Good Conscience, Treatise · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Two markes of a good Conſcience.
THus wee ſee how a good Conſcience may be had; it followes wee conſider how it may bee knowne, and be diſcerned to be had. The markes and notes by which a good Conſcience may be knowne, are ſeven.
1. This in the text. In all good Conſcience.1. Nore of good conſcience. Conſcience in all things. It is a good note of a good conſcience, when a man makes conſcience of all things, all duties, & all ſins. There bee that hauehave naturall Conſciences principled by ſome generall grounds of nature, and it may bee ſo farre as theſe rules carry them may make ſome Conſcience, but their principles comming ſhort, they muſt needs alſo come as ſhort of a good Conſcience: I hauehave liued ſayes Paul here, in all good Conſcience, and Heb. 13. 18. Wee truſt wee hauehave a good Conſcience in all things. It is a good Conſcience when a mans life, all his life is a life of Conſcience, when in all his life, and the whole tenour thereof he makes Conſcience of all that God commands, and forbids, Pſalm. 119. 6. Then ſhall I not bee aſhamed (what breeds ſhame but euill conſcience?) when I hauehave reſpect vntounto all thy commandements. When all are reſpected there is no ſhame, becauſe where all are reſpected there is good Conſcience, and where good Conſcience is, there is no ſhame. That argued Davids good Conſcience, Pſal. 119. 101. I hauehave refrayned my feet from every evill way.
Try mens Conſciences by this, and it will diſcouer a great deale of evill Conſcience in the world. Many a morall man makes Conſcience of doing his neighbour the leaſt wrong, hee will not wring or pinch any man, payes eueryevery man his owne, deales fairely and ſquarely in his commerce, there is no man can ſay blacke is his eye, you ſhall hauehave him thanke God that he hath as good a Conſcience as the beſt. Theſe are good things, and ſuch things as men ought to make Conſcience of, but yet here is not enough to make a good Conſcience. A good Conſcience muſt be all good Conſcience, or it is no good Conſcience. Now indeed theſe men may hauehave good Conſciences before men, but my text tels vsus that wee muſt liue in all good Conſcience before God. And Paul ioynes them two together, Act. 24. 13. And herein doe I exerciſe my ſelfe to hauehave a good Conſcience voyde of offence towards God, & towards men. Now be it that theſe hauehave good Conſcience before men, yet what hauehave they before God? Alas they are miſerably ignorant in the things of God, no Cōſciences to acquaint themſelues with his truth, no conſcience of prayer in their families, of reading the Scriptures, no conſcience of an oath, and as little of the Sabbath, and the private duties thereof. How farre are theſe from good conſcience.
Others againe ſeeme to make conſcience of their duties before God, but in the meane time no Conſcience of duties of Iuſtice in the ſecond Table, make no conſcience of oppreſſion, racking rents, covetouſnes, over-reaching, &c. theſe are no better conſciences then the former, neither are good becauſe they liue not in all good Conſcience. Thus may a man diſcover the naughtie Conſciences of moſt. Iehu ſeemes wondrons zealous for the Lord, and ſeemes to be a man of a ſingular good conſcience in the demoliſhing the Temple of Baal, and putting to death his Prieſts. I but if Iehu make Conſcience of letting Baals Temple ſtand, why doth he not as well make Cōſcience of letting Ieroboams Calues ſtand. If Iehu had had a good conſcience, he would as ill hauehave brookt Ieroboams as Iezebels Idolatry; he would hauehave purged the Land of all Idols.
