A Good Conscience the Strongest Hold, Treatise · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of the honeſt dealing Conſcience.
GOod Conſcience muſt not onelyonly be Good Of the honeſt dealing conſcience.at ſeeing, and good at ſaying, but as good at doing; therefore I adde after the well-ſighted, and well ſpoken Conſcience, The well-dealing. This which we call the honeſt Conſcience, a conſcience of abſolute neceſſity in a Chriſtian. ſo much of honeſty before men, ſo much of good Conſcience before God; want common honeſty; and all that is left, is but hypocriſie. Say not this is morallity, and it is to be found among Heathens; It is Divinity alſo, and muſt be found among Chriſtians; religion teacheth to honour it, though not to reſt in it. And the Chriſtians care muſt be not to deſpiſe it, but exceed it. Of this good conſcience Paul glorieth, while he ſaith, Heb. 13. 18. Pray for us; for we truſt we have a good Conſcience in al things, willing to live honeſtly. To live honeſtly in all things, is an honor to an Apoſtle, and an undeniable argument of a good Conſcience. Viſibility and Ʋniverſality are Popiſh markes of a right Church; but they are Proteſtant marks of a good Conſcience, and a right Chriſtian. We have a good Conſcience.] The word tranſlated Good (foreign) ſignifies alſo honeſt; of this the adverb (foreign) is derived, tranſlated honeſtly. It might as well have been read, Wee have an honeſt Conſcience, (and) in all things deſirous to live honeſtly: where all good Conſcience is to bee ſeen, Act. 23. 1. there all Honeſtie is to bee ſeen. So 1 Pet. 3. 16. Peter exhorts to this Good Conſcience. Having a good Conſcience, that whereas they ſpeak evil of you, as of evil doers, they may bee aſhamed when they falſly accuſe your good Converſation. A good Converſation without will proclaim to all the world a good Conſcience within. And a good Conſcience ever bindes us to our good behaviour towards men. The Apoſtles Rule is Phil. 4. 8. Whatſoever things are honeſt, whatſoever things are juſt, whatſoever are lovely, and whatſoever of good report, thoſe ſeek and do, as well as whatſoever things are true, are pure, are holy. And 2 Cor. 8. 21. Providing things honeſt not onelyonly in the ſight of God, but in the ſight of all men. Good Conſcience muſt have Jacobs hands as well as Jacobs voice, muſt as well deal fairly as ſpeak fairly. Good Conſcience muſt look to a Thread, and to a Shoolatchet, as Abraham did. And muſt bee able Gen. 14. 23.to ſay in the ſight of all the world, as Moſes Num. 16. 15and Samuel, Teſtifie againſt mee, whoſe ox, or whoſe aſs have I taken? whoſe gold, or ſilver, or apparel have I purloined, or coveted? 1 Sam. 12. 3 Act. 20. 23 2 Cor. 7. 2.whom have I defrauded, or whom have I circumvented in bargaining? The good ground in the Parable which maketh beſt uſe of the Word, is expounded by our Saviour to bee the good and honeſt heart, Luke 8. 15. And the man who is to bee admitted into Gods holy place, muſt bee ſuch an one as hath clean hands and a pure heart, Pſal. 24. 4. Godlineſs and honeſtie are joyned together, 1 Tim. 2. 2. as being inſeparable. The life of Godlineſs is bound up in the bundle of Honeſtie. They are mother and daughter, as Naomi and Ruth, and cannot part companie. Where Ruth 1. 16, 17.thou goest, I will go, ſaith Ruth, where thou dwelleſt, I will dwell, where thou dieſt, I will die, and bee buried with thee, Thy God is my God; ſo theſe go together, ſtay together, live together, die together; for they both ſerve one and the ſame God. Pietie without Honeſtie is but ſeeming Pietie, and really Phariſaical Hypocriſie; and all Honeſtie without true Pietie is but Semi-honeſtie, and at beſt but Philoſophical, & Paganiſh moralitie. Each of them parted make but halfe of a man. Both together make a compleat Chriſtian.
