con 1. Confcience is mans Judgment of himself x, i. e. of his Estate and Act. The Desc:ipons y, as they are subjected unto the judgment of God. I therefore close with tion. x Amef.de cn this defcription to wave the determination of that School-difpute, whefei. 1.c.1.p.1 ther it be an Act z,or an Habit a,whether of the Understanding b,or Will c, y Voet.Sel difp or both d, whether it be a diftinct Faculty e, or Power f, how far born with par.3 p.827 us, and how far acquired g. I willingly let pafs all b, that doth not further z Durand.l.2. the defign I drive at, vi an univerfal and exact confcientiousness. dift. 39 P. 441 Aquin.1.qu.79 Ibidem Breff.de conf. 1. 1 c. 6 p. 23 e Mr. Bernard For Confcience, the Hebrews ordinarily make use of two words, viz. art. 13 p. 147 [Heart] and [Spirit] [Heart] in Prov.4.23. Keep thy Heart i, i.e. keep thy a Sanderson de Confcience with all diligence; and fo in the New-Teftament, Job. 3. 20. Oblig.conf.prel. if our Heart k, i. e. if our Confcience condemn us, [Spirit] in Prov. 18.14 1. Sect. 17. A wounded Spirit 1, i. e. a wounded Confcience who can bear, and fo in P. 21 b Pleriq; refethe New Teftament, 1 Cor. 2. 11. What man knoweth the things of a man, runt ad intellefave the Spirit mof man, i. e. the Confcience of Man that is in him. Buten &um. Bald cafe English (as alfo in the Greek n, and Latine o, whence we borrow it) 'tis conf.11.c.3.p.s called [Confcience] knowledge with another, which excellently fets forth the Scriptural nature of it, as Job 16. 19. My witness is in heaven, and Rom. 9.1.1 fay the truth my Confcience alfo bearing me witneß in the the_truthHoly Ghoft. In both places, q. d. God witneffeth with my Confcience p. Confcience is placed in the middle, under God, and above man q: I will Confc. p. 4. close this with Brochmand's defcription of Confciencer, to be a kind of Confc. p. 87. filent reafoning of the Mind, whofe definitive sentence is received by fome af- g Sand ib.p.23 fection of the Heart, whereby these things which are judged to be good and h Imprimis obright, are approved of with delight, but those things which are evil and naught, fervandum est, are difapproved with grief and Jorrow, God hath placed this in all men, partly tantam effe virium mentis to be a judgment and teftimony of that integrity to which man was at first nempe potentia created, and of that corruption that followed fin; partly that God may have a rum, habituum, Tribunal erected in the breasts of men to accufe delinquents, and to excufe & actuum,inter those that do what is good and right. his Treatife of f Huit upon Se natura cognationem, tan ar&am quoad ufum & exercitium conjun&ionem, five connexionem, ut non folum vocabulorum appellationes, fed & reales fingulorum proprietates, & officia, reliquis promifcuè & indifcriminatim attribui foleant; idque non in exotericis tantum poetarum, oratorum, aliorumque humanioris literatura authorum, quibus licentius loqui permiflum eft) fed do in dogmaticis Philofophorum & Scholafticorum fcriptis-Idem eodem p. 9. and in the laft Paragraph of that Lecture, abfolvi tandem-certe obfcurius quam aut voluiffem, aut debuiffem, fi res aliter tuliffet Profe&to intricata eft de perplexa omnis (quod viri graviffimi jam olim confires questi funt) de anima intellectiva potentis & facultatibus difquifitio qua capere fe putant, & quidem. Juo modo capiunt illiteratifimi quique homunciones; hac ipfa non capiunt acutiffimi philofophi qua in re ne que fatis admirari Dei Opt. Max. infinitam Sapientiam, retundentis hoc pacto humanam fuperbiam, & re prafentantis mortalibus, velut in fpeculo, inanem illam Soxnowogíar, que fibi videntur aliquid effe, cum nihil fint, mifere decipientes cor fuum p. 35, 36. cor tuum. k xaçdia. m avevμd. ʼn ouvidos. Confcientia. P Sanderson ibidem, & poftea fparfim: q Perkins Vol.2. 1. 1. p. 11. r Brochmand. T.1. Art. I. c. 3. q.2. p. 7. לכך, i B 2 2. The t 2 Cor. I 12. f Mr. Berna d 2. The Object of Confcience is very various, Confcience hath great of conf. p. 56. employment, and much business with the whole man, and with all his do Segg. act ons, is like thofe living Creatures in the Revelation all over eyes; Rom. 7. 