Herod ſeemes to make ſome Conſcience of an oath. Mark. 6. 26. For his oathes ſake he would not reiect her. It is ioy of him that he is a man of ſo good Conſcience. I, but in the meane time why makes he no Conſcience of Inceſt and Murther? Hee feares and makes Conſcience to breake an vnlawfull oath, but makes no Conſcience to cut an holy Prophets throate. Who would not hauehave thought Saul to hauehave beene a man of a very good Conſcience, ſee how like a man of good Conſcience he ſpeakes. 1. Sam. 14. 34. Sinne not againſt the Lord in eating with the blood. Hee would hauehave the people make Conſcience of eating with the blood, and indeed it was a thing to bee made Conſcience of. I but he that makes Conſcience of eating the fleſh of Sheepe and Oxen with the blood, like a bloody hearted tyrant, as he was, he makes no Conſcience of ſucking, and ſhedding the blood of foureſcore and fiue of Gods Prieſts. Iuſt the conſcience of his blood-hound Doeg. 1. Sam. 21. 7. Doeg was there that day deteyned before the Lord. How deteyned? eyther out of a religious Conſcience of the Sabbaths, or by occaſion of a vow, the man made conſcience of going before the Sabbath were ended, or the dayes of his vow finiſht. A thing indeed to be made conſcience of, men ought not to depart from Gods houſe till holy ſeruices be finiſht, a dutie that even the Prince muſt make conſcience of. Ezek. 46. 10. Who therefore would not iudge this Edomite a conſcionable Proſelyte. I, but why then makes hee no conſcience of lying. Pſa. 25. Why no conſcience of being inſtrumentall to Sauls Iniuſtice in that barbarous villany of ſlaying, not onelyonly innocent men, but innocent Prieſts of the Lord? Such were the conſciences of the chiefe Prieſts. Mat. 27. 6. How like honeſt conſcionable men they ſpeake? It is not lawfull for to put them into the treaſury, becauſe it is the price of blood. Sure it is great conſcience ought to be made of bringing the price of blood into the Temple treaſure; Are they not then men of good Conſcience, It is not lawfull, ye ſee they will not doe that which is not lawfull. It is well, but tell me, is it not lawful to take the price of blood, and is it lawfull to giuegive a price for blood? Ought there not a conſcienceQualis haec innocentiae ſimulatio? pecuniam ſanguinis non mittere in Arcam, & ipſum ſanguinem mittere in Conſcientiam. Auguſt. to be made of blood, as well as of the price of blood? They make a Conſcience of receiuing the price of blood into the treaſury, they make no Conſcience of receiuing the guilt of blood into their Conſciences. Iuſt ſuch conſciences as they had. Ioh. 18. 28. They would not goe into the Iudgement hall lest they ſhould be defiled, but that they might eate the Paſſeouer. Indeed a man ſhould make great conſcience of preparation to the Sacrament, and take great heed that he come not thither defiled; But ſee their naughtie conſcience. They make conſcience of being defiled by going into the Iudgement hall, but make no conſcience of being defiled with the blood of an Innocent. Such was the conſcience of the Iewes. Ioh. 19. 31. they make Conſcience of the body of Chriſt hanging vponupon the Croſſe on the Sabbath, but with what Conſcience hauehave they hanged it on the Croſſe at all? This was iuſt like to thoſe that Socrates ſpeakes of, who made great conſcience of keeping holy-dayes, yet made no conſcience of vncleaneneſſe, that was but an indifferent thing with them. As if Conſcience were not rather to bee made of keeping our veſſells in holines, our bodies, then dayes holy? Remarkeable in this kinde is that dealing of the Iewes with Paul. 2 Cor. 11. 24. Of the Iewes fiue times receiued I fortie ſtripes ſaue one. If we looke into the Law. Deut. 25. 1. 2. 3. it runs thus, If there be a Controverſie, &c. and it ſhall be if the wicked man be worthy to bee beaten, the Iudge ſhall cauſe him to lie downe, and to bee beaten before his face according to his fault by a certaine number, fortie ſtripes hee may giuegive him and not exceed. Now ſee the good conſcience of theſe Iewes, they might giuegive forty ſtripes, but not beyond that number might they goe. Now they make ſo much conſcience of exceeding the number of fortie, that they giuegive Paul but nine and thirtie. Thus they make Conſcience of the number, but no conſcience of the fact. They make conſcience of giuing about fortie, but with what conſcience doe they giuegive him any at all. The text not onelyonly preſcribes the number of ſtripes, but the condition of the perſon, namely, that he be worthy to be beaten, and he muſt be puniſhed according to his fault. Now ſee theſe men make Conſcience of the law for the number, but make no conſcience of the law, that will hauehave only wicked men, and ſuch as are worthy to be beaten, to bee ſo vſed. Theſe be the good conſciences of wicked men, they make ſeeme of making conſcience in ſome one thing, but make no conſcience of ten others, it may be of farre greater weight, and neceſſitie, and herein diſcover they the naughtines of their conſciences. The conſcience therfore is not to be iudged good for one, or ſome good actions. Ioab turned not after Abſolom, but he turned after Adoniah. 1 King. 2. 28. Whereas a good conſcience that turnes neither to the right hand nor to the left, would hauehave turned neither after Adoniah no… Abſolom. A good conſcience and a good converſation muſt goe together. 1 Pet. 3. 16. Having a good conſcience, that they may be aſhamed that falſcly accuſe your good converſation. One good action makes not a good converſation, nor a good Conſcience, but then a mans converſation may be ſaid to bee good, when in his whole courſe hee is carefull to doe all good duties, and to avoyd all ſins, and ſuch a good converſation is a ſigne of a good Conſcience.
