A Good Conscience the Strongest Hold, Treatise · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. The Offices of Conſcience.
III. IN our definition of a good conſcience, Chap 4. The Offices of conſcience.I ſaid it was that conſcience which being purifyed and pacified, doth regularly perform all his Offices.]
Conſcience is abſolutely the greateſt Officer under Heaven, and is without contradiction the greateſt Repreſentative in all the world, it is Gods immediate Vice-gerent, hath a delegation from God: Whence we commonly ſay, vox Conſcientiae, vox Dei. The voice of God is in the voice of Conſcience. And the Acts of Conſcience are the Acts of God; what conſcience doth binde or looſe on earth in foro ſuo, God doth ratifie in heaven in foro ſuo, 1 Joh. 3. 20, 21. So that what the Canoniſts impudently and blaſphemouſly aſſert of the Pope, we may in a ſafe and modeſt ſenſe apply to conſcience.
Deus & Papa (ſay they) unum habent Conſiſtorium; a bold and impious ſaying. Deus & conſcientia unum habent Conſiſtorium. A true ſaying. God and the Pope have but one Conſiſtory or Judicatory, ſay they: God and Conſcience, ſay we, Prov. 20. 27. The Spirit of man is the candle of the Lord.
Pluraliſt reſpectu Officiorum non Beneficiorum. Conſcience hath four Offices.Now conſcience is a Licenſed and allowed Pluralist, hath four diſtinct Offices.
1. Propheticall, or Miniſteriall.
2. Regal or Magiſtratual.
3. Teſtimoniall, or witneſſe bearing.
4. Judiciall, or ſentence paſsing.
Conſciences Miniſteriall Office.1. Conſciences firſt office is Miniſteriall or Propheticall, that is, to do the Office of a Miniſter, Watchman or Seer, to give warning from God, from whom it hath his Commiſſion, Ordination, and Station, all Jure Divino: To warn, inform, direct, reprove, admoniſh, charge; See you refuſe not him that ſpeaketh within you. This is your Domeſtick Chaplain, to whom (as Jotham ſaid to the men of Shechem) you muſt hearken, that God may hearken Judg. 9. 7.unto you. We diſlike that a Miniſter ſhould be dumb in his charge, or a Watchman ſhould ſleep on the Sentery; take heed of maintaining a Conſcience, or ſilencing a ſpeaking conſcience: In Libera Civitate Linguas liberas eſſe oportet, Auguſtus was wont to ſay. Say thou, among Freemen conſcience ſhould have his freedom preſerved, at leaſt as to his own charge. Give thy conſcience all freedom to inform, propound, yea reprove and ſmite. This Liberty of Conſcience none will queſtion, all will contend for: There is ſome other Liberty of Conſcience the world cries out for; I dare not plead for that: But give conſcience leave to be bold with thee; it will give thee boldneſs another day, that thou ſhalt aſſure thy heart before God. We called it Tyrannicall, and Antichriſtian dealing when the Prelates outed, ſuſpended, and deprived the godly and faithful Miniſters for delivering Gods minde, and rebuking the ſins of their wicked hearers ſometimes: Take heed thou tread not in their ſteps, to interdict, and ſilence thy own conſcience; this is more to be hearkened to in many caſes, then any Divine, or Miniſter whatſoever; this is the mouth of the Lord, the Candle of the Lord, ſearching and diſcovering Pro. 20. 27.the ſecrets and inward things of the belly: We ſay conſcience in ſome caſes is above all witneſſes, a thouſand witneſſes; it is a thouſand Preachers too: God ſaith to conſcience as he Conſcientia mille Miniſtri.did to Moſes once, Exod. 7. 1. See I have made thee a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother ſhall be thy prophet: Conſcience ſhall be to me in ſtead of a mouth, ſaith God, and to thee in ſtead of God, as Moſes was to Aaron, Exo. 4. 16.
