth falſly. More Particularly.
It cannot be denied, but ſometimes and in ſome things Conſcience ſtirrs not; and againe at ſome times and in ſome other things it ſtirrs and paſſeth ſentence but erroneouſly.
Sometimes it is ſpeechleſſe, being dead in a mans body how can it ſtirre then? 1 Tim. 4.2. where it is compared to a part of the body that is not only without ſenſe and rotten, but ſeared with a hot iron: Theſe are like Dioniſius the Herocleate, whoſe belly was ſo fat as that he felt not Needles, which were thruſt into it: And this is the condition of many who have lived a long time willfully in ſome groſſe ſin, ſecret or open (to whom cuſtome is become another nature) and it is joyned with a reprobate mind, Eph. 4.18. Rom. 1.28. But as the mute and dumb Divell charged by Chriſt found a tongue, Mark. 9.26.ſo this dead and dumb Conſcience in the end will ſpeak.
Or els if it be not ſeared and ſtarke dead, yet it is very weake and feeble through the ignorance and darknes that is in it, having only in the mind and memory a few …urall Principles (as Abimelech had) which are altogether inſufficient to direct in the particular occaſions of mens lives. Whence it is that it workes (like the childe in the wombe,) ſo weakely that the mother cannot perceive whither it be alive or no.
Sometimes, it could ſpeake and would ſpeake, but it cannot be heard, and therefore as good never ſpeake.
Some ſilence it either through ſubtilty of wit, finding extenuations or ſubtill diſtinctions to evade it (as Saul in ſaving the beaſts for Sacrifice) or through violence of Affection overſwaying it, (as in Ammons abuſing his Siſter Thamar againſt Conſciences advice, Pilate paſſing ſentence upon Chriſt.) Or through cares and pleaſures of this world oppoſing and choaking it, ſo that there is no time to heare it (as Faelix ſaid to Paul.) You ſee how it is with one that runs in haſt, he heareth not what a ſtander by ſaith, though he gives him direction for his race: So is it with thoſe that haſt after the world, Conſcience bids them take heed of lying, couſenage, &c. but they heare not.
Laſtly, Through Wilfullneſſe it is ſilenced, Rom. 14.22. When men allow what Conſcience condemnes; or with Caine deny what Conſcience ſaith is true, or put it willfully away that it may not trouble them in their courſe (as did Himenaeus and Alexander.) Thus you ſee that ſometimes Conſcience may be quiet, and ſtill, and like the man without the wedding garment, ſay nothing, but then it thinkes the more; and when it ſpeakes not it is writing and will find a time to read what it hath recorded, though for the preſent with may outreaſon it, wealth out-buy it, or might out-face it. Sometimes it paſſeth ſentence but erroneouſly or els ſpeakes doubtingly, Erroneouſly; ſuch a Conſcience had Paul before converſion, Act. 26.9. and thoſe Ioh. 16.2. and ſuch is the Conſcience of ſome Papiſts, Anabaptiſts, Browniſts, &c. and many amongſt us in theſe daies in the practiſing of ſome ſins (as Ʋſury, Swearing, &c.)
Secondly; it ſometimes ſpeaketh, but ſcrupulouſly, or doubtingly: If doubtingly then it paſſeth no ſentence either way, but ſtands debating in the mind, what is fit to be ſaid or done, Rom. 14.23. And this befals many a child of God eſpecially in things of an indifferent nature. If Scrupulouſly, then it concludeth with ſome feare or doubting: But all this proceeds through Ignorance or miſapplying of the Rule. The light of the Ʋnderſtanding is either loſt and gone, or marvellouſly darkened; ſo as that we are ignorant of the Rule (for Ignorance of Scripture makes us to erre) or els abuſe the Rule by falſe Expoſitions and Interpretations, or miſapply the Rule according to our owne conceits and fancies: But if (according to the Doctrine propounded) the Ʋunderſtanding come to be rightly informed and inlightened, we need not doubt to appeale to Conſcience and ſtand unto its ſentencce, as moſt ſure.
Vſe 3 Let us highly reſpect Conſcience, ſeeing God hath thus aduanced it. It is that to which next under him we muſt commend our caſes and Eſtates: He hath placed it within us as a Judge to heare, determine and paſſe ſentence, againſt which God will admit of no appeale; whom it binds on Earth ſhall be bound in Heaven; whom it looſeth one Earth ſhall be looſed in Heaven; the ſentence of it God will ſecond. The adviſe of it we muſt take in all our actions and undertakings; our Arbitrator it ſhould be in all differences to whoſe decree and order we muſt be content to ſtand: It will make us honeſt men and maintain our honeſty in deſpight of Divels: It will gaine us credit and become our ſurety, ſo that we may be truſted for more than we are worth; and (if we worthily uſe it) it will not faile us in this life, at death, nor at the day of Judgement. What thinkeſt thou? To conclude then, as Saint Paul writing unto Timothy, 1 epiſt. 1.18. This command commit I unto thee, that thou ſhouldeſt fight a good fight, having Faith and a good Conſcience. So ſay I to you, this advice I give to you, if you would fight a good fight under the colours of our Saviour, keep Faith and a good Conſcience.
It was once ſaid of Troy that ſo long as the Image of Pallas was kept ſafe in it, that City ſhould never be wonne: That was a fiction, this without all fiction is moſt true; ſo long as a man keeps a good Conſcience ſafe within him, the ſons of Violence ſhall never be able to do him any hurt; Let the winds blow, the waves beat upon his houſe, yet it ſhall not fall, becauſe it is grounded on ſuch a Rocke: Let a good Conſcience be clad in poverty, expoſed to injury; yet it gives a bleſſed ſatisfaction to all: 2 King. 4. 2 King 2.Like Eliſhaes meale, this makes our meat ſweet, when elſe it would be bitter: Like Eliſhaes ſalt, it makes our drink wholſome, when els it may be our death: It made Iohn Baptiſts garment pleaſe him, when it was but haire. It made Iacobs lodging pleaſe him, when his pillow was a ſtone. It makes us laugh when others weep, ſing when others howle: but ſeek not the living amongſt the dead; 2 Cor. 1 12.this living joy in a dying Conſcience, non est hic, you ſhall not find it here.
Thoſe Judges knew this who acquitted thoſe two ſons ſuſpected for murthering of their Father, one T. Clelius, a rich Roman (the Story we have in Tully) who going well to bed was found ſlaine in the morning, the doores of his Chamber open, and his two ſons in bed in the ſame Chamber, but faſt a ſleepe, upon which they were acquitted of the ſuſpition; the Judges concluding peremptorily that it was impoſſible for the vileſt Miſcreant to ſleepe ſo ſoon upon the committing of a fact ſo horrid: Abad Conſcience breaks ſleep: A good Conſcience brings it.