Good Conscience, Treatise · Chapter 11
CHAP. IX.
The comfort and benefit of a good Conſcience in the times of common feares and calamities, and in the times of perſonall evils, as ſickneſſe, and afflictions, for Conſcience ſake.
IN the ſecond place, let vsus ſee what the benefite and comfort of a good … & Common calamities. When the2 fort of a good Conſcience in the times of cōmon feares and calamities. world is full of ſcares▪ and dangers, and calamities breake in, how fares it then with an evil conſcience, in what taking are they that want a good conſcience? They are abſorpt with feares, and the very tydings puts them to much perplexitie, Iſa. 7. 2. Aha… is told of a confedracy between Syria & Ephraim, and ſee in what feares hee and his people were, His heart was moved, & the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. So deepely do reports and evill tydings affect them, the trees in the wood are not ſo ſhakē with the bluſtering windes, as evill Conſciences are with evill tydings. When ill newes and ill Conſciences meet, there is no ſmall feare. The ſignes that prognoſticate ſorrowfull times, ſee how deepely they affect evill Conſciences, Luke 21. 25. There ſhall be ſignes in the ſun and the moone, and in the ſtars, and vponupon the earth, diſtreſſe of Nations with perplexity, mens hearts failing them for feare, and for looking after thoſe things which are comming on the earth. But when calamity indeed comes, and not ill newes, but ill times, and ill conſciences meete, how are they then? They are then either in the caſe the Egyptians were in the famine, Gen. 47. 13. They were at their wits end; or as thoſe in a ſtorme at Sea, Pſa 107. 26. 27. Their ſoule is melted becauſe of trouble, They reele too and fro, and ſtagger like a drunken man, and all their wiſdome is ſwallowed vp. Exceſſe of feare puts them into as great diſtempers as exceſſe of wine, it vtterly ſtupifies them, and they by feare are as much bereft of the vſe of their ſenſes, wit, and wiſdom, as a drunkard is in his drunkenneſſe. Yea, their feares make them not onelyonly drunk, but ſtarke madde. Deut. 28. 34. Thou ſhalt be oppreſſed and curſed alway, ſo that thou ſhalt bee madde for the ſight of thine eyes which thou ſhalt ſee. The perplexities of an euill conſcience in evill times, are vnſpeakably grievous. Iſay doth exceeding lively deſcribe them. Iſa. 13. 7. 8. 9. Therfore ſhall all hands bee faint, and every mans heart ſhall melt, And they ſhall bee afraid, pangs and ſorrowes ſhall take hold of them, they ſhall be in pain as a woman that travells, they ſhall be a mazed one at another, their faces ſhall be as flames, &c. Hence that ſame ſtrange queſtion of the Prophets, Ier. 36. 6. Aske ye now, and ſee whether a man doth travell with childe? A ſtrange queſtion, what ſhould make the Prophet aske it? Becauſe he foreſaw ſuch ſtrange behaviour amongſt them, carrying themſelues in the ſame faſhion in the day of calamitie, that women vſe to doe in the extremity of the pangs of child-birth. Wherefore doe I ſee every man with his hands on his loynes as a woman in trauell, and all faces are turned into paleneſſe? Alas, for that day is great, ſo that none is like it, it is euen the time of Iacobs trouble. When ſuch wofull dayes befall a man, all his riches will not yeeld him a iot of comfort, Pro. 11. 4. Riches avayle not in the day of wrath. No that will no whit cheere a man at ſuch a time, They ſhall caſt their ſilver in the ſtreets, and their gold ſhall be remooued, &c. Ezek. 7. 19. This ſhall be the miſerable pickle a man ſhall bee in at ſuch a time, that wants a good Conſcience.