The Good Conſcience muſt ever conſider what may ſtand with Honeſtie. When carnall Reaſon and worldly Policie bid thee run with Gehazi, and ſay, This thou maiſt do, and that thou maiſt get, here is an Opportunitie, neglect it not; Good Conſcience ſaith to them as Abner to Aſahel, Turn aſide from following mee, for how ſhall I then hold up 2 Sam. 2. 22.my head before Joab? How ſhall I anſwer this another day? Therefore no more Gain then what will ſtand with Godlineſs. What I may take with Honeſtie, that I will take; what I can keep with Honeſtie, that I will keep; what is offered upon Terms of diſhoneſtie, I may not, I will not receive; what is received in way of diſhoneſtie, I muſt and I will reſtore, as did Zacheus. Better Salvation ſhould Luke 19. 8.come to my houſe when I am reſtoring, then damnation to my ſoul, and a curſe into my houſe, and upon my Poſteritie, when I am receiving. God ſhake every man out of his houſe and eſtate that reſtoreth not what is injuriouſly gotten, ſaith Nehemiah: and good Neh. 5. 13.Conſcience ſaith Amen to it. It ſhall never bee ſaid of mee, ſaith the conſcientious man, that ſin, or Satan, or fraud, or rapine, or uſurie, or briberie hath made mee rich: for the fire of God ſhall conſume the Tabernacles of briberie, ſaith Eliphaz, Job 15. 34. And the Congregation of hypocrites ſhall bee deſolate. But hee that walketh in righteouſneſs, and ſpeaketh in uprightneſs, hee that deſpiſeth the gain of Oppreſſions, and ſhaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that ſtoppeth his ears from hearing of bloud, and ſhutteth his eies from ſeeing of evil, (viz. hee that is every way a juſt, an honeſt, and a plain dealing man,) hee ſhal dwel on High, his Place of defence ſhall bee the munition of Rocks: Bread ſhall bee given him, his waters ſhall bee ſure. Iſai. 33. 15, 16.
But beſides what hath been ſaid, you may know an honeſt Conſcience by theſe Notes.
1. He hath engraven in his heart this Maxime, I muſt be a Law to my ſelf. h. e. though Rom. 2. 14.there were no humane Law to force me to reaſon, and duty; no magiſtrate to awe me, no miniſter to reprove, no ſhame for ill done, no praiſe for good done; yet muſt I live conforme to the old Law written in the heart of man. This man needs not his neighbour to call on him, ſaying, know the Lord, doe Heb. 8. 11 Intimus magiſter.juſtice, &c. For he is ſo taught of an inward monitor abiding in his heart. In this regard it is ſaid, The Law is not written for the righteous, 1 Tim. 1. 9. For if other men were as honeſt as he, there needed not ſo many Lawes, and a few Magiſtrates would be ſufficient.
2. This is his Oracle, Whatſoever you would others ſhould doe to you, doe you the ſame to them, Mat. 7. 12. Which is the Epitome of the Law and prophets, and is the voyce both of Scripture, and Nature.
This, Lactantius ſaith, is the very root and foundation of all equity. And Jerom to a Epitome Diu. Inſtit. Cap. 3.good woman, commendeth this ſaying, as the breviary or abridgement of all righteouſneſſe, to be written on her heart as a compendious Commonitory, quaſi ad compendioſum locum quoddam Commonitorium illa tibi evangelij eligenda ſententia eſt, & ſuperſcribenda cordi Jerom ad Celantia.tuo, quae ad totius juſtitiae Breviarium pro fertur ore Dominco quaecun que volueritis, ut faciant vobis. homines—haec tibi quaſi ſpeculum quoddam paratum, & ad manum ſemper poſitum qualitatem tuae voluntatis oſtendat &c.
Therefore ſaith Paraeus upon the place, Par. in Mat. 7. 12.Chriſt would make every honeſt man his own rule and law, in his dealings with his neighbour. Would I like it well that others ſhould ſuſpect, envy, cenſure me with their tongue when I am abſent; or abuſe, deride ſcorne, and make jeſts of me, to my face; or would I be content that they ſhould over-reach, defraud, and oppreſs me in their actions? then let me doe the like to them, otherwiſe not.