To doe ſome good things, & not all,Nune autem in hoc maior offenſa eſt quod partem ſententiae ſacrae pro commodorum noſtrorum vtilitate deligimus, partem pro dei iniuria praeterimu…, …t maxime cū & terreſtres domini nequa quam aequo animo tolerandum putent ſi iuſſiones ſuas ſervi ex parte audiant, & ex parte contemnant. Si enim pro arbitrio ſuo ſervi dominis obtemperant, ne in iis quidem in quibus obtemperaverint, obſequuntur, &c. Salvian de provid 2. Note of a good conſcience. Conſcience of ſmall Duties. is no more a ſigne of a good conſcience, then to doe ſome things onelyonly which his maſter requires, and to neglect other ſome, is no ſign of a good ſervant. A good ſervants commendation is to doe all his maſters buſines he enioynes him. Wee would hold him but an holy-day ſervant, and an idle companion, that when his maſter hath ſet him his ſeverall workes to doe, he will doe which him pleaſes, and leaue the other vndone. This were not to doe his maſters, but to doe his owne will, and to ſerue his own turne rather then his maſters: So for a man to make choyce of duties, and to picke out ſome particulars, wherein hee will yeeld obedience to God, and to paſſe by others as not ſtanding with his profits, pleaſures, and luſts, this will neuer gaine a man the commendation of a good Conſcience, whoſe goodneſſe muſt be knowne by making conſcience of all things. Then hauehave Gods ſervants good Conſciences, when it can be ſaid of them as Shaphan ſpeakes of Ioſiah his ſeruants. 2 Chron. 34. 16. All that was committed to thy ſeruants, they doc it.
2. To make conſcience of ſmall Duties, and ſmall ſinnes. This alſo riſes out of the text. All good Conſcience. If of all things, then of ſmall things. It might hauehave beene comprehended vnderunder the former, but yet for Conviction ſake I diſtinguiſh them. The good Conſcience makes not conſcience onelyonly of great duties, and ſins, but even of the leaſt, knowing that as Gods great power and omnipotence is the ſame in the making of an Angell and a worme, ſo Gods authoritie, wiſedome and holineſſe is the ſame in the leaſt Commandements as in the greateſt of them all. It makes conſcience ſpecially of Iudgement, and the weightie matters of the law, but yet doth not therefore thinke it ſelfe diſcharged of all care in ſmaller things, doth not therevpon challenge a diſpenſation from obedience in meaner matters, as if it were needleſſe ſcrupuloſity, and too much preciſeneſſe to tythe Mint, Aniſe, and Cummin. A Cummin-ſeed indeed is but a ſmall thing, a very toy, but yet as ſmall a thing, and as light as it is, yet will it lye heavie vponupon a good Conſcience, being iniuriouſly and fraudulently deteyned from the Levites. The Phariſes tythed Mint, Aniſe, and Cummin, but they neglected the weighty matters of the Law. It is no good Conſcience that lookes to ſmall, and neglects great duties, neither is it a good conſcience on the other ſide that looks after the great and weightie duties, and makes no reckoning of Mint and Aniſe. Our Saviour ſayes both ought to be done. Pharaoh could be content that the people ſhould goe ſacrifice, but hee cannot abide that Moſes ſhould be ſo peeviſhly preciſe, that not an hoofe ſhall be left behinde. Alas, an hoofe is but a toy, not worth the mentioning, what need Moſes be ſo ſtrict as to ſtand vponupon an hoofe? Yet a good Conſcience will ſtand vponupon it, having Gods Cōmandement, & will make Conſcience as well of carrying away hoofs as of whole bodies of cattell. It is with a good Cōſcience as it is with the apple of the eye, of al the parts of the body it is the moſt tender, not onelyonly of ſome great ſhiues, or ſplints vnderunder the eye-lid, but even the ſmalleſt haire and duſt grieues, and offends it. It is ſo with a tender good conſcience, not onelyonly beames, but alſo moats diſquiet the eye of a good conſcience, and not onelyonly greater, and fowler ſins, but even ſuch as the world counts veniall trifles doe offend it. A good Conſcience ſtraines not onelyonly at a camell, but at a gnat alſo. Neither doth our Sauiour blame the Phariſes ſimply for ſtrayning at a Gnat, but for their hypocriſie, who would pretend Conſcience in ſmaller things, & meane while made none in the greater; for otherwiſe a good conſcience indeede hath a narrow paſſage for a Gnat, as well as for a Camell. The leaſt corn of grauell galles his foote that hath a ſtreight ſhooe, but he that hath a large wide ſhooe, ſlopping about his foot, it is no trouble to him. It is iuſt ſo with Conſciences good and euill.