But now looke vponupon a man with a good Conſcience in ſuch times, and how fares it with him? Let evil tydings & times come, how is he affected therwithall? He will not be afraid of evill tydings, for his heart is fixed, Pſal. 112. 7. feare he may, but yet his Heart ſhall be free from thoſe reſtleſſe, & perplexing diſtractions wherewith all others are vexed, Luke 21. 9. When yee ſhall heare of warres and commotions bee not terrified. And Prou. 3. 25. Be not afraid of ſudden feare. There is nothing ſo armes and reſolues the heart againſt feares and evill tydings, as doth the peace and integrity of a good Conſcience. For let there be outward peace abroad in the world and freedome from all feares of warrs and combuſtions, yet little ioy and cō fort can a man hauehave therein, whileſt his conſcience proclaimes warre againſt him, and as Gods Herald ſummons him to battell, Thoſe inward warres, and rumors of warres, wofully diſtract him in the midſt of his outward peace. So cōtrarily, let there be peace within in the Conſcience, and all warres, and feares of warres huſht there, and then what ever feares and troubles are like to bee without, yet there will bee a calme, a ſerenitie, and a ſweet ſecurity within.
Becarefull, and ſo fearefull, for nothing, Phil. 4. 6. To be fearefull in nothing, is indeede an excellent happineſſe of a well compoſed minde. How might one attain thereto? How might a man bring his heart to that fixed and ſtabliſht temper? See verſe 7. The peace of God that paſſes all vnderſtanding ſhall guarde your hearts and mindes. foreign, ſhall keepe with a guard, as Kings hauehave their guards about them to ſaue their perſons from violence; ſhall guard your hearts, that is, your affections, that they run not into extremitie of impatience, diſtraction, deſperation, when feares and terrours ſhal come, ye ſhall not be tranſported with ſuch diſtracting thoughts as ſhall depriue you of the freedome of your mindes, but that you ſhall hauehave them to attend vponupon God in the greateſt of your dangers. So that a man with a good conſcience in the middeſt of all feares and combuſtions can ſing with Dauid, Pſa. 116. 7. Returne vntounto thy reſt, O my ſoule. The peace of a good Conſcience is like the ballaſt of a Ship. Let a Ship goe to Sea without ballaſt in the bottome, and eueryevery blaſt of winde is ready to ouerturne it, but being wel balaſted, though the windes blow ſtrong, yet it ſayles ſteddily and ſafely. Every blaſt of ill newes, and tydings of feare, how full of terrible apprehenſitions it filles an ill conſcience, it miſerably vnſettles and diſtracts it, whileſt a good Conſcience, what blaſts ſoeuer blows, hath its heart ſteddy and at good command.
Methinkes when I conſider Noab in his Cabine, or neſt in the Arke, with what ſecurity and quiet of heart he ſits there, notwithſtanding the clattering of the raines vponupon the Ark, the roaring of the waters, and the hideous howlings and out-cries of thoſe that were drowned in the flood, I ſee th… Embleme of a good conſcience. Tubalcain, Lamech, Iabal, Iubal, with what horrid perplexities are their ſoules diſtraught. Some climbe vp this houſe top, ſome this high tree, others flee to ſome high mountaine, and there in what horror and amazement are they, whileſt one ſees his children ſprawling, another his wiſe ſtrugling for life vponupon the face of the mercileſſe waters, but eſpecially whileſt they behold the waters riſing by little and little, and purſuing them to the houſe tops, and threatning to ſweepe them off from the heads of the Mountaines, to which they had betaken themſelues. Theſe feares and amazements were worſe then an hundreth deathes. But now all this while how is it with Noah, hee ſits dry in his cabbin, and litterally was the ſaying of the Pſalme verified of him, Surely in the floods of great waters they came not nigh vntounto him. Pſa. 32. 6. He hath his Ark pitcht within, & pitcht without, neither can the raines from aboue beate in, nor the waters from beneath leake in, let all fountaines of the great deepe bee broken vp, and the flood-gates of heaven bee opened, yet not one drop of water comes at him, and though the waters prevaile fifteene cubites aboue the high hills and mountaines, ſo that they be covered, yet Noah hee is out of all feare, let them riſe as high as they will, yet ſhall hee keepe aboue them ſtill. Iuſt ſuch is the condition, and happineſſe of a man with a good Conſcience in ſad times. Whileſt the high hils and mountaines are covered, the great and braue ſpirits of the world are overwhelmed with feare, are poſſeſt with dreadfull apprehenſions, ſo