A Good Conscience the Strongest Hold, Treatise · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of ſeverall good Conſciences in particular, and firſt of the Conſcience in which Faith is.
HAving hitherto treated of the good conſcience in generall, we ſhall now deſcend to ſpeak of ſome Particulars, and give you in the ſeverall ſorts, and beſt kindes of good conſciences, that are to be found in all the Sciptures commended to us, that when you ſee ſuch an one, you may know a good conſcience againe, and ſay there goes a good conſcience. Ten particulars I ſhall recommend to you, and after ſpeake ſomewhat to Ten good conſciences laid down in ſcriptureeach of them. Their names are, 1. The conſcience of Faith. 2. Of Purity. 3. Of Sincerity. 4. The Ʋnoffenſive conſcience. 5. The well-ſighted conſcience. 6. The well-ſpoken conſcience. 7. The Honeſt-handed conſcience. 8. The Tender conſcience. 9. The Paſſive or Hardy conſcience. 10. The conſcience of Charity.
The firſt and moſt excellent conſcience, is that in the Text, the good conſcience of faith. The conſcience of Faith.This onelyonly makes a good conſcience; Nor can all the other nine make it ſuch without this. It is impoſſible that any thing, or perſon ſhould be good, and pleaſe God without faith Heb. 11. 6. Precious faith makes the conſcience of great price. It is therefore very obſervable, that in three places of this Epiſtle, The Apoſtle joynes faith and the good conſcience together, viz. cap. 1. v. 5. & v. 19. & cap. 3. 9. Indeed they cannot be parted. The life of faith is ever bound up in the life and bundle of good conſcience. There is no good faith, where not good conſcience; nor yet good conſcience, where true faith wanting; where you ſee the one, looke and you ſhall finde the other. Theſe two are like the Churches two breaſtes Cant. 7. 3. compared to two young Roes that are twins, that are bred and fed, and grow, and thrive, and decay, and live, and dye together. The beſt Gold, and this Bdellyum of a good conſcience is no where to be found, but in the Havilah of Faith. Faith it is which purifyes the Gen. 2. 12.heart, Act. 15. 9. and mends the conſcience; The Tree of Life only grows in Paradiſe; good conſcience onelyonly in Faiths Garden. Faith is the grace and ſheafe, To which all other graces and ſheafs muſt bow, and do their obeyſance: This caſts her crown at the feet of Chriſt, therefore they all ſet their crowns on the head of this. Faith mends, and commends every thing; Faith gives being, denomination, and acceptation to every Goſpel Graee, and comfort, and duty. No love without Faith, Gal. 5. 6. Phil. v. 5. No obedience but obedience of Faith; Rom. 1. 5. & 16. 26. No Repentance without Faith, Mar. 1. 15. ſo faith and patience. Heb. 6. 12. Faith and hope, 1 Pe. 1. 21. No joy but joy of Faith, Phil. 1. 25. No works but works of Faith, 1 Theſ. 1. 3. No duties without faith. The prayer of Faith, Iam. 5. 15. Hearing of Faith, Gal. 3. 2. No life but the life of Faith, Gal. 2, 20. This is the ſalt that ſeaſons every ſacrifice. So look firſt for Faith when thou imagineſt thou haſt a good conſcience. Let us draw neer, ſaith the Apoſtle, Heb. 10. 22. with a true heart, in full aſſurance of Faith, having our hearts ſprinkled from an ill conſcience, &c. No true heart, no aſſurance, nay no Faith where no good conſcience yet. Nor good conſcience to be looked for, where Faith is not firſt to be found. Among the Heathen Sages and Philoſophers you may read good Sentences, hear good expreſsions, finde ſome good Actions, but no good conſciences, becauſe without Chriſt, and without Faith: Among a thouſand Civilized, morall perſons not one good conſcience, becauſe no Faith. For it is the Apoſtles Rule, Tit. 1. 15. To the unbeleeving and impure is nothing pure, but even their mind and conſcience is defiled. None were found among the ordinary ſons of men, men of better tempers, ſweeter natures, lovely and praiſe-worthy Deportments, for Perſonall and Heroick vertues; for ſundry memorable ſayings, and generous actions, then were Titus, Trajan; Hadrian; Antoninus Pius, Antoninus Verus his Brother; yea Ʋalerian, and that ſo much deteſted Julian; yet nothing of good conſcience in any of them, all ſtrangers to the knowledge and Theory of it. All Enemies to the Practiſe and Power of it. All Perſecutors of the truth in their ſeverall times and reignes.Titus is called Amor & deliciae generis humani. Trajanus alioqui civiliter bonus, & laudatus princeps, ob juſtitiam & humanitatem adeo clarus, ut poſtea laetae acclamationis quoties Crearetur Caeſar praebuerit formulam; ſis faelicior Auguſto, Melior Trajano; dixiſſe fertur praefecto praetorij gladium ei tradens, Hoc Enſe contra hoſtes utere ſi juſta mandavero; contra me, ſi me videris injuſte agere, &c. Hadrianus