3. You may be bold to take his word, and truſt him; He cannot deceive, though he may be deceived, Errare poteſt, non fallere. His word is as his Bond, his Bond is as his Oath, and his Oath is as his Soule. By any of theſe you have him bound, and bound in Spirit: And let him goe whether he will, he hath his Keeper with him. He makes Conſcience of what he promiſeth; becauſe his promiſe came from a Purpoſe of performance. He reckoneth of his day debt, promiſe to thee, when thou little thinkeſt of him. He holds nothing to conſiſt with his honour, which doth not with honeſty, whence the ancients derived honour and honeſty, on from the other.
Honeſt Regulus, the glory of the Romans being let goe (when a priſoner of warre) upon his Parell, or word paſſed to returne, if a Peace were not agreed between his Nation, and the Carthaginians, made good his promiſe, although he knew it were as much as his life were worth; Fides data eſt ſervanda etiam hoſti. When the honeſt man hath paſt his word, he ſaith, quod dixi, dixi, what I have ſaid, I have ſaid, as Pilate after his writing ſaid, quod ſcripſi, ſcripſi, what I have ſaid, or written ſhall ſtand.
4. You need not fear to take his money, his wares, his weight, or his meaſure; All are currant, and warrantable. His money currant, and weight as Abraham's and Jeremie's was. Gen. 23. 16 Jer. 32. 9.Hee clips not his Shekel. His weight is down weight, his meaſure full meaſure. His Ephah, Omer, and Shekel are all Standard-proof. Hee knowes nothing more abomination to the Lord then a falſe balance, Prov. 11. 1.
5. This man as you may take his word, or his money, his weight and meaſure; ſo you may take his accompts, hee will bee faithfull and punctual in all his reckonings, disburſements and receipts wherein you intruſt him; Hee will not ſet down Laid out more, or Received leſs then the truth is. As thoſe honeſt workmen in Jehojada's dayes that repaired the Houſe of the Lord, laid out according to their Truſt as far as was needful for Repairs, and brought in the Remainder; and it is ſaid, 2 Kin. 12. 15. &c. That they did not ſo much as reckon with them, for they dealt ſo faithfully. Here is a commendation for a publike officer, or a private ſervant, hee brings in no falſe bils, but will bee as true in his truſt, and accompts, as if you had your eye alwaies on him; you need not ſo much as queſtion 2 Ki. 22. 7.his reckoning, whereas ſuch a diſhoneſt ſervant as that was ſpoken of Luke 16. 6, 7. muſt bee looked after, or hee will wrong the Publike to augment his Private, and will not fear to empoveriſh his maſter, or deceive his beſt friend to enrich himſelf.
6. This man ever reſpects not a Perſon, ſo much as a Cauſe. The Cauſe of the ſtranger, poor, fatherleſs, or widow is more to him, then the face of the rich, or the Letter of the mightie. Hee ſaith with Levi, to his father, and to Deut. 33. …his mother, I have not known you, nor did hee acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his children, becauſe they kept thy Word.
Hee is the man whom the Antients were wont to Embleme with a Pair of Balances in one hand, a Sword in the other, and both his eyes ſhut, To diſpenſe to all Juſtice diſtributive, or commutative indifferently, without reſpect of perſons. Tros, Tyriuſve—All is one. I am Debtor, ſaith hee, to Jew, and Gentile, to do what is honeſt, though engaged to neither. In all matters in difference he inclines to that partie where Reaſon, not Intereſt, ſwaies him; Amicus Plato, Amicus Socrates, but magis Amica veritas. This man is my friend, and that man is my kinſman, but good Conſcience is my beſt friend, and truth my neareſt kinſwoman.
7. This man will ſooner ſuffer any prejudice himſelf, then prejudice his neighbour. Hee ſweareth to his own hurt and damage, but changeth not. No Prejudice valuable to the wronging Pſal. 15. 4.of his Neighbours exſpectation, and his own Conſcience. It was a famous ſpeech of that noble Pomper when in a time of a great dearth at Rome, hee was choſen Curator Annonae, and had now made great proviſion of Corn for the relief of his Citizens, being readie to ſet forward, there aroſe a ſtorm, the Pilot perſuaded him to ſtay, becauſe of the danger; It matters not, ſaith hee, hoiſt up ſail, put out to Sea, it is neceſſarie for us to foreign.ſail, to live is not neceſſarie. To ſtay and reſerve our ſelves is leſs agreeable with our honour, then to go and releeve our countrey is agreeable to our dutie.