Works, Chapter 9 – Chapter 11
CHAP. IX. Rules for the Conſcience.
THe fourth ſort of rules for the inner man, concerns the conſcience. Rules for the conſcience. 1 Beware of a blinde conſcience. Joh. 16.2.1 Beware of doing any thing with a blinde Conſcience. A blinde man ſwallowes many a gnat, and a blinde conſcience ſwalloweth any ſin. This is a wicked conſcience, to which no ſin ſo great ſhall come, but a man ſhall think hee doth God good ſervice in it, as Chriſt ſpeaks of them that would ſlay his Diſciples. Why do Heathens perſecute Chriſtians, and Papiſts purſue Proteſtants even to death, but out of blinde zeal and conſcience, that they root out a falſe Religion? And whatſoever a man doth by an erroneous and ſeduced conſcience, is ſin; The rule of conſcience to Heathens being the Law of nature, and to the Church, the Law written, even the whole word of God, as a pillar of cloud and fire to direct it in all the way to Heaven. Therefore let the Word of God dwell plentiouſly in you, in all Wiſdom…, Col. 3.16.
2 Do nothing with a doubting conſcience Conſcientia nobis anima. Tertul.2 Do nothing with a doubtful conſcience; for whatſoever is done with a ſcrupulous conſcience, is ſin, and is not onelyonly an offence of God, but of the conſcience too, which is as a little God within us; for it is not of faith, nor obedience to the known will of God, Rom. 14. ult. Hee that doubteth, is condemned, becauſe his action is not of faith. Therefore verſe 5. hee ſaith, Let every man bee fully perſwaded in his minde.
3 Get a good conſcience above all things.3 Labour to get a good conſcience above all things, Act. 23.1. I have endeavoured in all good Conſcience till this day. A pure conſcience by nature hath no man, but made pure by the blood of Chriſt ſprinkled upon it by faith, in that hee hath obtained full remiſſion of ſin, and by his blood alſo merited the Spirit of Sanctification, by which the conſcience of the beleever is daily cleanſed.
4 Aim … a pure conſcience.4 Labour to get a pure conſcience in all things. A man by obſerving many things, may get himſelf good credit, but a good conſcience muſt bee in all the things of God. Joh. 1….28.The Phariſies might not go into Pilates Judgement Hall, leſt they ſhould bee polluted; and yet at the ſame time, they could diſpence with their conſcience, to crucifie the Son of God, a ſin defiling Heaven and earth, whiles the Sun was aſhamed, and the earth trembled at it. The Papiſts may not eat fleſh in Lent, their conſciences will not ſuffer them; but to kill Kings, and blow up Parliament-Houſes, their conſciences give them good leave. Many Proteſtants will not ſteal, kill, commit the act of adultery; but their conſcience can diſpenſe with covetouſneſs, unbridled anger, wantonneſs, filthy ſpeeches, &c. But if Gods word bee the ſame, ſo muſt the conſcience; and hee that ſerves God as Paul did, in Pure Conſcience, 2 Tim. 1.3. will do ſo at all times, in all places and things, and will avoid ſin in his Cloſet as much as in moſt publike meetings, yea, ſmall ſins as well as great.
5 Keep diligently the goodneſs and purity of conſcience by two things.5 It is great wiſdome to keep things well, as to purchaſe th… therefore wee muſt (if wee would walk wiſely) bee as careful to keep good conſciences, as to obtain them, and thereunto obſerve two things:
1 Daily take away matter of accuſation, which is ſin, by repentance.
2 Rather diſpleaſe all men than thine own conſcience, thy friends, thy family, thy rulers, nay, thy own ſelf before thy conſcience. So did Daniel and his fellowes. So did Cyprian (as Auguſtine relates it) when the Emperor in the way to his execution ſaid; Now I give thee ſpace to conſider whether thou wilt obey mee in caſting a grain into the fire, or bee thus miſerably ſlain? Nay (ſaith hee) In retam ſancta deliberatio non habet locum, there needs no deliberation in this caſe. The like wee read in the Hiſtory of France, in the year 1572. preſently after that tragical and perfidious ſlaughter & maſſacre of ſo many thouſands of Gods Saints by treacherous Papiſts, Charls the ninth King of France, called the Prince of Condo, and propoſed to him this choice, Either to go to Maſs, or to die preſently, or to ſuffer perpetual impriſonment. His noble anſwer was, that by Gods help hee would never chuſe the firſt, and for either of the two latter, her left to the Kings pleaſure, and Gods providence. Thus a good conſcience makes a good choice for it ſelf, chuſing any thing rather than to offend God.
CHAP. X. Rules of Wiſdome concerning the Affections.
THe fifth ſort of rules for the inner man concerneth the Affections, Rules concerning the affections. 1 Give God the chief affectionsand hath theſe particulars:
1 Delight thy ſelf in the Lord, and make him thy chief joy, Pſalm 37.4. For the object of our joy muſt not bee carnal, but the Lord himſelf, apprehending him, as Gen. 17.1. El ſhaddi, All-mighty to ſave, All-ſufficient to ſupply, and a large portion, our Sun, our Shield, Grace and Glory, Pſalm 84. Solomon having tried his heart with all other delights, came at laſt to a recantation; and ſo do all Gods children, and ſay, Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us, Pſalm 4.
2 Labour to affect all other things in God, and for God, nothing like him, 2 Affect all other things in God, and for God.much leſs above him, or againſt him, Pſalm 34.8. Taste and ſee how good God is, that is, in all things labour to finde the ſweetneſs of God in all his creatures, and all his actions. A wiſe man will not inſiſt in the gift, but look to the giver, whoſe love hee prizeth more than the token of it. If any affection make us unfit to pray, or any way thruſt us from God, it is carnal.
3 Let us labour to get our affections more to Heaven than earth, 3 Fix them more upon Heavenly things, than earthly. Matth. 6.24.Col. 3.2. Set your affections on things which are above, and not on things which are on earth; where wee ſee plainly, that theſe two cannot both have the affections ſet on them, no more than two Maſters ſerved at once; as alſo, that it is not enough to affect heavenly things, but alſo with chief affection and care, in the firſt place. Hence is that ordinary rule, Verſe 33.That ſpiritual things muſt bee affected and asked ſimply, being ſimply good, but temporal with limitation, as being but conditionally good.
4 Fear the evil of ſin more than the evil of puniſhment, 4 Fear evil of ſin, more than of ſuffering.becauſe the evil of ſin is more evil. Sin is ſimply evil, and ſo is nothing elſe, no not the puniſhment of it. A wiſe man ſhould rather chuſe Hell than Gods offence; for there is nothing but ſin which God hateth; and wee ought to hate nothing ſo much; ſin directly reſiſteth Gods glory, but puniſhment makes for it in the manifeſtation of his juſtice.
5 Bee affectionate one in the caſe and condition of another. 5 Commiſerate the afflicted eſtate of our brethren.In caſe of ſpiritual miſery, ſin, weakneſs, humane frailty: Bee tender hearted one to another, even as God for Chriſts ſake forgave you, Eph. 4.32. So Col. 3.12. Now Beloved, as the Elect of God, put on tender mercy, kindneſs, &c, one to another. And in the temporal miſeries of our brethren, put on bowels of compaſsion, bee not without natural affection, forget not Joſephs affliction, Amos 6.6.but lend, give, cloath, feed, protect from violence, and turn not thine eyes from thine own fleſh. The phraſe (Bowels of mercy) ſhews that all our mercy muſt bee from within, even from the tender compaſſions of the eſtate of our brother: And the ſame in Iſa. 58.10. That wee pour out our ſouls to the needy, that is, our ſouls muſt firſt bee merciful, and then our mercies will bee plentiful, which is noted in the word Pouring.