ingenio excelluit, omnium doctrimarum capaciſſimus—Dixiſſe fertur, Imperatorem erga unumquem que debere eſſe talem, qualem ſi privatus eſſet, ſibi vellet eſſe imperatorem; at in Regu… Chriſti nullas portas regi gloriae aperuit, ſed inter milites eſt qui Chriſtum crucifigunt, Cent. Magd. Cent. 2. cap. 3. De perſecut. ſub Traiano, & Hadriano. Antoninus Pius, ſolitus eſt dicere, ſe malle unum civem ſervare quam mille hoſtes Occidere. M. Antoninus Verus, ingenio & eruditione valuit, Philoſophi nomen adeptus eſt. A Philoſophiae ſtudijs, nec imperij negocijs nec Bellicis occupationibus unquam ſe avocari, aut diſtr…hi paſſus eſt—ex illis optimus imperator formatus, multa in Remp. Rom. contulit praeclariſſima merita. Talem ſe omnibus praeſtitit, ut ab omnibus amatetur—At quo in ſuos commodior, eo in Chriſtianos gravior hic Antoninus. Cent. Magd. cent. 2. cap. 3. Valerian a moſt bloudy, and Raging perecutor was princeps laudatus, de quo ſcribit Trebellius, cum ſenatus authoritate Cenſor crearetur, in ſenatuſconſulto has fuiſſe voces, Valeriant vita cenſura eſt; ille de omnibus judicet, qui eſt omnibus melior. Ille de ſenatu judicet, qui nullum habet erimen—ille cui nihil poteſt obijci de vita noſtra ſententiam ferat—hunc cenſorem omnes accipimus hunc omnes imitari volumus. cent. 3. cap. 3. Julian equall to any of them, ſcientia Philoſophia & Graecarum litterarum in eo magna fuit. I… ſtudijs tanta aſſiduitate uſus eſt, ut ſemnum defraudans ſuum totas noctes interdum, illis daret—ſimilis Tito exiſtimatus, bellorum ſucceſſibus Trajano comparatus clementia Antonino Pio, moderatione M. Aurelio Antonino litteratum ſcientia magnis Philoſophis. Magd. Cent. 4 Cap. 3.
Hold faith and a good conſcience, ſaith the Text: Hold the myſtery of faIth in a pure conſcience, 1 Tim. 3. 9. Good conſcience is the Ring, faith the Gemme and Jewell, enriching and adorning this Ring; Good conſcience is the Cabinet, faith the Pearle lockt up in it. Good conſcience the Ship, faith the Merchandize; that the Field, this the Treaſure hid in it; faith the Apples of Gold, this the Pictures or Tables of Silver, in which it is ſet; Faith is the Chriſtians eye, good conſcience is the Chriſtians eye-lid; with the eye-lid men cannot ſee at all; no ſight at all in conſcience where faith is not; nor can the beſt eye ſee long without the eye-lid to cover, and defend, and guard it from duſt, and other injuries; faith, without conſcience keeping it, will ſoone decay. Faith is the wiſe virgins Lamp, good conſcience is the Oyle that feeds it; or make faith the Oyle, good conſcience is the Ʋeſſell that containes it; what can the Lampe do without Oyle, or Oyle without a Veſſell? So what's Faith without good conſcience, or this without that?
But to conclude this correlation and agreement between faith and conſcience, or the relation and preheminence of faith to conſcience, with that of the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 11. 8, 9. 11, 12. ſpeaking of the relation between man and wife, made to be meet helpers each for other: So is faith to conſcience, ſo is Gen. 2. 18.conſcience to be to faith; it is not good nor ſafe for either to be alone. The man is the glory of God, the woman is the glory of the man, ſaith he, ver. 7. So ſay I, faith ſetteth the Crowne on Chriſts head, is his glory; good conſcience ſets the crowne on faiths head, is faiths glory. For though there be two great preheminences which faith hath above Conſcience, the ſame that the man hath above the woman: 1. That the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man,] hoc eſt, taken out of man; ſo faith is not out of conſcience, but conſcience out of faith. 2. Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man] Nor was faith created for conſciences uſe, but conſcience for faiths. Yet he concludes, v. 11. Nevertheleſſe neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord] So neither is faith without good conſcience, nor can good conſcience be without faith in the Lord: For the Relation is Reciprocall, and the dependance and benefit mutuall, ver. 12. For as the woman is of the man, ſo is the man alſo by the woman; but all things originarily and primarily of God] So alſo here it is, as good conſcience is of faith, ſo faith is by good conſcience; but both of God for mutuall comfort, and delight. And from this couple the Church is propagated and increaſed to this day. Theſe two as Leah and Rachel, build up the houſe of Iſrael; faith bearing children to the Church on good conſciences knees, and good conſcience bringing up thoſe children, which faith hath borne at her breaſts; as Ruth brought forth children for the comfort of Naomi, and Naomi brought up thoſe children for the eaſe of Ruth. Hold Faith, and you are ſure of a good Conſcience.