A Good Conscience the Strongest Hold, Treatise · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. Of the difficultie in getting and keeping a good Conſcience, and eſcaping a bad.
WE have alreadie ſpoken of the excellency The third Reaſon from the difficultie of getting the good Conſcience and eſcaping the bad.and benefit of the good Conſcience, and the danger and miſchief of the bad. But here we ſhall ſee the difficultie of getting and keeping the good Conſcience is as great as the excellencie or benefit when had, and the difficultie of eſcaping an ill Conſcience, is almoſt as great as the danger of it. What can be ſo hardly got or kept, as the one? what ſo hard to ſcape and miſſe, as the other? Conſider it in theſe three reſpects:
1. Firſt in reſpect of Satan, it is hard to get and keep the one, and eſcape the other. Satan, all his ſpite is at good Conſcience, all his aim is to make a bad: He envies a man nothing but his good Conſcience, not riches, not honours, no learning, parts, duties, not mirth, pleaſure, not his peace, but onelyonly a good Conſcience. He envied not the Serpent his ſubtilty, he could make uſe of it; not Pharaoh his Kingdom, not Ahithophel his Policy, Gen. 3.nor Abſalom his Beautie, nor Haman his Court-honours, or State-offices, nor Dives his wealth and good cheer: He could tell how to make uſe of all. Yea, he will offer his help to men to get them riches, honours, offices, learning, ſo they will quit good Conſcience: He will grant any Articles you can propound, ſo he may gain this Fort. He can make uſe of all other things, parts, power, policie, but a good Conſcience is never for his turn, in a Magiſtrate, or Miniſter, or in a private perſon, but it is conſtantly againſt him, and he againſt it; and therefore he deſpairs of doing any good on it; as they ſaid of Luther, when ſome perſwaded the Pope to attempt to take him off by offering him ſome great preferment, and Church promotions, it was anſwered, it was in vain to trie. Germana illa beſtia aurum non curat. That German beaſt Mel. Adain vita Luther.(ſaid they) cared not at all for all their gold.
Yea if a man be plundered of all his eſtate, and ſtormed out of all his out-works, his riches, friends, children, power, places, yea ſtormed out of his nearer comforts, out of his faith and hopes, out of his prayers and promiſes, all on the ſudden ſurprized, if he retreat to a good Conſcience, and make good this laſt hold, by a ſtill retaining of his integritie, Satan will be repelled with ſhame and loſſe, and draw off with diſhonour, wearie of laying his ſiege againſt ſo impregnable a Fort. Job had loſt all, but keeping good Conſcience alone, and manfullie defending this piece, he recovered all again he had loſt, and his Job 42. 12, 13.laſt ſtate was double to his firſt.
2. In reſpect of thy ſelf, or of the work it ſelf, thou wilt finde a hard task of it, to get or keep a good Conſcience in an evil age; it will require thy greateſt skill, and utmoſt diligence. So the Apoſtle found it, Act. 24. 16. therefore he ſaith, Herein do I exerciſe my ſelf, Mr. Harris. Mr. Ward. foreign meditari & exercere ſe in re aliqua Gagnei. In genere notat ſeverius exercitium Religionis Chriſtianae, ſive praeparare ſe ad certamen. Vid. Leigh. Crit. Sacr.to keep alwaie a Conſcience void of offence. foreign, The word ſignifies, ſaith one, I uſe all my skill, diligence, and conſtancie together. I lay my policie, or bend my wit, ſaith another godly Divine. All which tell us, it is the Chriſtians maſter-piece to look well to a good Conſcience: A work of continuall exerciſe to an Apoſtle himſelf. Look but well into it, and thou wilt f…nde there is work enough in it, as much as thou canſt turn thee too. To keep a Merchants book is a piece of art, requiring skill and care: To keep this book well, is the art of arts. To keep thy Maſters accounts if thou be a ſervant, thy Lords if thou be a ſteward, thy Shop-book if thou be a tradeſman, requires much care and diligence. What is it to keep thy ſoul-book, to keep Gods book, to keep this Dooms-day-book? for ſo Conſcience is.
3. Look yet further, and in reſpect of others thou wilt ſee it more difficult ſtill. How many haſt thou ſeen miſcarry in it? who is ſufficient for this work? How ſhould we fear? This is much inſiſted on in the Text, and given in charge to Timothy, Timothy ſee thou war a good warfare, and look well to thy charge, hold faſt faith and a good Conſcience, for all have not done ſo. Of many that have run in a race, moſt have loſt, but one ohtained the prize; of many that have fought, moſt have been foiled, or wounded, or ſlain, or fled, but one crowned. Run not uncertainly, fight not ſaintly, look well to thy Conſcience. And here are many Items couched together in this place:
1. Some] Not one ſingle perſon in an age, but it is the caſe of many; not one mans onelyonly, many have miſcarried, and it is incident to all. Look well to it, Be not high-minded, but fear, Rom. 11. 20.
2. Some have put away Conſcience] A monſtrous vile act, for men ſometimes of better principles, to ſend Conſcience packing like a vagabond, or to thruſt it out of doors, as if it were the Son of the Bondwoman. It is the moſt unkinde and ungracious act that can be, to diſclaim Conſcience, as they did Moſes, Acts 7.for an intruder, or buſie uſurper, or an imperious Commander.
3. Concerning faith made ſhipwrack] ſee what followed upon it; They did not perfect and mend their faith, as they might be ready to pretend or affirm, but weaken it, not weaken but ſhake it, not ſhake but ſunk it, and loſt it.
4. Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander] Conſider who theſe were, even great Profeſſors a great while, and ſtout Champions ſomewhile, that had adventured far, and ingaged much for the truth, and the Preachers of it; Alexander eſpecially, who had ſhewed ſo much zeal to truth, and love to Paul, Acts 19.that to ſecure Paul's perſon, he had expoſed his own to the danger of an unruly tumult; he could have laid down his own life to have ſaved Paul's, and would have parted with his right eye to do Paul ſervice. Yet ſee what is become of theſe now; where will he ſtay that hath loſt his Conſcience?
5. For they having put away their former good Conſcience, become now branded Apoſtates, and open enemies of the ſame Preachers they had before ſo loved and honoured, nay they themſelves become Preachers, but blaſphemous Preachers.
6. Laſtly, after all this, the Church that formerly had joined with them, now ſpues them out, gives warning to the godly to avoid them, and to their grief denie them any more Church-fellowſhip, and gives them over to Satan, that no more miſchief may be done by their impure Doctrines. The Church in her direfull Cenſures ſaith, Write theſe men childleſſe, let no more of their ſeed riſe up after them, to bear more gall and wormwood.