18. it looks to the Vaderstanding t; whether our wifdom be carnal or gra x Rom 9.1,2. cious to the Will u, whether it go beyond,or fall fhort in ability of good y Heb. 9. 14. performances; to the Affections x, whether the entertainment or refusal 2 Tim. 13 of the Gofpel be the matter of greatest joy or forrow. It pries into all a Heb. 9.9. b. Heb. 10. 22. our Actions both towards God and man. Towards God, whether in general CITim 3.9. our estate be goody, in fpecial, whether our fervice be inward and z Spirid1 Pet 3.2 tral, or only outward a and formal. More particularly,it furvers all our Interp. 72. vo- duties, whether we pray in faith b; whether we hear with profit cs whe cabulo eg ther through our Baptifm, we can go unto God as unto an Oracle d; quando in V. T. Whether in the Lords Supper we have fingular Communion with Chrift e; Ifraelite dicun. it fhort, whether we do and will stick clofe to Religionf; as knowing, I Jev utuntur um, quia audet interrogare that if Confcience do not fteer right, Religion will be Shipwrackt g. os Domini Thus duties towards God are the great object of Confcience, but duties baptifmus eft towards man are the Secundary, and like unto it. Towards man in our refponfio bone whole converfation b. Particularly, that we be obedient to Rulers, confcientia, & (and that which is in one place charged upon us for Confcience fake, is etiam interra in another place commanded for the Lords fake k) in short, that we be gatio apud Deinft in all our dealings, avoiding all juftly offenfive things m, words n, sum fiducia,de thoughts o, that we exprefs fingular charity p; especially to fouls q, and um accedere & this in prayer r, when we can do nothing elfe, and Confcience doth not interrogare, boc only do all this at prefent urging to duty, or fhooting or tingling under eft cum eo collo- the commiffion of fin, but it forefees things future, provoking to good, qui cum roga and cautioning against evil; and alfo looks back upon things paft with re profedgaliis. Gerhard I.c.T joy or torment, fo that it is easier to reckon what is not the object of 4 de Sacram confcience, than what is, in a word; Every thing of duty and fin is the p. 180 § 88. object of Confcience. 3. 15, 16. e Coг.10.15, 3. The Offices of Confcience are likewife various. Ia General, the pro16- f 1 Pet. per Office of Confcience is difcurfively to apply that light which is in Tim 1.19. the mind unto particular actions, or cafes.. The light which is in the A&ts 23 1. mind is either the light of Nature, or the light of Divine Revelation. i Rom. 13.5. By the light of Nature, I understand thofe common notions, which are k1 Pet. 2. 13. written in the hearts of men, which (as a brand pluckt out of the comHeb. 13. 18. miCor.10.29. mon burning) are the reliques of the Image of God after the fall. Not nKing.2.44. only Scripture, but experience evidenceth, that thofe which are practical Pa.73.15.15 Atheists, that fay unto God, 'depart from us f, we defire not the knowledge of PI. Tim. I. 5 thy waies, yet cannot get rid of his Deputy, their Confcience: they car2 Tim. 1.3,4. ry a Spy, a Register, a Monitor in their bofome, that doth accufe and Job 21.14,15 4 Rom. 9. 1,2., trouble. trouble them, they cannot fin in quiet t. Thofe that are without or Re- t Quod egi in ject the Sun fhine of Scripture, yet they cannot blow out Gods Can- corpore boc poft modum imporale u of Confcience. By Divine revelation I mean both the standing rule tuna cogitatione of Scripture, and Gods extraordinary x difcoveries of himself, whe- verfo in mente: ther by dreams or vifions, or Prophefies, or other Spiritual communica- & multoties tions; all which, though (if they be from God) they are according to gravius torqueScripture y; yet the former are afforded upon particular z Providences, and the laft are the univerfal priviledges of particular favourites, a: But it is the Office of Confcience to apply all these, and that it doth by the difcourfe of a practical Syllogifmeb e. g. Whosoever believeth c, (ie, accepteth of Christ as Lord d, and Saviour) fhall be faved, but (may the gracious perfon fay) I accept of Chrift as Lord and Saviour