as they know not which way to look, nor which way to take, even then a man with a good conſcience hath a ſtrange quiet of heart, is full of ſweet ſecurity and reſolution, & amids all the ſhrikes, howlings, and wringing of hands of earthly men, by patience poſſeſſes his ſoule, is maſter of himſelfe, and compoſes his ſoule to reſt. His Ark is pitcht within & without. The peace of God, and the peace of a good Conſcience, keeps the waterfloods from comming into his ſoule. The raine & the waues they beat vponupon the Arke, but yet they pierced it not. A man with a good Cō ſcience may fall into, & may be ſwept away with cōmon calamities: yet how euer it fare with his outward man, yet his ſoule is free from that horrour, and thoſe madding perplexities wherwithall wicked ones are overtaken. The peace of a good Conſcience ſhall keep off theſe diſtracting feares from his minde, Though he cannot be free happily from the common deſtructions, yet ſhall he be free from the common diſtractions of the world. There be two things in common calamities, The ſword without, and terror within, Deut. 32. 25. & the latter of the two is the worſe by farre. Now here is the benefit of a good Cō ſcience, though it doe not ſaue alwayes from the ſword without, yet it deliuers alwaies from the terror within, which giues a terrible edge to the ſword, and which being remoued, the ſword is nothing ſo terrible. When the Canaanites were deſtroyed by Iſrael, there was a double ſorrow and ſmart vponupon them. The ſword of the Iſraelites, and Gods Hornet, Ioſh. 24. 12. What was that Hornet? Nothing elſe but that diſtracting and perplexing feare and terror wherewith God filled their hearts, as appeares, Exodus 23. 27. 28. There is no Hornet can ſo vexe with his ſting, as theſe terrors vexe evill Conſciences in evill dayes. Now here is the priviledge of good Conſciences, though they may ſmart with the ſword, yet this hornet ſhall not ſting them, nor fill their hearts with that throbbing anguiſh, that theſe terrors in times of calamitie put evill Conſciences to.
A ſweet motiue to make any in louelove with a good Conſcience. Whileſt we looke vponupon the evils of the times, wee cannot but looke for evill times. Look we vponupon our ſinnes, and Gods adminiſtration abroad; vponupon the malice and policies of the adverſaries of Gods grace, and what doe theſe but prognoſticate heavie things. Now ſuppoſe a flood ſhould come, would wee not be glad of an Arke, & ſuch a cabbin therein as ſhould keepe out the wa…ers from our ſoules? Get then the pitch of a good Conſcience, & thou ſhalt ſit like Noah, if not free from the waters, yet free from the feares of Lamech, & Tubalcain, which are worſe then the waters. For the feares of ſuch evils are more bitter and vnſufferable then the evils themſelues. Suppoſe, I ſay, a flood ſhould come, who would not giuegive a kingdome for an Arke well pitcht? Suppoſe calamity ſhould come, who would not giuegive a world for a good Conſcience then? Iabal Gen. 4. 20. hee is buſie in building of tents, and he is among his flocks and cattell, and Iubal, Gen. 4. 21. hee is wholly vponupon his merry pins, at his Harpe and Organs; He and his take the Timbrel, and the Harpe, and reioyce at the ſ…d of the Organ, Iob. 21▪ 12. And theſe iolly ioviall laddes giuegive poore Noah many a drie flout, many a ſcornfull ſcoffe whileſt hee is building his Arke, & aske what this brainſicke and mad fellow meanes to make ſuch a veſſell, whether he meant to ſayle on the dry land, or to make a Sea when he made his Ship? I, but when the flood is come, and the waters begin to bee chin deepe, then aske Iabal whether building of tents or building of an Ark be the wiſer worke, then whether is better Noahs Arke, or Iubals pipes? Now that the flood is come, and theſe come perhaps wading middle deepe to the Arke ſide, and bellow and howle to Noah to open the Arke to them: Now would not Iabal giuegive all his tents, and all his cattell, but to bee but where Noahs dog lies, would not Iubal now giuegive all his pipes and merriment, to hauehave but the place that an hogge had in the Arke. Now Iubal let vsus heare one of your merrie ſongs, pipe now and make your ſelfe merry with gybing at Noahs ſolly, in making a Ship to ſayle on dry land. What ayleſt thou Iubal to howle and wring thine hands thus? where is thine Harp & Orgās now? cheer vp thy ſoule now with theſe vanities. Now the flood is come, now Noth is in the Arke, now Sirs, you that are ſuch men of renowne, Gen. 6. 4. you that were the braue gallants of the earth, now tell me, who is the foole, & who is the wiſe man now?
