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Every man’s conscience is, as it were, a second
God within him, both to judge of his actions within, and without him, and
also of his person, and personal state, and whether in it, he be accepted
of God, or not. And surely, a
great good work of God it is, that he hath created, and set such an
overseer as this conscience is, in the soul of man, by which, if he do
anything amiss, he is checked in secret, that so by repentance he may find
mercy at God’s hands [Perkins]. And
how good is it, saith one, that this worm should be felt, whilst it may be
killed; and gnaw for a time, that it may be choked for ever [Bernard].
As, on the contrary, if a man do the thing which good is, the
conscience gives testimony of God’s acceptance, and therewith boldness
before him, 1 John iii.20,21; making him cheerful even in the sorrows of
the world, quiet in its turmoil, and happy in all extremity of torments;
and withal satisfying him with the testimony from within himself, against
men’s unjust accusations [Seneca].
This conscience makes a man either a conqueror over the whole
world, or a craven [Politian]; and ready, specially in danger, and being
wakened, to thrust his head in a hole.
But now the comforts are not greater in having this good conscience, than
are the dangers in mistaking it. Many
do craftily pretend it without cause, merely for their credits before men,
whose hearts condemn them before God; and whom “God, who is greater,
will condemn” much more. 1
John iii.20. Many more are
securely presumptuous; and being ready to believe that, which they wish
true, are bold upon their good conscience so deemed; not because they
know, and try themselves, and their ways before the Lord, by his Word, as
they ought, but because they know not, nor will know and examine them.
And this is the vulgar conscience of ignorant persons, that are
free from those grosser sins, which the light of nature condemns: and of
some others also not without understanding, being of bold spirits, and
stout hearts, and which will not easily be in fault, either before the
world, or God himself. There
are besides these, whose “consciences are benumbed, and seared with an
hot iron,” 1 Tim. Iv.2; who by practicing at first, and continuing
after, in sins against their natural conscience, have obtained from the
Lord this miserable privilege, and seal of their condemnation, that their
minds should be void of understanding, and hearts of sense and feeling,
even of heinous sins, in time. “Better,” said the godly martyr, “sit in the stocks of
this world, than of an ill, or accusing conscience [Philpot].
And, yet, better a conscience accusing, if not desperately, than
benumbed, and without feeling. The dead flesh must be eaten out of the wound, and soreness
come before soundness: so must a benumbed conscience become accusing,
before it can become excusing aright.
The larger conscience the better, if rightly informed.
To know that to be lawful for me, which indeed is lawful, is the
perfection of understanding, and strength of faith: as, on the other side,
to be ignorant of it, is to be weak both “in knowledge, and faith.”
Rom. xiv.1. But we
must here put a difference between the conscience itself, and the use of
it: for the largest use of conscience is not always best, though the
judgment be. Some things are
so commanded, as they absolutely bind conscience, as to love God and our
neighbour, &c. Some
things again are so commanded in the general, as for example, the
obedience of the magistrate, keeping peace with all men, and the like; as,
yet, they have this particular exception, if we can without sinning on our
parts: for we must not do evil that we may do good.
But yet in these cases we are to be as large as we can, and to go
as far as possibly we can see it lawful, in conscience of the commandment
of God. Other things are in
their kind indifferent, and such as we perform for our profit, pleasure,
credit, or other worldly commodity. In
these we are to use less liberty of conscience, and to take heed that we
give not the devil advantage, by some blast of temptation, or other, to
blow us into the ditch, if we go too near the side of it.
And in observing this difference, we have a conscionable use of our
conscience.
It is a great question, whether an erroneous conscience be to be followed,
or no: and as ill resolved by many affirmatively, after much dispute.
Not to follow it is evil, and to do, or leave undone that, wherein,
the man so doing, or not doing, condemns himself, and, therein, hath God
also condemning him: to follow it, is for the blind to follow the blind,
the blind person his blind conscience, into the ditch, and to have God
condemning him in his Word, though he justify himself.
Besides then the violation of the conscience, which is always evil,
and a by-path on the left hand; and the following it, in evil, as a
by-path on the right, which is sometimes worse, than the former, as in
sins against the light of nature; there is a third, and middle way, safe
and good; and that is, the informing of the conscience better by God’s
Word, and following it accordingly, unto which also every person is bound,
for the duties of his general and special calling.
It is the first duty of a man to inform his conscience aright; and
then to follow the direction which it gives.
A good conscience is as the ship, in which faith saileth to heaven; and
which, they that put away, “make shipwreck of faith.”
1 Tim i.19. We must
therefore, first get a good “conscience by the sprinkling of the
heart,” Heb. X.22; with the blood of Christ from the guilt of sin, and
with his Spirit from the filth thereof: and having got it, must keep the
same with all care, and tenderness, specially by eschewing “presumptuous
sins, in which is much transgression,” Psa. xix.13, and by which the
consciences wasted and consumed, as iron by the rust.
We offend too much, alas, through ignorance, and infirmity: let us
not add to provoke the Lord by sins against conscience; in which we sin
against a double voice of God, first speaking in his law, and, secondly,
in our own hearts. Where this
is, no marvel though the voice of faith, and witness of God’s Spirit
cease; and that the conscience so violated excuse not, but accuse.
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