Good Conscience, Treatise · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Three other notes of a good Conſcience.
A Third note of a good Conſcience may be this. It loues and likes a Miniſtrie and ſuch Miniſters as preach3. Note of good conſcience. To louelove a Miniſtry that ſpeaks home to the Conſcience. and ſpeake to the Conſcience. It likes ſuch a diſpenſation of the Word as comes home to it▪ whether for direction or reproofe. The Word is the rule of conſcience, and a good conſcience is deſirous to know the rule it muſt liue by. The Word muſt iudge the conſcience, this eueryevery good conſcience knowes, and therefore grudges not to be reprooved by it, as knowing that if it will not abide the Words reproofe, it muſt abide the Words iudgement. Therefore a man with a good conſcience ſpeakes as Samuel, Speake Lord, thy ſeruant heares. He can ſuffer the words of exhortation, and not count himſelfe to ſuffer whilſt it is done. He is of Dauids minde, Let the righteous ſmite me, and it ſhall be a kindneſſe; let him reproue me and it ſhall be an excellent oyle which ſhall not breake mine head. Pſal. 141. 5. It is with good conſcience as with good eyes that can abide the light, and can delight in it, whereas ſicke and ſore eyes are troubled and offended therewith. A ſound heart is like ſound fleſh that can abide not onelyonly touching, but alſo rubbing and chafing, and yet a man will not bee put into a chafe thereby, whereas contrarily if the leaſt thorne or vnſoundneſſe bee therein, aTu ſcis Deus noſter quod tunc de Alipioab illa peſte ſa nando non cogitaverim. At ille in ſe rapuit me que illud non niſi prop…er ſe dixiſſe credidit, & quod alius acciperet ad ſuccenſendum mihi accepit honeſtus adoleſcens ad ſuccenſendum ſibi, & ad me ardentius diligendum. Aug. conf. li. 6. ca. 7▪ touch at vnawares prouokes a man, if not to ſmite, yet to angry words, and language of diſpleaſure. Vnſound fleſh loues to bee ſtroakt, and to be handled gently, the leaſt roughneſſe puts into a rage. That is the ingenuitie of a good Conſcience, which was the good diſpoſition of Alipius, when hee was vnwittingly taxed by Anguſtine for his Theatricall vanities; hee was ſo farre from being angry with him, though he conceined him purpoſely to ayme at him, that hee was rather angry with himſelfe, and loued Auguſtine ſo much the better.
Put mens Conſciences vponupon this triall, and we ſhal ſee what the Conſciences of moſt men are. Let a man preach in an vnprofitable maner, let him ſpēd himſelfe in idle curioſities & ſpeculalations, let him be in combate with obſolete or forraine hereſies, ſo long their Miniſter is a faire and a good Churchman. But let him do as God commāds Ezekiel to doe, Ezek. 14. 4. Anſwer them according to their Idols, preach to their neceſſities, let them call them & preſſe them to holy duties, and reprove themScio me of fenſurum quàm plurimos qui generalem de vitiis diſputation…m in ſuam referunt contumeliam, et dum mihi iraſcuntur ſuā iudicant conſcientiam, multo que prius de ſe quam de me iudicant. Hieron. ad Ruſtic. Monach. for their vnholy practices, and make knowne vntounto them what evill Conſciences they hauehave: what then is their carriage and behauiour? Euen that Amos 5 10. They hate him that rebukes in the gate, & they abhorre him that ſpeakes vprightly. This Miniſtrie that comes to the Conſcience will not down with them. It lets in too much light vponupon them, & Ahab hates Michaiah for drawing the curteines ſo wide open, he cannot endure ſuch punctuall and particular preaching that clappes ſo cloſe to his Conſcience. A plaine ſigne that Ahab hath a rotten and an vnſound Conſcience. Michaiah could not be more punctuall with Ahab then Iſaiah was with Hezekiah, Iſa. 39. 