How many in the dayes of peace make light of a good Conſcience, yea if they ſee others to bee but carefull in rigging of this Shippe, and pitching, and trimming vp ſuch an Arke, how ready are they to ſpend their byting ſcoffes, and their tart ieſts vponupon them; but if euer times of trouble and calamity, & a fire-flood of Gods wrath. Nah. 1. 6. 8, ſhould breake in, then would a good cōſcience hold vp the head with much comfort and reſolution, whileſt thoſe that formerly made a ieaſt of a good Conſcience, ſhould hauehave a king, and quaking … of thoſe vnmeaſurable fears that ſhall ceaſe vponupon them. A good Conſcience will make a man muſick, when Iubal ſhal be glad not onelyonly to put vp, but with indignation & anguiſh of heart to throw away and curſe his pipes. Well fare a good Conſcience in euill dayes. Pitch and trim vp this Arke, there is no ſuch prouiſion againſt euill dayes, as is a good Conſcience. It will doe a man ſervice, and ſupport him, when all the braue ſpirits of the earth ſhal be blank, and at their wits end.
In the third place, the benefite and3 The comfort of a good Conſcience in Time of Sickneſſe. comfort of a good Conſcience, is Conſpicuous in the time of Sickneſſe, or a mans priuate and perſonall croſſes in his eſtate, &c. A ſicke man with an hayle Conſcience, is a cheary and a comfortable man, Pro, 13. 14. The ſpirit of a man will ſuſteine his infirmitie; that is, the ſpirit it ſelfe being hayle, and ſound, it will enable him to beare any bodily ſicknes. But a wounded ſpirit who can beare, yea a wounded or a ſicke body, who can cōfortably … But let the Conſcience be good and ſound, and it helps a man with great eaſe and comfort, to beare the ſicknes of the body. It is a ſhrewd burden to beare two ſickneſſes at once, to hauehave a ſick body, & a ſick Cōſcience. A man ſhal find enough of the eaſieſt of them ſingle and alone. But yet an bayle conſcience in an infirme body, ſweetly helps our infirmitie. Let a man hauehave ever ſo hayle and healthfull a body, yet if the conſcience be naught, & withal awakened, falls to galling, & griping, he ſhall finde but little ioy in his bodily health; ſo contrarily, let a mans Conſcience be good, and though his body be ſicke, & weake, yet is it a great deale of ſweet refreſhment that it ſhall receiue from the conſciēce.
Sickneſſe in it ſelfe is exceeding vncomfortable, and in the time of ſicknes commonly all bodily comforts, the comforts of meates, drinkes, & ſleepe fayle; yea but then here is the benefit of a good conſcience, that wil not then fayle, but as it is ſayd, Eccl. 10. …9. Money anſwers all things, ſo a good conſcience anſwers all things, the comfort of it ſupplies the want of all other comforts. When in ſicknes the comfort of meate, drinke, and ſleepe is gone, they are all found againe in the comfort of a good Conſcience, that will be meat, drinke, that will be reſt and ſleepe, that will make a mans ſick-bed ſoft, and eaſie, that ſhall be as the Angels were to Chriſt in his hunger in the Wildernes, they miniſtred vntounto him, and ſo will a good conſcience miniſter comfort in the want of all other comforts, ſo that a man may ſay of a good▪ Conſcience, as we vſe to ſay of ſome ſolid, ſubſtantial diſh, that there are Patirdge, Pheaſant, and Quailes in it; ſo though outward comforts ceaſe their office, and their work be ſuſpended, yet a good conſcience comes in their roome, & in it are meat, drinke, ſleepe, eaſe, refreſhment, and what not? A good conſcience is an Electuary, or a Cordiall that hath all theſe ingredients in it. There is no ſuch Cordiall to a ſicke man, as the Cordiall of a good conſcience. All Phyſitions to this Phyſition are but ſuch Phyſitions as Iobs friends. Iob 13. 