A Gnat is but a ſmall thing, yet Pope Hadrian the fourth was choakt with aBal. pag. of Popes pag. 97. Gnat, and one fly though but a ſmall thing to a whole box of oyntment, yet dead flies as ſmall things as they are, cauſe the oyntment of the Apothecary to ſend forth a ſtinking ſavour. Eccl. 10. 1. & ſo doth a little folly, though but little doe a great deale of hurt. And therefore a good cōſcience liues by Salomons rule, GiueGive not water a paſſage, no not a little. And takes not onelyonly the Foxes, but the little Foxes, which ſpoyle not only the Vines, but the tender Grapes. Cant. 2. 15. It knowes a little will make way for much. Pharaoh is content that the people, the men ſhould go Sacrifice, Exod. 10. but their little ones ſhould not goe. he knew if hee had but their little ones with him, he ſhould be ſure enough of their returne, therefore Moſes will not onelyonly hauehave the men goe, but their little ones alſo. And therefore a good cō ſcience deales with Satan as Marcus Arethuſius Putantes pauperē vel medietatē petebant pecuniarū, no viſsime vel paucū aliquid exigebant. Quibus ait, nec obolum vnum pro omnibus da bo. Hiſt. Tripart. l. 6. c. 12. Ad impietatem inquit, obolū conferre vnum perinde valet ac ſi quis conferat omnia. Theodoroit. l. 3. cap. 7,dealt with his tormentours, who hauing pulled downe an Idolatrous Temple, & being vrged by them to giuegive ſo much as would build it vp againe, refuſed it; They vrged him to giuegive but halfe, he ſtill refuſed; They vrged him at laſt to giuegive but a little towards it, but he refuſed to giuegive them ſo much as one halfe-penny, No not an halfe-penny ſayes he, for it is as great wickednes to conferre one halfe-penny in caſe of Impietie, as if a man ſhould beſtow the whole. What was a poore half-penny, it was a very ſmall matter; ſpecially conſidering in what torture hee was, from which an half-penny gift would hauehave releaſed him. Indeed an half-penny is but a little, but yet it is more then a good conſcience dares giuegive to the maintenance of idolatrous worſhip. A good conſcience will not giuegive ſo much as a farthing token to ſuch an vſe, as little a thing as it is. For he that is faithfull in that which is leaſt, is faithfull alſo in much, & he that is vniuſt in the leaſt, is vniuſt alſo in much Luc. 16. 10. Euen the leaſt things are as great trials of a good conſcience as the greateſt. A good conſcience will not gratifie Satan, nor neglect God, no not in a little.
