§,t.Of the td\i. monie ef confci· encc. 518 cvf 'Treatifeof [onfcience. \ fore the Lord. Andhence C?mes one re~fon A that/ h-.tegrtat he.,i•es•ndcontinN•Bforr..,;, ofthename ofconfct~nce.Sme,t<>know,ts~f my beort:for[ coHidwijh myfoift ,.bttfop.r•« one man alone by lumfelfe: and confcm IS, fromChnjlformybmhren. w~en two at tfue leafr know fome .onefecret Lafily, it witnelfeth what be mens actions, tlung;cither ofthem knowmgtt togither with Ecclef.7·•4·0fttntim" •lfo thine htnrt lz.nm;ttb 1 ;heother. Ther~fore th~name'"""''"'• or Con- (that is,confcience witnelfeth) that thoH fik[: IJCtentta, Conference, ts thatthing that comwife h•fr curftdothers. ~mes two together,and makes them partners The manner that confcience vfeth in giuing m the knowledge of one and the fame fecret. teLHmonic,fi:ids in •.things. Firlt:it obferues Now man and man, or man and Angel cannot &: takes noticeofal thingsthat wedo:fecondbe combmed; becaufe they.cannot know the ly , it doth inwardly and fecretly with the fecret '?f any !"an vnle{fe lt bee reuealed to heart,tell vs ofthem ali.In this refpcctit may them: ~t rematnes therefore that tlus combifitly be compared to a Notarie, or aRegi!ier nauon IS onely betweene man and God. God that bath alwaies the pennein his hand to kuowes perfectly althe doings ofman,though note aod record whatfoeoer is faid ord~ne. tliey be neuer fo hid and cooceakd : and man B who alfo becaufe he kcepes the roUes and re: by·agift giueu him ofGod, knowestogether cords ofthe court, can tell what bath bin (aid with ~od, the fame thi~gs ofhimfelfe : and or done many hundred yeares pafr. thisgtft ts named Confctence. Touching the third point,How long confciencebeareswitnes: itdoth continually; not for aminute, oraday, oramoneth, or yeare, butfor euer;whenamandies,confciencedieth not:whenthe body is rotten in the graue,con– fcience Jiueth & isfafc and found: &when we lhallrifeagaine,confcience fl>allcome withvs to the barreofGods iudgement, eitherto ac– curfe orexcufcvsbeforeGod, Rom. 2.1 5,16. Thtir confciencebeAring witnej]i atthe day whtn GodJh•ll••dgr tbtftcrmofmrnbylefm Chrift, CHAP. II. Ofthe dHtiesofConfcitne<, THe properactionsor duties ofconfcienco are two-fold:togiue tel\imony,or to giue iudgement, Rom. 1 ·I 5. Confcience giues tel\imonie by determi– ningthat athing wasdone,or itwasnot done, Rom.z.I 5. Thrir confciene< •lfo beAring witneffi, 2 Cor.t ol z. Ourr~i".]cingi& the tejli11HnyojoHr ctmftience:~ thAt in:~ d-e. Here we moO: confider three thingS! I. of C what things conli:ience beues witnelfe. I r. in \ what manner. I lJ, howlong~ • For the firfr, confci<nce beares wirneffe of our theughts,ofouraJfellions,ofour <>utward aC!iens. Tl>at it beares witoes ofour fecretthoughrs, it appeares by the folemne protellation which at fometime men vfe; Jn myconftience Jne1ur thoHtht it : whereby they fignilie that they thinke fome thingor they thinkit not,andthat their co"fciences can tell what they thinke. Noither mull this feeme !\range. For there be two actions of the vnderl\anding, the one is limply, which barely concciueth or thinketh thisorthat:the other is arifleflingor doubting ofthe former, whereby a man conceiues or D thinks with himfelfe what he thinks. And this action properly pertaines to the confcience. The mind thinkes athought, now confcience goes beyond the mind, and knowes what the mind thinkes, fo as ifa man would goe about to hide his finfull thoughts from God,his con– fcience as it were another perfon within him, lhalldifcouer all. By meanes ofthis fecond a- . tlion, confcience may beare witRetfe euen of By this fidt dutic ofconfcience, wee are "' learnethree things. The tirO:, that there is a God: and wee may be led tothe fight ofthis tuen bycOmoH reafon. Forconfcience f?cares witnes;ofwhat?Ofthy particulardoings. But againfr whom or with whom doth it giue te– llimonyI thou maiel\ feele inthy heartthat it doth it either with thee or again{\ thee. And towhorn isitawirnes? to menor Angels?that cannot be, forthey cannothc:arethcvoiceof confdence they cannot receiue confciences refrimony, nay they cannot fee what is in the heart ofman.Itremaincs therefore that there is a fpirituall fubflance, mol\ wife, mol\ holy, mol\ mighty, that lles all thing•, to whom confcience bearesrecord, & thatis Godhim– felfc.Let Atheil\s barke againH thisas longas they will : they haue that in them that will conuince them of the truth of the Godhead, will they nill they, either in lifeor death. Confcithoughts,& from hence alfo it feemes to bor– row hisname,becaufe confcience isafcitnceor knowledge ioyned with another knowledge: for by itlcoAceiueandknowwhat I know. Secondly we learne that God doth watch ouer allmen by a fpeciall prouidence.Thema– fier ofaprifon is knowne by this to h.aue care ouer his prifoners, ifhee fend keepers wirh them to watch them and to bring them home againe intime conuenicnt ~ and fo Gods care to manis manifefi in this, that when he crea– ted man and placedhim in the world, he gaue him confcience to bee his keeper, to follow him alwaies at his hceles, and todogge him (aswefay)andtoprieinto his actions, and to beare witnelf"ofthem all. •ntlai. fcic:ncia cumalia (dc:nua. Againe, confcience bearcs wimes what the wils, and afl~d:ions of men be in euery mar... ter, Rwn.9.1, I foJ thttrHthinChrift:~ I Jjenot :~ my Conf<imcebearingmtwitnesby the holy Gh'.ft, Thirdly,hence we may obferueGods good– nes & Joueto man. Ifhe de any thmg amtlfe, hefctshis confr.ience lirllohll to ttll him of it fccretly:ifthe he amend, God forgiues it: it nor
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=