4. Ye are Phyſitions of no value. A motiue of great weight to make men in louelove with a good conſcience. Who can be free from ſicknes, and how tedious and weariſome a time, is the time of ſicknes. Now who would not make much of a Cordiall that might cheare him then, of a receipt that might feede him then? As then we would be glad of a chearfull, and comfortable ſpirit vp on our ſicke beds, ſo make much of a good Conſcience. Whence is it that moſt men in their ſickneſſes hauehave ſuch drooping ſpitits, lye groaning altogether vnderunder their bodily paines, or lye ſottiſhly and ſenſeleſly, no ſenſe of any thing but paine, and ſicknes? Meerely from the want of a good Conſcience, they hauehave laid vp no Cordiall, no comfortable Electuary for themſelues in their health time againſt the day of ſicknes. Indeed you ſhall hauehave the miſerable comforters of the world on this maner chearing them; Why, how now man, where is your heart? Plucke vp a good heart man, neuer feare for a little ſicknes, &c. True indeed, they ſhould not need to feare, if they could plucke vp a good heart. But they that will pluck it vp when they are ſick, muſt lay it vp when they are well. He that hath a good conſcience to get when he lyes vpō his ſick-bed, is like a man that hath his Aqua vitae to buy when he is fallen into a ſwoune; A wiſe man that feares ſwouning, would hauehave his hot-waterbottle hanging alwaies ready at his beds-head. But as in other croſles by ſicknes and the like, ſo is the comfort of a good conſcience, neuer more ſweet, then when a man is vnderunder the croſſe for conſcience ſake, & ſuffers affliction and vexation to keepe a good conſcience. Then aboue al other times will conſcience doe the office of a Cō forter, and will ſtand to him that will ſtand for it. When Nebuchadnezzar heates his Fornace ſeauen times hotter then at other times, then a good Conſcience will ſpeak comfort ſeuen times ſweeter then at other times.
Are Gods Saints for good ConſcienceFox Acts and Mon. Omnis nobis vilis eſt poena, vbi purae comes eſt conſcientia Tiburt apud Baron An 168. ſake in priſon? Good Conſcience will make their priſons delectable hortiards, So doth Algerius an Italian Martyr date a comfortable Epiſtle of his, From the delectable hortyarde of the Leo nine priſon, a priſon in V…nice ſo called. So that as he ſaid, that he had rather be in priſon with Cato, then with Coeſar in the Senate houſe, ſo in this regard it was more cōfortable to be with Philpot in the Cole-houſe, then with Bonner in his Pallace. Bonners Conſcience made his Pallace a Cole-houſe, and a Dungeon, whilſt Philpots made the Cole-houſe a Pallace.
Are Gods Saints in the Stocks? Better it is, ſayes Philpot, to ſit in the Stocks of the world, then in the Stocks of a damnable Co…ſcience. Therfore though they be in the Stockes, yet euen then, the righteous doth ſing and reioyce, yea, euen in the Stockes, and priſon; Paul and Silas ſang in the Stockes. Sing inHinc eſt quod è contrarioinnocens etiam inter ipſae tormenta fruitur Cō ſcientiae ſecuritaete, et cum de poena metuat de innocentia gloriaetur. Hierony. ad Demetri▪ ad ep. 1. the Stockes? Nay more, they can ſing in the flames, and in the midſt of the fires. Iſ. 24. 15. Glorifie God in the fires. And worthy Hawkes could clap his hands in the midſt of the flames. So great and ſo paſſing all vnderſtanding is the peace & comfort of a good conſcience. So that in ſome ſenſe, that may be ſayd of it which is ſpoken of faith. Heb. 11. 34, By it they quenched the violence of fire. Gods ſervants were ſo rapt, & rauiſht with the ſenſe of Gods louelove, and their inward peace of Conſcience, that they ſeemd to hauehave a kind of happy dedolency, and want of feeling of the ſmart of outward torments.
Who knowes what tryalls God may bring him to? We hauehave no patent for our peace, nor this free liberty in the profeſſion of the Goſpell. Suppoſe we ſhould be cald to the ſtake for Chriſts ſake. Would we be chearefull, would we ſing in the flames? Get a good Cō ſcience. The cauſe of Chriſt is a good cauſe, now with a good cauſe get a good conſcience, and we ſhall be able with all cheerfulnes to lay downe our liues for Chriſt, and his Goſpell ſake.