e. Therefore fhall I be faved. Orthus. Whofoever is unfeignedly willing to have his actions brought to the Scripture touchstone to be tried, whether they be right for the matter, and to the Scripture Ballance to be weighed, whether they are weight for manner, his deeds are wrought in God, i. e. he is in a ftate of Grace, he acteth by the gracious affiltance of the Spirit of God f. the But (may the trembling foul fay) I defire nothing more than to bring my felf and all my actions to a Scripture trial g. Therefore (he may conclude )I am in a state of Grace h, &c. Once more. Whofoever committeth fin (i. e. makes a trade of Sin) is of the Devil (i. e. is the Child of the Devil.) But (may every unregenerate Perfon say k) I make a trade of fin, i, e. when I am a finning I am in my Element, I am where I would be, there is no work fo pleafing to me. Therefore I am the Child of the Devil, i. e, I am in a state of Dam nation. or in recordatione quam prius captus fueram operis perpetra tione. Eern. de inter. dom.c 30 Prev. 20.27. P. 1074. u * la 8 20. aNu. 12.6,7,8. Heb. 1. 1. 21 John 4. X. Kin. 13-20,21 7.2 Chr.20.14 Nu. 24 per totum a 2 Cor.. 12.2, 3, 4. b Say us clav.. Reg. 1. 1. c.3. P. 4. John 3. 39. di Cor.12.25 John 20. 28. f John3.20,21 Pfalm. 139. & b 23, 24 Pfal. 26.1,2. Rom. 6. 16. m Habitualis In the (major or) first propofition, you have the dictate m of Confcience. In the (minor or) fecond propofition, you have the Teftimony ni of Confcience, and in the Conclufion, you have the judgment of Confci ence : In the first the power of Confcience is very great, fo great that it can do any thing but make evil good p, for it can make an indifferent action good or evilq: and it can make a good action evil r: therefore in things necessary it doth fo bind, that no humane Laws ab auboribus cognitio menti impreffa, varie nuncupatur, us, confcientia, confcientia di&tamen, lex naturalis, fcintilla rationis, avvlúgnois, &c. Eftius in 2. 1.Sent. diftina. 39. § 2. P. 427: n confcientia refpectu propofitionis,dicitur lumen de les refpectu affumptionis & conclufionis, teftis; fed refpectu affumptionis aptiffimè vocatur inden vel liber&refpectu conclufionis maximè proprié judex Amer. de confcien. 1. 1. c. 1. p. 3.S9. 0 Propofitionem dictat our nous. Assump tio per appropriationem vocatur ovrednois. conclufio eft ipfa xplors. ibidem § 10. p. Ibidem Thefes Theol. de Conf. P. 44. S r8, qr Martinius de verb. conf. B3 can' S 23 u Rom. 6. 16 a f A&s 4.19 can loofens, and thereupon we are faid to be down-right debtors t, enVix crediderim gaged fervants u, fpiritually bound†, lovingly constrained x, graciously apud fe fuille neceffitated y; Yea, in a word, we can do no other (unless we will offer Stapletonum cum hæc effuti- violence to our Confciences) then do what God chargeth upon us as rer. Forum con- duty z. Thus far the dictate of Confcience, in the Teftimony of Confcifcientia dixit ence, Confcience examines, fifts, and tries our actions; this in Scripture effe longè majo is called a returning into a mans own heart a, a thinking of our waies b, rem partem clavium. Cham. Speaking to our heart c, a laying things to heart d, a fetting our heart Panft.T.2.1.11 upon a business e, an examination and trial of our selves f; and thence c. 9. p. 2o5. the conclufion is inferred from the premiffes according to our prehenfion of the rule and account of our actions. Yet this is worthy of Rom. 1.14 Special obfervation, that though both the premiffes be undeniably true, † A&s 20. 22 yet there's nothing more ordinary, then for not only wicked g, but gracix 2 Cor. 5. 14 ous perfons (though upon different grounds) to deny the conclufion: y I Cor. 9. 16 and the truth is, without the Spirits affiftance by way of conviction to AЯs 4. 20 the wicked, and relief to the godly, neither of them will prove any bet41 King 8:47 ter Logicians, than till to deny the conclufion. Graceless perfons & reverfi fuerint ad cor fu- they will not conclude against themselves: For, 1. They will not weigh um ex heb. the cogency of b Pfal. 19. 59 felf flattering conclufions : and 3. they are willing to put a cheat upany Scriptural bargument. 