6. 7. And yet what ſayes Ezekiah? Good is the Word of the Lord which thou haſt ſpoken, as if he had ſaid, a good Sermon, a good Preacher, all good. Whence comes this good entertainment of ſo harſh a meſſage! Hezekiah had a good Conſcience, and therefore though the meſſage went againſt the hayre, yet hee could giuegive good words, Let the rightious ſmite me, and it ſhall be a kindneſse, Pſal. 141. I, but that is when the righteous ſmites the righteous, what if the Prophet ſmite Amaziah? He will threaten to ſmit him againe, 2. Chron. 25. 16. For beare, why ſhouldeſt thou be ſmitten? What if Paul preach of a good Conſcience, and ſo make Ananias his Conſcience to ſmite him? Ananias will command the ſtanders by to ſmite him on the mouth. Now let all the ſtanders by iudge whether Ananias hauehave any good Conſcience in him, who cannot brooke the preaching of good Conſcience. Let men profeſſe they know God as long as they wil, yet if they ſlight the word, or ſwell at it, or bee diſobedient to it when it is layd to their Conſcience, Paul makes it a manifeſt ſigne of a defiled conſcience, Tit. 1. 15. 16. Their minde and their conſcience is defiled. How appeares that? They profeſſe they know God, but they are diſobedient. When therefore the Miniſtrie of the Word ſhall charge thee with dutie, or reproove thee for ſin, and then thou ſhalt charge the Miniſter with rayling, and girding and that this Sermon was made for the nonce for thee, and thou likeſt not that Miniſters ſhould bee ſo particular, &c. In Gods feare bee adviſed to looke to thy Conſcience, and know it that thou haſt a naughty Conſcience. When the Miniſtry of the Word ſmites thy conſcience, then for thee to ſmite the Miniſter with reproachfull, & diſgracefull tearmes, to ſmite him with thy mouth▪ How is thy Conſcience better then Ananias his, that commands to ſmite Paul on the mouth. Hee that cannot brooke that Gods Miniſters ſhould not diſcharge a good Conſcience in preaching to the Conſcience, bee bold to challenge that man for a man of an evill conſcience.
4. That is a fourth note of a good4 4. Note of a good Conſcience. To do duty for Conſcienre ſake. conſcience, Rom. 13. 5. ye muſt be ſubiect for Conſcience ſake. To doe good or abſtaine from evill meerely for conſcience ſake, is a note of a right good cō ſcience indeede. Conſcience as we ſaw before, doth excite and ſtirre vp, and bind to the doing of good, and bindes from the doing of evil. Now when the Conſcience vponupon iuſt information frō the Word ſhall preſſe, and forbid, and then a man ſhal, becauſe cōſcience forbids, forbeare; or becauſe it preſſes, performe obedience: thus to doe good, or not to do euill, for Conſcience ſake, is a note of a good Conſcience. It evidences a good Conſcience when the maine weight that ſets the wheeles on work, is conſcience of Gods commandement. When it is that, Pſal. 119. 4. that ſets a man on worke, Thou hast commanded vsus to keepe thy precepts diligently. The end of the commandement is louelove, 1 Tim. 1. 5. And louelove is the fulfilling of the commandement. Rom. 12. But what louelove? From a pure heart and a good Conſcience, 1 Tim. 1. 5. When conſcience of the commandement caries a man to the fulfilling of the end of it, then doth ſuch louelove come from a good Conſcience. Salomons deſcription of a good man, Eccl. 9. 2. is that hee feares an oath. He ſayes not, that ſwearth not; but that feares an oath. For a man not to ſweare may be the fruit of good education, and of the a we a man hath ſtood in of his Gouernours, but to feare an oath, argues that a man feares the commandement, Pro. 13. 13, and to feare the commandement is the note of a good conſcience.