Conſciences ſecond office is Regall, or Magiſtratuall, 2. Conſciences Regall office.a higher office then the former. Conſcience hath a commanding, and legiſlative power to binde even kings in chains, and nobles with fetters of iron. He is thy Perpetuus Dictator, whoſe dictares are Laws; They were a law to themſelves, Rom. 2. 14. This king may neither be depoſed, nor reſiſted, but ever informed, counſelled, and treated with, and then ever obeyed as Gods vicegerent. Whoſoever caſt off the imperiall commands of conſcience, God ſaith to them as he did to Samuel concerning Iſrael, 1 Sam. 8. 7. They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I ſhould not reigne over them. God giveth to conſcience a large Commiſſion, and ſaith to it, as to Eliakim in the day of his inveſtiture in his office, I will clothe thee with a new robe, and commit the government into thy hand; The key of the houſe of David will I lay on thy ſhoulders; Thou ſhalt ſhut, and none ſhall open; thou ſhalt open, and none ſhall ſhut, Iſay 22. 21, 22. What conſcience peremptorily commands, or forbids, is more to a godly man, then what Kings, or States command. And the religious man reſolveth Conſcientia mille Reges, mille Leges.rather to diſobey any unjuſt commands of Kings or States, and fall under any diſpleaſure of men, then to go againſt the dictates of his own rightly informed conſcience. We are not carefull, O King, to anſwer thee in this Dan. 3. 16.matter, ſaid they to Nebuchadnezzar, although they heard his expreſſe commands, and ſaw the fiery furnace before them. Julian the Apoſtate forbad the Chriſtians to ſing Pſalms; Riſui ei catui furias ſuas eſſe intellexit. Magd. cent. 4. cap. 3.the very women, and virgins did purpoſely ſing the louder, when the Emperour was to go by their doors, that he ſaw his wrath was by them derided: And thoſe Pſalms they picked out that condemned his Idols, as that Pſalm, 135 ver. 15. 16, 18.
Conſcience rides in the ſecond Charet, and is Gen. 41. 40 43. 44.ſolo Deo minor, & ſoli Deo ſecunda. Without thee (ſaith God to conſcience, as Pharaoh once to Joſeph) ſhall no man lift up his hand or foot: OnelyOnly in the Throne will I be greater then thou. Conſcience hath a kingly, or magiſtratuall power, but muſt not exerciſe an Arbitrary power. It muſt be it ſelf at his beck who is in the Throne: Of whoſe ſubordination to God, and his written Word, and Law, we ſhall ſpeak afterwards in his proper place.
His third office is Teſtimoniall, or to bear Conſciences Teſtimoniall Office.witneſſe, Rom. 2. 14, 15. The Gentiles who had not the Law in Tables of ſtone as had the Jews, had the Law written in their hearts, which did ſhew it ſelf in this work of Conſcience, Their conſciences alſo bearing witneſſe, Rom. 2. 14. 15.&c. This is the witneſſe in a mans ſelf, a greater teſtimony then that of John. This is the Epiſtle of Chriſt written in the heart. Our rejoycing is this, The teſtimony of our conſcience, 2 Cor. 1. 12. A teſtimony and certificate which Gods Spirit doth atteſt to, and conſent with, Rom. 9. 1. My conſcience bearing me witneſſe in the holy Ghoſt. In the mouth of theſe two great witneſſes the ſtate of a Chriſtian is eſtabliſhed. For the Spirit it ſelf witneſſeth with our ſpirit, that we are the Rom. 8. 16ſons of God, Rom. 8. 16. This teſtimony of conſcience is above a thouſand witneſſes, be it Conſcientia mille teſtes.for thee, or againſt thee, 1 Job. 3. 19, 20, 21. Turpe quid acturus, te ſine teſte time.
Take heed whereſoever thou art, what thou doſt; Conſcience will out with all the ſecret paſſages it hath obſerved. It is like Joſeph among his brethren, who carried home their ill report to their father, and made them much anger. Thou never ſinneſt without a ſpie, or Gen. 37. 2.an obſerver, and informer. Do therefore as was ſaid of Mr. Latimer, who being examined in private, ſpake more freely, till he overheard one behinde the Hangings (whom he ſaw not preſent) to take in writing what he ſaid; then he ſpake more warily. Take heed what thou doſt remotis arbitris. Curſe not the King, no not in thy thought (conſcience. the margin reads it, ſcientia Arias Mont. conſcientia, Junius) Nor the rich in thy bed-chamber, for a bird of the air ſhall carry the voyce, and tha… which hath wings ſhall tell the matter, Eccleſ. 10▪ 20. Thine own conſcience may be that bird Eliſha did relate what was in agitation at the 2 Kin. 6. 12King of Syrias Councell-table, yea what paſſed in his Bed-chamber. Such an obſerving witneſſe hath every one continually with him, do he good, or evil.