CHAP. XI. Rules of Wiſdome for the outward man, and firſt concerning his Calling.
NOw wee come to ſuch rules of Wiſdome, as whereby the outward man is to bee ordered, that wee may walk (both toward our ſelves, and others) not as unwiſe, but as wiſe, and that by the Wiſdome which is from above. And theſe rules concern. 1 His Calling, 2 His Eſtate. 3 His words, 4 His actions.
Rules for the ſpecial calling. 1 Live in a lawfull Calling.Directions to walk wiſely in his courſe and calling, are theſe:
1 Seeing the Calling is a part of Chriſtian obedience, and duty to God, a Chriſtian may neither live out a Calling, nor in any Calling not warranted by Gods word. For if God ſet us in our Callings, hee promiſeth both to bee with us in them, and to give us good ſucceſs, and to help us againſt the tediouſneſs of them, Joſ. 1.8. Therefore ſanctifie thy Calling, and every part thereof, 1 Tim. 4.5. 1 Shew all good faithfulneſs in it.by the Word and Prayer.
2 In the whole exerciſe of our Calling, wee muſt ſhew all good faithfulneſs.
1 To God. Hab. 1.16. Deut. 8.18. 2 To our ſelves.1 To God, by depending on him, who hath made our Calling a chief means of our maintenance, and not ſacrificing to our own Nets. For it is the Lord that gives power to get ſubſtance.
2 To our ſelves, by walking diligently, and abiding in our Calling, that wee may eat our own bread, and provide for our ſelves and ours, and give to him that needeth, Eph. 4.28. For by idle and inordinate living, through the neglect of the Vocation, by Gods juſt judgement men fall into the depth of ſin, Drunkenneſs, Gaming, Whoredome, Theeving, and nothing comes amiſs to an idle perſon. Beſides, diſcredit, bad report, and poverty, come as an armed man upon ſuch a one.Prov. 6.11. 3 To others.
3 To others, whether wee bee Maſters or ſervants, as knowing that in our Calling wee are to practiſe moſt Chriſtian duties, as love to our brethren, patience, truth, fidelity, uprightneſs, as being ever under Gods eye.
3 Be not buſie in other mens Callings.3 Another point of Wiſdome in our Callings, is, not to meddle with other mens buſineſs, but follow our own cloſe. 1 Theſ. 4.11. Study to be quiet, and to do your own buſineſs. And every where the Apoſtle reproves buſie bodies, who going beyond their own bounds, thruſt their ſickle into every mans harveſt, and being out of their own places and buſineſs, intermeddle with that which no way concerns them. And theſe are diſturbers of peace and civil tranquillity, kindling and blowing up contentions for lack of other work. The ſame rule is for women alſo, that they bee not gadders, but houſe-keepers.Tit. 2.5. 4 In earthly buſineſs carry an Heavenly minde. Phil. 3.20.
4 In all earthly buſineſs, ſtudy to carry an heavenly minde. A Chriſtian while hee converſeth in earth, muſt have his converſation in Heaven. And know, that in all the ways of this preſent life, hee ought never to ſtep out of the way to eternal life. Neither ſhall a man bee a loſer by this courſe, ſeeing wee have an expreſs promiſe, that if wee ſeek Gods Kingdome firſt and principally, theſe outward things ſhould (ſo far as they are needful for us) without ſuch carking care bee caſt upon us.
5 Intend moſt the moſt neceſſary duties of them.5 As all duties of the Calling muſt bee profitable in themſelves, and for the publike good, ſo the moſt profitable muſt bee moſt intended, and ſpecially performed. A Miniſter muſt read the Word, but muſt apply himſelf more to Preaching, as being more neceſſary. A Magiſtrate muſt execute Juſtice upon tranſgreſſors of mens Laws, but eſpecially againſt open tranſgreſſors of Gods Law. Maſters of families muſt provide for the bodies and health of their family, but eſpecially for the good and ſalvation of their ſouls.