Here let mens Conſciences be tryed. Thou prayeſt in thy family, heareſt the Word, keepeſt the Sabbath, &c. Now ſearch thine heart, and make inquirie what it is that carries thee to theſe duties. Doeſt thou doe them for conſcience ſake? Doeſt thou find conſcience to vrge and preſſe thee, & to giuegive ſatiſfaction to the Conſcience, and obedience to the iniunctions thereof. Are theſe things done? If ſo, it is a ſigne of a good Conſcience. But this diſcovers the naughtineſſe of mens Conſciences, who though they bee ſound in ſome good duties, or in the auoyding of ſome evils, yet is it not conſcience that workes them thereto. Yee muſt bee ſubiect not onelyonly for wrath, that is, for feare of the Magiſtrates wrath and revenge, but for Conſcience ſake, Rom. 13. 5. It is no good Conſcience when a man will bee ſubiect for his skins ſake, and leaſt hee ſmart by the Magiſtrates ſword, but then a mans Conſcience is good, when in obedience to Gods Word, and in conſcience of his Commandement he ſubiects. The like may be ſaid of all by-ends. Ye muſt doe good duties, not for profit, not for credit, not for vaineglory, not for law, but for conſcience ſake; or elſe evill conſciences ye hauehave in that ye doe. The Shechemites receiue circumciſion, Gen. 34. And is not circumciſion Gods Ordinance? And is it not ioy of them that they will ioyne to the Church, and profeſſe the true Religion? Yes ſurely, if it were done for conſcience. I, but it is not done for conſcience ſake? Alas no ſuch matter, but for Hamors ſake the Lord of the Towne, and for Shechems ſake their young Maſter, & for the hope of gaines ſake. Shall not their cattell, and their ſubſtance, and every beaſt of theirs bee ours? Gen. 34. 23. For the oxen ſake, and not for conſcience ſake are the Shechemites circumciſed. Shechem for Dinahs ſake receiues the Sacrament. Oh the zeale and forwardnes that ſome wil profeſſe on a ſudden, What frequenters of holy exerciſes? But what, is it for conſcience ſake? No ſuch matter, but Shechem is in hope of a match with Dinah, & all theſe ſhewes of Religion are neither for Gods ſake, nor conſciēce ſake, but all for Dinahs ſake, all vnderunder hope of preferment by a rich mariage. They were goodly ſhewes of zeale, Iohn 6. 22. 24. in ſeeking and following after Chriſt, but it was neither for Chriſt, nor conſcience ſake, but ver. 26. for the loaues, and the bread, and their bellies ſake.
Many of the Heathens, Eſth. 8. 17. turned Iewes. Was not there ioy of ſuch Proſelytes? not a whit, for not the feare of God, but the feare of the Iewes fel vponupon them, as many frequent the publike aſſemblies more for feare of the ſtatute, then for feare of the commandement. The Officers of the King helped the Iewes, Eſth. 9. 3. Was it for conſcience ſake? Nothing leſſe, but for wrath ſake and for feare, becauſe the feare of Mordecai fell vponupon them.
If the Phariſees had done all that (Mat. 6.) for Conſcience ſake, which they did for vaine-glory ſake, they had had the glory of good Conſciences. Many preached the Goſpell in Pauls dayes, Phil. 1. Does not ſo good a worke argue a good conſcience? Yes, if it had beene done for Conſcience ſake; but that was done for contention ſake, not to adde ſoules to the Church; but to adde ſorrowes to Pauls afflictions.
It is a note of good Conſcience when that which we doe is done with a reſpect vntounto the commandement of God Pſal. 119. 6. and not with a ſquint reſpect vntounto our own private, for praiſe or profit. It was a good argument of thoſe Bohemians good Conſciences inVtrine m… ioris h…retici illine qui pictas & lig…as an qui aureas & argenteas imagines … templis exigerent, & ad conflandam m…netam igne adorerent? Dubra▪ hiſt. Bohem. l. 24. plucking downe Images, that they beate downe onelyonly painted and woodden Images, whileſt Sigiſmund the Emperour pulled downe ſiluer and golden ones, to melt into money for pay for his ſouldiers, as they plead for themſelues, when they▪ were held Heretiques for their fact. If they had puld downe ſuch Images as hee did, they might hauehave beene thought to hauehave done it for gaine, and not for Conſcience ſake.
