MAns dutie concerning conscience is twofold. The first is, if he want good conscience aboue all things to labour to obtaine it: for it is not giuen by nature to any man, but comes by grace.

For the obtaining of good conscience, three things must be procured; a preparation to good conscience, the applying of the remedie, the reformation of conscience.

In the preparation, foure things are required. The first is, the knowledge of the lawe, and the particular commaundements thereof, whereby we are taught what is good, what is badde: what may be done, and what may not be done.

The men of our daies, that they may haue the right knowledge of the law, must lay aside many erronious and foolish opinions, which they hold flat against the true meaning of the law of God: otherwise they can neuer be able to discerne betweene sinne and no sinne. Their especiall and common opinions are these: I. That they can loue God with all their hearts, and their neighbours as themselues; that they feare God aboue all, and trust in him alone; and that they euer did so. II. That to rehearse the Lordes prayer, the beleefe, and 10. commaundements, (without vnderstanding of the words, & without affection) is the true and whole worship of God. III. That a man may seeke to wizzards and soothsayers without offences because God hath prouided a salue for euery sore. IV. That to sweare by good things and in the way of truth, cannot be a sinne. V. That a man going

about his ordinarie affaires at home or abroad on the sabbath day, may as well serue God as they which heare all the sermons in the world. VI. That religion and the practise thereof, is nothing but an affected precisenes; that couetousnes the roote of euill, is nothing but worldlines; that pride is nothing but a care of honestie and cleanlines, that single fornication is nothing but the tricke of youth; that swearing and blaspheming argue the couragious mind of a braue gentleman. VII. That a man may doe with his owne what he will, and make as much of it as he can. Hence arise all the frauds and badde practises in trafficke betweene man and man.

The second, is the knowledge of the iudiciall sentence of the law, which resolutely pronounceth that a curse is due to man for euery sinne, Gal. 3. 10. Very few are resolued of the truth of this point, and very few doe vnfainedly beleeue it, because mens minds are possessed with a contrarie opinion, that though they sinne against God, yet they shall escape death and damnation. Dauid saith, The wicked man, [that is, euery man naturally] blesseth himselfe, Psal. 10. 3. & he maketh a league with hell and death, Isai. 28. v. 15. This appeareth also by experience. Let the ministers of the Gospel reprooue sinne, & denounce Gods iudgements against it, according to the

rule of Gods word, yet men wil not feare: stones will almost as soone mooue in the walls, and the pillers of our Churches, as the [gap] hearts of men. And the reason hereof is, because their minds are forest[gap]lled with this absurd conceit, that they are not in danger of the wrath of God though they o[gap]end. And the opinion of our common people is hereunto answerable; who thinke, that if they haue a good meaning, & doe no man hu[gap], God will haue them excused both in this life and in the day of iudgement.

The third, is a iust and serious examination of the conscience by the lawe, that we may see what is our estate before God. And this is a duty vpon which the Prophets stande very much, Lam. 3. 40. Man suffereth for sinne let us search and trie our hearts, and turne againe to the Lord. Zeph. 2. 1. Fanne your selues, fanne you, O nation, not vvorthie to be loued. In making examination, we must specially take notice of that which doth now lie, or may hereafter lie vpon the conscience. And after [gap] examination hath beene made, a man comes [gap]o a knowledge of his sinnes in particular, and of his wretched and miserable estate. When one enters into his house at midnight, he findes or sees nothing out of order: but let him come in the day time when the [gap] shineth, and

he shall then [gap]p[gap] many faults in the house, and the very motes that flie vp and downe; so let a man search his heart in the ignorance & blindnes of his minde, he will straightway thinke all is well: but let him once begin to search himselfe with the light and lanterne of the law, and he shall sinde many foule corners in his heart and many heapes of sinnes in his life.

The fourth, is a sorrovv in respect of the punishment of sinne, arising of the three former actios. And though this sorrow be no grace; for it befalls as well the wicked, as the godly: yet may it be an occasion of grace, because by the apprehension of Gods anger, we come to the apprehension of his mercie. And it is better that conscience should pricke vs and wound vs and doe his worst against vs in this life while remedie may be had, then after this life, when remedy is past.