Conſcience is a witneſs, and is like one of thoſe two famous witneſſes ſpoken of, Revel. 11. 3. who propheſied in ſackcloth, deſpiſed, and oppoſed by the men of the world, as the great Rev. 11 3. 5. 6 &c.heart troubler, and worlds tormenter; they rejoyced, made merry, and ſent gifts when they were ſlain; theſe brought all plagues from heaven among men, and could ſhut up Heaven it ſelf, fire came out of their mouth; yet kill this if thou dareſt, and keep it down if thou canſt, it will riſe again after a few days, ſtand upon his feet; the ſight thereof will terrifie and diſmay thee, but thou ſhalt know it will go up to Heaven, there to accuſe and condemn thee.
4. The fourth Office of conſcience is Judiciall Conſcienecs judicial Office.and Judge-like] It doth paſſe ſentence on thee, and read thy doom: Hence men are ſaid to be convicted of their own Conſciences, Joh. 8. 9. Some are ſaid to be ſelf condemned, Tit. 3. 11. Happy is he that condemneth not himſelf, Rom. 14. 22. If our heart, that is, our conſcience, condemn us, God is greater then our hearts, to condemn us further; But if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God, 1 Joh. 3. 20, 21. Conſciences ſentence is the fore-runner of the laſt judgement. Praejudicium Divini judicii, as Joſeph interpreted the two priſoners dreams, Pharaoh made it good. Hic crucem ſceleris precium tulit, alter honores.
Gen. 41. 13. It came to paſſe, ſaith the Butler to Pharaoh, as he interpreted to us ſo it was; me he reſtored to mine office, him he hanged: Joſeph is then ſaid to hang the one, and reſtore the other, becauſe he foretold it ſo, and it fell out accordingly; ſo conſcience is ſaid to abſolve and condemn, becauſe according to the ſentence of this lower Court and Judicatory of conſcience, uſually is the laſt ſentence of that higheſt Court in Heaven. If my conſcience Job. 31. 35. 36.clear me, let my adverſary write a Book, and Libell againſt me, I ſhall wear it as a Iſa. 50. 8.Crown: my witneſs is at hand, and he is near 1 Sam. 2. 25that juſtifieth me: But if my conſcience Libell againſt me, who ſhall Apologize for me? If a Quamquam humana ſub terſugiem judicia, judicium propriae conſcientiae fugere non valeo. Bernard.man ſin againſt another, the Judge ſhall judge them, but if a man be condemned by himſelf, who ſhall be his Dayes-man? I may flie mans judgement ſeat, or ſtop the Judges mouth: but I cannot eſcape the Bar, nor ſtop the mouth of my own conſcience.
—Prima eſt haec ultio, quod ſe
Judice nemo nocens abſolvitur,
Improba quamvis Gratia fallacis Praetoris vicerit Ʋrnam.
Juven. Sat. 13.I might adde to theſe four named Offices of Conſciences regiſteriall office.conſcience a fifth, his Regiſterial Office; for conſcience is the great Regiſter, and Recorder of Ʋbicun que vado, conſcientia mea …e non deſerit ſed prae ſ…ns ad ſ…ſ…it, & quicquid facio ſcribit. Bernard.the world: It is to every man his private Notary, or Secretary, keeping notes, or records of all his Acts, and Deeds. Hence it hath his name Syntereſis given it. Conſcience hath the Pen of a ready writer, and takes in ſhort hand and in an illegible character from thy mouth as faſt as thou ſpeakeſt, yea from thy heart what thou contriveſt; conſciences writing, at preſent is not legible; as that which is written with the juyce of a Lemmon is not to be read by Day-light, but againſt the fire by night you may read it; ſo conſciences writing will be read by fire light of diſtreſs, or in that day when Heaven and earth are on fire, then ſhall this book be opened, and the Cypher be diſcovered. Conſcience is the pooreſt mans Hiſtoriographer, who hath no Chronicler to write his Story. Every mans Acts both firſt and laſt are written in the Apocryphal Book of conſcience: The ſin of Judah is written with the pen of iron, and with the point of a Diamond; it is graven upon the Table of their heart, Jer. 17. 1. It is not the lot of every mean man to have his Acts and memory perpetuated; it is the honour of Kings, and ſometimes of ſome other more eminent perſons; of David it is ſaid, 1 Chro. 29. 29. Now the reſt of the Acts of David the King firſt and laſt, behold they are written in the Book of Samuel the Seer, and in the book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the Book of Gad the Seer. But of every man of whatſoever quality, it may be ſaid, the reſt of his Acts though they be not mentioned in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings, yet firſt and laſt they are all written in the book of the Chronicles of conſcience by Syneideſis the Seer, and Syntereſis the Recorder. Now to draw to a concluſion, conſcience I ſaid was then a good conſcience when it doth diſcharge all his forenamed Offices. A Magiſtrate, a Miniſter, a Judge, a Witneſs, is then good, when each of them is good in his proper place and function; and indeed that every one is in truth, which he is in diſcharge of his particular Calling: Then is conſcience good when it doth officiate well, and doth the part of a Miniſter, of a Magiſtrate, of a Witneſſe, and of a Judge.