How great is often the zeale of many againſt faſhions, and ſuch vanities? How well it were if it were for Conſcience ſake, and not for envie againſt ſome particular perſon, whom they do diſtaſte, and ſo for the perſon, the vanity. For if it be for Conſciences ſake, how is it that thoſe vanities, ſuch great offences to their Conſciences, found in ſome diſtaſted perſons are yet no trouble to their Conſciences, being the very ſame, if not worſe in their owne favourites, and aſſociates? Iudge whether ſuch zeale come from Conſcience, or from corrupt affection, whether it be not more againſt the perſon, then againſt the ſinne.5 5▪ Note of a good conſcience. Holy boldneſſe. B…na conſcientia prodire vult, & cō ſpici ipſas nequitia tenebras timet, Senec. ep. 98. Qui non deliquit decet audacem eſſe & confidentēr proſe, & proterve loqui. Plaut. in Aniph.
5. We hauehave a fift note of a good conſcience in the text. And Paul earneſtly beholding the Councell. Here is a marke of a good Conſcience in his lookes, as well as in his words; in his face, as well as in his ſpeech. Paul is here convented before the Councell, With what face is he able to behold them? And Paul earneſtly beholding the Councell. A good Conſcience makes a man hold vp his head even in the thickeſt of his enemies. I can looke them in the faces, and out-face a whole rabble of them aſſembled on purpoſe to caſt diſgrace on it. That may bee ſayd of a man with a good Conſcience, which is ſpoken of ſome of Davids men, 1 Chron. 12. 8. Whoſe faces were like the faces of Lions, for the righteous is bold as a Lion, Pro. 28. 1. Now might Paul truely hauehave ſaid as David. Pſal. 57. 4. My ſoule is among Lions, I lie among them that are ſet on fire. And now how fares hee? what is he all a mort? lookes he pale and blanke, doth hee ſneake or hang downe his head, or droope with a deiected countenance: No, Paul is as bold as a Lion, and can face theſe Lyons, and earneſtly fixe his countenance vponupon the beſt of them. A good Conſcience makes a mans face as God had made Ezekiels. Ezek. 3. 8. 9. Behold I hauehave made thy face ſtrong againſt their faces, and thy forehead ſtrong againſt their foreheads. As an Adamant harder then flint hauehave I made thy ſorehead, feare them not, neither bee diſmaid at their lookes. Such hartening and hardening comes alſo from a good Conſcience. A good Conſcience makes a man goe, as the Lord in another ſenſe tells Iſrael hee had done for them, Levit. 26. 13. I hauehave made you goe vpright. A good conſcience erects a mans face, and lookes, is no ſneaking ſlinker, but makes a man goe vpright. As contrarily guilt, deiects both a mans ſpirits, and his lookes, and vnleſſe a man hauehave a Sodomiticall impudencie. Iſa. 3. 9. or an whores forehead, Ierem. 3. 3. which refuſes to bee aſhamed, makes him hang downe the head.
Paul fixes his eyes here, and lookes earneſtly vponupon them, but what if they had looked as earneſtly vponupon him? yet would not his good Conſcience hauehave beene out-fac…d. See Act. 6. 15. All that ſate in the Counſell looked ſtedfaſtly on him; namely on Steven. If but the high Prieſt alone had faced him, it had beene ſomewhat, but all that ſate in the Councell looke ſtedfaſtly on him. Surely one would thinke ſuch a preſence were able to hauehave damped, and vtterly to hauehave daſhed him out of countenance. But how is it with him? Is hee appalled? Is hee damped? They ſaw his face as it had beene the face of an Angell, ſayes the text. As wiſedome, Eccl. 8. 1. ſo a good Conſcience makes the face to ſhine. A good Conſcience hath not onelyonly a Lions, but an Angels face, it hath not onelyonly a Lion-like boldneſſe, but an Angelicall dazling brightneſſe, which the ſicke and ſore eyes of malice can as ill endure to behold, as the Iſralites could the ſhining brightneſſe of Moſes face. The face of a good Conſcience tells enemies that they are malicious lyers. And no wonder that a good conſcience hath ſuch courage and confidence in the face, ſtanding before a whole Councell, when it ſhall be able to hold vp it head with boldneſſe before the Lord himſelfe, at that great day of the generall Iudgement. Euen then ſhall a good Conſcience hauehave a bold face.