It hath spred it selfe ouer mankind as generally as originall sinne: & therfore it is to be found in all men that come of Adam by ordinary generation. The property of it is, with all the power it hath to accuse & condemne, & therby to make a man afraid of the presence of God, & to cause him to flie fro God as from an enemy. This the Lord signified when he said to Ada, A[gap] where art thou? When Peter saw some litle glimbring of the power and maiesty of God in the great draught of fish, he fell on his knees and saide to Christ, Lord goe from me for I am a sinfull man.

Euill conscience is either deade or Stirring. Dead conscience is that, which though it can do nothing but accuse, yet commonly it lye[gap] quiet, accusing litle or nothing at all.

The causes why conscience lyeth dead in all men, either more or lesse, are many. I. Defect of reason or understanding in crased braines. II. Violence and strength of affections, which as a

cloud do ouercast the mind, &c as a gulfe of water swallow up the iudgement and reason: and therby hinder the conscience from accusing: for when reason can not doe his part, then conscience doth nothing. For exaple: some one in his rage behaues himselfe like a mad man, and willingly commits any mischiefe without controlment of conscience: but when choller is down, he begins to be ashamed and troubled in himselfe, not alwaies by grace, but euen by the force of his naturall conscience, which when affection is calmed begins to stirre, as appeareth in the example of Cain. III. Ignorance of Gods will & errors in iudgement cause the conscience to be quiet, when it ought to accuse. This we find by experience in the deaths of obstinate hercukes, which suffer for their damnable opinions without checke of conscience.

Dead conscience hath two degrees. The first is the slumbring or the benummed conscience; the second is the feared conscience.

The benummed conscience is that which doth not accuse a man for any sinne vnlesse it be grieuous or capitall & not alwaies for that but only in the time of some grievous sickenesse or calamity. Iosephs brethren were not much troubled in conscience for their villany in selling their brother, till afterwarde when they were afflicted with famine and distressed in Egypt.

Geues. 42. 2. This is the conscience that commonly raignes in the hearts of drousie protestants, of all carnall and lukewarme-gospellers, and of such as are commonly tearmed ciuill honest men, whose apparent integritie will not free them from guiltie consciences.

Such a conscience is to be taken heede of as being most dangerous. It is like a wilde beast, which so long as hee lyes a sleepe seemes very [gap]ame and gentle, and hurtes no man: but when he is rowzed, he then awakes and flies in a mans face, and offers to pull out his throate. And so it is the manner of dead conscience to lye still and quiet euen through the course of a mans life: and hereupon a man would thinke (as most do) that it were a good conscience indeed: but whe sicknesse or death approcheth, it beeing awaked by the hande of God, beginnes to stande up on his legges, and shewes his fierce eyes and offers to rende out euen the very throate of the soule. And heathen poets knowing this right well, haue compared euill conscience to Furies pursuing men with firebrands.

The seared conscience is that which doeth not accuse for any sinne; no not for great sinnes. It is compared by Paul, 1. Tim. 4. v. 2. to the parte of a mans body which is not onely berefe of sense, life, & motion by the gangrene, but also

is burnt with a searing yron: and therefore must needes be vtterly past all feeling.

This kind of conscience is not in al men, but in such persons as are become obstinate heretikes and notorious malefactours. And it is not in the by nature, but by an increase of the corruption of nature; and that by certaine steppes and degrees. For naturally euery man hath in him blindnes of minde, and obstinacie or froward nes of heart; yet so, as with the blindnes and ig norance of minde, are ioyned some remnants of the light of nature, shewing vs what is good and euill. Now the heart of man beeing exceedingly obstinate and peruerse, carrieth him to commit sinnes euen against the light of nature and common conscience: by practise of such sinnes the light of nature is extinguished: and then commeth the reprobate mi[gap] [gap], which iudgeth euill good, and good euill after this follows the seared conscience, in which there is no feeling or remorse: and after this comes an exceeding greedines to all manner of sinne. Eph. 4. 18. Rom. 1. 28.

Here it may be demaunded, how mens consciences shall accuse them in the day of iudgement, if they be thus benummed and seared in this life. Ansvver. It is said, Rev. 20. 12. that at the last iudgement all shall be brought before

Christ, and that the bookes then shall be opened: among these bookes, no doubt, conscience is one. Wherefore though a dead conscience in this life be as a closed or sealed booke; because it doeth either little or nothing accuse, yet after this life, it shall be as a booke laide open: because God shall inlighten it, and so stirre it vp by his mightie power, that it shall be able to reueale and discouer all the sinnes that a man euer committed.

Stirring conscience, is that which doth sensibly either accuse or excuse. And it hath soure differences.

The first which accuseth a man for doing euill. This must needes be an euill conscience. Because to accuse is not a property that belongs to it by creation, but a defect that followeth after the fall. And if the conscience which truely accuseth a man for his sinnes, were a good conscience, then the worst man that is, might haue a good conscience, which cannot be.

When the accusation of the conscience is more forcible and violent, it is called a wounded or troubled conscience: which though of it selfe it be not good nor any grace of God; yet by the goodnes of God it serueth often to be an occasion or preparation to grace; as a needle, that drawes the threede into the cloath, is some

meanes whereby the cloath is sowed together.

The second, is that which [gap] [gap]th for doing well. And it is to be found in them that are giuen to idolatrie and superstition. As in the Church of Rome: in which, because mens consciences are insnared and intangled with humane traditions, many are troubled for doing that which is good in it selfe, or at the least a thing indifferent. As for example: let a priest omit to say masse & to say his canonicall houres, his conscience will accuse him therfore: though the omitting of the canonicall houres and the idolatrous masse, be indeede by Gods word no sinne.

The third, is the conscience which excuseth for doing that which is euill. This also is to be found in them that are giuen to idolatrie and superstition. And there is a particular example hereof, Ioh. 16. 2. Yea, the time shall come that vvhosoeuer killeth you, will thinke that he doth God good seruice. Such is the conscience of Popish traytours in these daies, that are neuer touched at all, though they intend and enterprise horrible villanies, and be put to death therefore.

The fourth, is that which excuseth for well doing, at some times, and in some particular actions of carnall men. VVhen Abim[gap]h

had taken Sarai from Abraham, God saide vnto him in a dreame, I knovv that thou did [gap] this with an vpright minde, Gen. 20. 6. This may be tearmed good conscience, but is indeede otherwise. For though it doe truly excuse in one particular action, yet because the man in whome it is may be vnregenerate and as yet out of Christ, and because it doth accuse in many other matters: therefore it is no good conscience. If all the vertues of naturall men are indeede beautifull sinnes, and their righteousnes but a carnall righteousnes; then the conscience also of a carnall man, though it excuse him for well doing, is but a carnall conscience.