In theſe four teſpects, I may ſay of conſcience, Ipſa indicat, ipſa imperat, ipſa obſervat, ipſa judicat, as Bernard excellently, Ipſa teſtis, ipſa judex, ipſa tortor, ipſa carcer. Ipſa accuſat, Lib. de. conſc cap. 9.ipſa judicat, ipſa punit, ipſa damnat.
A good conſcience is a good Miniſter, a good Magiſtrate, a good Witneſs, a good Judge, the beſt of friends; but an ill conſcience is an obſerver of thee, will be an informer againſt thee, and both thine adverſary, and accuſer, and witneſs, and Judge and Jaylor, and Executioner, and Tormentor too, the worſt of enemies.
Hence flow five Corollaries, or concluſions.
Corollary 1. Conſcience is to perform his two firſt Offices, viz. of a Miniſter to inform and direct, and of a King to command and preſcribe before a work is to be done, or when in fieri. Conſcience ſhould call in Underſtanding and Faith to adviſe with; and herein imitate God, who Gen. 1. 26. intending to Create Man, propounds his Action, propounds his End, and propounds his Model: Let us make man in our Image, after our likeneſſe, and let them have dominion over the fiſh of the ſea, and over the fowl of the ayre, and over the cattell, and over all the earth &c. So ſhould we ſay, Let me upon deliberation do ſuch an Act after ſuch a manner, to ſuch an end. This is to Act according to conſcience, and conſequently according to God.
Corollary 2. When a work or action is already done, In facto eſſe, conſcience is to diſcharge his two laſt Offices of a witneſs, and of a Judge, to accuſe or excuſe, to approve or reprove, and ſo to paſſe ſentence. Thus did God after every dayes work finiſhed, he reviewed his worke, and ſaw with much content and fulneſs of approbation, it was good; And at laſt, Gen. 1. 31. God ſaw every thing that he had made, and behold it was very good: So ſhould we review all our actions before we paſſe from them to new buſineſſes. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eye-lids look ſtrait before thee; Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be eſtabliſhed, Prov. 4. 25, 26. There you have theſe two rules, in the well learning and practiſing, whereof lies the chiefeſt buſineſſe of Practical conſcience.
Coroll. 3. When a man goes wilfully againſt the two firſt Acts, or Offices of Conſcience; viz. Miniſterall & Regall; he commits the higheſt ſin, and draws on the greateſt guilt. Maxima violatio Conſcientiae maximum peccatum. Ameſ. What made the ſin of the lapſed Angels unpardonable? but becauſe they went againſt a full and clear light of a fully informed conſcience, and divinely irradiated underſtanding: Their ſin had many ingredients of that ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt in it, being committed againſt clear light, much received grace, with full conſent of will, having much of malice in it; therefore no wonder it became unpardonable. And whence is it that the ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt, is that ſin unto death, hath no more ſacrifice for it, but becomes eternally unpardonable, but becauſe it is ever perpetrated and committed in deſpight of 1 Jo. 5. 16. Heb. 10. 26.conſcience, againſt his moſt clear and ſtrongeſt convictions, and againſt the moſt peremptory checks, and diſſenting reſtraints of the awakened and enlightened conſcience? Nothing heightens ſin ſo faſt; conſcience may ſay, If I had not come unto you, you had no ſin: If I had not done my Office faithfully, you had ſome cloak for your ſin, which now you have not. This makes ſins of knowing men, greater then of ignorant: Englands ſin greater then the Jndies, Judas's perfidiouſneſſe worſe then Sauls perſecutions. The one did it ignorantly, and therefore obtained mercy. The other had no cloak for his ſin; Chriſt gave him warning by the ſop, all took notice; 1 Tim. 1. 13he replyed upon conſciences enforcing, Is it I? And he therefore died a ſon of perdition, becauſe he lived and perſiſted a ſon of conviction: This is the ſervant who ſhall be beaten with many ſtripes, Luk. 12. 47. To him that knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is ſin, Jam. 4. 17.