Put mens conſciences now vponupon this trial. Who cracks not of his good conſcience, there be none if they may bee beleeued, but they hauehave goood conſciences. But why are they good? They can ſwallow no Camells. Well yeeld them that, though if their entrals were well ſearcht, a man might finde huge bunch backt camells, that hauehave gone down their gullets. They can ſwallow no camells, but what ſay they to gnats, can they ſwallow them? Tuſh, Gnats are nothing, whole ſwarmes of them can goe downe their throats, and they neuer once cough for the matter. Fowle and groſſe ſcandalls, ſuch as are infamous amongſt meere heathen, ſuch Camels they ſwallow not, but what ſay they to vnſauory and naughtie thoughts, which their hearts proſecute with delight, what ſay they to them? Gnatts doe not ſwarme more abundantly in the fennes, then ſuch vile thoughts doe in their hearts. The prodigious oaths of wounds, & bloud, the damned language of Ruffians, and the Monſters of the earth, oh their hearts would tremble to hauehave ſuch words paſſe out of their mouths, but yet what ſay they to the neater, and Civilified Complements of Faith & Troth, tuſh theſe are trifles, meere Gnatts, alas, that you ſhall ſtand vponupon ſuch niceties. To rob a man vponupon the high way, or to breake vp a mans houſe in the night, this is a monſtrous Camell, but in buying and ſelling to ouer-teach a neighbour a ſhilling or two, a penny or two, what ſay they to that, oh God forbid they ſhould be ſo ſtrictly dealt withall, that is a ſmall thing, their throats are not ſo narrow but theſe Gnats will goe downe eaſily enough. To beare falſe witnes in a open Court of Iuſtice, or to be guilty of pillory periury, theſe be fowle things, but to lye a litle for a mans advantage, or to make another man merriment, what think they of this? This is a very Gnat, they are aſhamed to ſtrayne thereat. Tell many a man of his ſinne in which he lyes, that his ſinne and a good conſcience cānot ſtand together, what is his anſwer, but as L…t of Zoar, It is not a little one. Gen. 19. 20. But the truth is, that theſe little ones are great euidences of euill Conſcience. It is but a dreame to thinke our Conſciences good that make no Conſcience of ſmal ſinnes, and duties.
The conſcionable Nazarite, Now did not only make conſcience of guzzling and quaffing whole cups of wine, but of eating but an huske, and a kernell of a Grape. What a trifle is the kernell of a Grape, and yet a good cō ſcience will care to pleaſe God as well in abſtinence from the kernell as from the cup. Indeed when Dauid had defiled and hardened his conſcience with his adultery, then hee could cut Vriahs throat, and his heart ſmites him not for it, but when vnderunder his affliction, his conſcience was tender & good, his heart ſmites him but for cutting Sauls coate. 1. Sam. 24. 5. See the nature of a good conſcience, it will ſmite not onelyonly for cutting Sauls throat, but for cutting Sauls coat, but for an appearance, vponupon a ſuſpition, and but a iealouſie of euill.
Paul ſpeaks of a pure Conſcience, 2 Tim 1. 3. Now it is with a pure conſcience as it is with pure religion. Iam. 1. 17. Pure religion and vndefiled, is to keepe a mans ſelfe vnſpotted of the world. It hates not onelyonly wallowing with the Sow in the myre, but is ſhy of very ſpots; and hates not onelyonly the fleſh but the garment, not only that is groſſely beſmeared, but which is but ſpotted with the fleſh. Iude 23. according to that Ceremoniall, Levit. 15. 17. And this is that which differences civilitie and a good conſcience, Civiltie ſhunnes mire, but is not ſo trimme as to waſh off ſpots, this is the pure Religion of a pure Conſcience. Pure Religion and vndefiled, is to keepe a mans ſelfe vnſpotted, therefore they who are not vnſpotted, are not vndefiled, but if their Conſciences bee but ſpotted, yet are they defiled. Mens Conſciences are as their Religion is, and pure Religion is ſpotleſſe.
Yea to cloſe this point, the greateſt evidence of a good cōſcience is in making conſcience of ſmal things. Whilſt men feare great ſinnes, or are careful ofProbat enim etiam in maiorib▪ ſi r… …xigat executorem ſe ido…eum fore à qu… minora cō pleantur. Salvi…n▪ de provid. l. 3. maine duties, it may bee their reputation and credit may ſway them, which otherwiſe would bee impeached. So that in them it may be a queſtion, whether it be conſcience or credite, that is the firſt moover, but in ſmall things where there is no credit to be had, nay, for ſcrupling whereof, a man may rather receiue ſome diſcredit from the world, heere it is more evident that good conſcience ſets a man on. This then is a note of a good conſcience, to make Conſcience, as of ſmall duties, ſo of ſmall ſinnes, as he that feares poyſon feares to take a droppe, as well as a draught, and men feare not onelyonly whē a firebrand is thruſt into, but when a ſparke lights vponupon their thatch.