2. They have fuckt in other on themselves k, fo thefe will not conclude against themselves. And on dJer. 12. 11 the other hand; gracious perfons dare not conclude themselves fo happonens fuper cor Py as the Scripture reprefents them. 1. Through the prevalency of Haggi 1.5. Temptations, Satan frights them from their comforts. 2. Through the abounding of grace m, they think 'tis too good to be true, especially confidering, 3. their fence of unworthiness n; what! they pass a sentence of abfolution upon their fouls! of approbation upon their actions! No, they dare not, through over-modefty they'l bely the very Spirit of grace. In short, the only remedy I fhall commend to both forts is ftrum fuper vi- this, viz. Beg of God to perfwade thy heart to clofe with convincing a vestras. truth, q. d. c Hof. 7.2. שם על לב e there 'tis שימו על־ ponite cor ve f 2 Cor. 13.5 i there's both were (q.d. make as ftri& a fcrutiny into your own hearts, as the Devil will do when he tempts you) & Soniders (be as loath to be mistaken in your graces, as a Ufurer in his coyn) g Rom.2.18,21,22. Joh.3 20. Deut.29.19. kJam 1.22. are falfa argumentationè uri & fubdola fupputatione fallere, as thofe in Mat 7.2 1,22,23. Broch. in loc. Rev. 12.10. The Devil accufeth them to themselves, as well as unto God day and night. m Pfal. 126. 1. n Luke 7.6,9. • Joh. 6. 37. pi Joh. 4. 19. 4 Jer. 3.21. Joh. 1. 11. Lord thou haft told me in thy word, that if I come unto Chrift, I fhall in no wife be caft o out and if I love God, I may thereby be sure that God loves me p.. But Lord, fo far as I am able by searching to know my own Heart, I defire nothing more than to come to Chrift, to receive Chrift r, to be one one with Chrift, to be conformable to Chrift t. And Lord, I dare fay f Gal. 2. 20 Therefore Lord perfwade my foul thankfully to acknowledg, that 'tis in Lord thou haft told me, that if I live after the flesh, I shall b die. Pfal. 25. 14 a Pfal. 119.120 b Rom. 8. 13 C Job 21. 13 d Pfal. 146. 4 Bern.de confc: g Thus Chriftians, do but fuffer and help your Confcience to do its office, and then fhall you have rejoycing in your felves alone, and not in e ano- Jum ut volo exther, i, e. you will find caufe of rejoycing in the teftimony of your own fentio tamen plicare quod Confcience, and not in others thinking you to be better than you are, quid moliar di nor in your thinking your felves to be better than others. Thus you have cere, pero at the Offices of Confcience. I come in the laft place to fpeak of non expectatis verbis meis faguciffime fi po teftis intelligatu- Odi defi nire-nam facilius eft mihi videre in alte 4. The kinds of Confcience I know are commonly reduced to thefe four, viz, Good and quiet; Good and troubled. Evil and quiet; Evil and troubled. But intending the refolution of the Cafe before me in fpeaking to Conscience under the feveral kinds of it; I shall speak to eight kinds of Confciences. The two firft, viz. the fleepy and the feared Confcience are peculiar to the worst of men. The four next, viz. the erring, rius definitione doubting, fcrupulous and trembling Confciences, are almost indifferent to quod non progood and bad; only the two former have a greater byas to bad: and the bem,quam quictwo latter have a greater tendency to Good: but the two laft kinds, viz. quam bene deThe Good and Honeft, and the Good and quiet Confciences are peculiar care. Aug... finiendo explito Gods choiceft favourites. In treating of thefe, I shall endeavour to 1.2.de Ord.c.3 acquaint you with the nature of each g, how to cure the evil, and how to 2. p. 671. obtain the good; and hereby the Application will be entwisted with the Explication throughout my difcourfe. Conscience. 1. The firft, and one of the worft kinds of Confciences in the world, is 1. The fleepy. the fleepy Confcience; fuch is the Confcience of every unconverted perfon (that is not yet under borrour) their h spirit, i.e. their Confcience is afleep; that as bodily fleep bindeth up all the fenfes and animal fpirits, fo this fpiritual (or rather unfpiritual) fleepinefs, bindeth up the Rom. 11. 8. va mata vs. Eβραίζει η φρά εις--quafi πνεύμα κατανενιγμένον. Camerarius in loc |