Corollary 4. When a man lies under the laſh of conſcience, in reſpect of his two laſt offices, viz. teſtimoniall, and judiciall, he lies under the greateſt miſery. Maximus angor conſcientiae Dr. Ames. Mar. 9. 44.maxima poena. Then the worm never dying devours him; the fire ever burning (the fire not blowen) takes hold of him; Cains mark is Iob. 20. 26.upon him; His puniſhment is greater then he can bear. This is the firſt woe, and the hell on earth: for Revel. 1. 18. there is a hell before death, and Revel. 20. 14. an hell before the lake of fire.
How fearfull was Herods caſe, to be given up to wormes to eat him alive? Infinitely more dreadfull to be given up to this worm of conſcience to be eaten up both alive, and dead. How dolefull a ſight is it to ſee a wolfe, or a Cancer, on the womans tender breaſt, ever gnawing, and ſtinging, never cured! But a worſe wolf is the gnawing, and accuſing conſcience. No fits of convulſion ſo tearing, and pulling, and racking, as convulſion fits of conſcience; no ulcer in the bladder, or bowels ſo painfull as the exulcerated conſcience.
See this in Judas, now brought to a ſight of his ſin, and ſenſe of his miſery, he is like Iſa. 57. 20.the raging ſea that cannot reſt; Out he cries, I have ſinned, take your money, it hath damned me; from perſon to perſon, from place to place he goes, but his hell he carries with him; from the terrour and ſting of conſcience he cannot run; To death he ſaith, Fall on me; to hell, bury me, ſo I may be hid from ſight of conſcience; he ſtrangles himſelf, becauſe he could not ſtrangle conſcience; into hell he leapes, not longer able to abide himſelf; and indeed, if there were any place in hell, where this Apollyon of deſtroying conſcience came not, into it would all the damned get to caſe themſelves. Hell were not hell, if raging conſcience ruled not there; if this worme could ever die, that fire might then be quenched. Judas hung himſelf, to eaſe himſelf: but then was death and hell caſt into the lake of fire, Revel. 20. 14. He at firſt brake the neck of conſcience, that at laſt brake his neck; he had ſtrangled good conſcience, an ill conſcience ſtrangled him; and being dead, all his bowels fell out of his body, becauſe all his conſcience fell out of his bowels while he was alive.
To conclude this Corollary: The wrack of Mat. 15. 11 Subijciatur corpus in paena, in jeiunijs macere…ur, verber ibus lanietur, equuleo diſiendatur, gladio trucidetur, crucis ſupplicio affligatur, ſecura erit conſcientia. Bern. de int. dom. c. 22. Pro. 18. 14.good conſcience is the ſaddeſt ſhipwrack for poena damni, it is the greateſt loſſe; And the rack of an ill conſcience is the ſharpeſt rack for poena ſenſus, it is the greateſt pain. Not all from without doth ſo defile a man, as that from within; nor all from without doth ſo torment a man, as that from within. All the windes bluſtering abroad about our ears, paine us not; but a little winde encloſed in the bowels, how much doth it torment, and put the body into the extreameſt pains? All troubles from without are eaſily undergone, if conſcience be ſound: But the wounded ſpirit who can bear? He ſhall flee from the iron weapon, and the Bow of ſteele ſhall ſtricke him through; It is drawne, & commeth forth of his body; The gliſtering ſword commeth out of his Gall; Terrors are upon him. All darkneſſe is hid in his ſecret places. (h. e. he hath an Epitome of all the woes and miſeries of Hell in his ſoule) a fire not blowen ſhall conſume him, as Zophar excellently Allegorizeth; Job. 20. 24. 25. 26.
Coroll. 5. VVhen conſcience hath done all theſe foure Offices faithfully, and then giveth Peace, This is the right peace of conſcience. This is the Son of Peace, upon which the peace Luk. 10. 6.of God, and the peace of the Miniſter ever comes.
Thus have you ſeene what a good conſcience is. h. e. when it is purified, and when it is pacified; purified from Ignorance, Error, deadneſſe; pacified from the raigne of ſinne, the rage of Satan, and diſpleaſure of God; both purified▪ and pacified by the word; blood, and ſpirit of Chriſt; And after all doing his four-fold Office in due time and place, of a Miniſter, of a King, of a Witneſſe, and of a Judge. And thus much of good conſcience in generall.