Thus much of preparation: now follows the remedie, and the application of it. The remedie is nothing else but the bloode or the merits of Christ, who specially in conscience felt the wrath of God, as when he said, my soule is heavy vnto death: and his agonie was not so much a paine and torment in bodie, as the apprehension of the feare and anger of God in conscience: and when the holy Ghost saith, that he offered vnto

God praiers with strong cries and was heard fro feare, he directly notes the distresse and anguish of his most holy conscience for our sinnes. And as the blood of Christ is an all sufficient remedy, so is it also the alone remedie of all the sores and wounds of conscience. For nothing can stanch or stay the terrours of conscience, but the blood of the immaculate lambe of God: nothing can satisfie the iudgement of the conscience, much lesse the most seuere iudgement of God; but the onely satisfaction of Christ. In the application of the remedie, two things are required: the Gospel preached, and saith: the Gospell is the hand of God that offereth grace to vs, and faith is our hand whereby we receiue it.

That we indeede by faith receiue Christ with all his benefits, we must put in practise two lessons. The first, is vnfainedly to humble our selues before God for all our wants, breaches and wounds in conscience, which beeing vnto vs as a paradise of God, by our default we haue made as it were a little hell within vs. This humiliation is the beginning of all grace and religion: pride and good conscience can neuer goe together: and such as haue knowledge in religion and many other good gifts without humilitie, are but vnbridled, vnmortified, and vnreformed persons. This humiliation containes in it

two duties, the first is confession of our sinnes, especially of those that lie vpon our consciences; wherwith must be ioyned the accusing and condemning of our selues: for then we put conscience out of office, & dispatch that labour before our God in this life, which conscience would performe to our eternall damnation after this life. The second dutie is Deprecation, which is a kind of praier made with grones and desires of heart, in which we intreat for nothing but for pardon of our sinnes, and that for Christs sake, till such time as the conscience be pacified.

To this humiliation standing on these two parts, excellent promises of grace and life euerlasting are made, Prov. 28. 13. He that hideth his sinnes, shall not prosper: but he that confesseth & for saketh the shall find mercy. 1. Ioh. 1. 9. If we acknowledge our sinnes, he is faithfull & iust to forgiue vs our sinnes, & to clense vs fro all vnrighteousnes. Luk. 1. 35. He hath filled the [gap]ugrie with good things, & sent the rich emptie away, which are also verified by experience in sundrie examples, 2. Sam. 12. 13. Dauid said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan saide to Dauid, The Lord also hath put away thy sinne. 2. Chr. 33. 12. When Manasses was in tribulation, he praied to the Lord his God, and humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his fathers: and

prayed vnto him: and God heard his prayer. Luk. 23. 43. And the thiefe said to Iesus, Lord remember me vvhen thou commest to thy kingdome. Then Iesus saide vnto him, Verely I say to thee, to day shalt thou be with me in paradise. By these and many other places it appeares, that when a man doth truly humble himselfe before God, he is at that instant reconciled to God, and hath the pardon of his sinnes in heauen: & shall afterward haue the assurance thereof in his own coscience.

The second lesson is, when we are touched in conscience for our sinnes, not to yeeld to natural doubtings and distrust; but to resist the same, and to indeauour by gods grace to resolue our selues that the promises of saluation by Christ, belong to vs particularly: because to doe thus much, is the very commandement of God.

The third thing is, the reformàtion of conscience, which is, when it doth cease to accuse and terrifie, and begins to excuse and testifie vnto vs by the holy Ghost, that we are the children of God, & haue the pardon of our sinnes. And this it will doe after that men haue seriously humbled themselues, and praied earnestly and constantly with sighes and grones of spirit for reco ciliation with God in Christ. For then the Lord will sende downe his spirit into the conscience by a sweete and heauenly testimonie to assure [gap]

that we are at peace with God.

Thus we see how good conscience is gotten: and because it is so pretious a iewell, I wish all persons, that as yet neuer laboured to get good conscience, now to beginne. Reasons to induce men thereto may be these: I. You seeke day and night from yere to yere for honours, riches, and pleasures, which ye must leaue behinde you: much more threfore ought you to seeke for renewed and reformed consciences: considering that conscience will be with you in this life, in death, at the last iudgement, and for euer. II. He which wants a conscience purged in the blood of Christ, can neuer haue any true and lasting comfort in this life. Suppose a man araied in cloath of tishue, set in a chaire of estate, before him a table furnished with all daintie prouision: his seruants, Monarches, and Princes; his riches the chiefest treasures & kingdoms of the world: but withall suppose one standing by with a naked sword to cut his throat, or a wild beast readie euer and anon to pull him in pieces: nowe, what can we say of this mans estate, but that all his happines is nothing but woe and miserie? And such is the estate of all men that abounding with riches, honours, and pleasures, carrie about them an euill conscience, which is as a sword to [gap]lay the soule, or as a rauenous beast, readie to

sucke the blood of the soule, and to rend it in pieces. III. He which wants good conscience can doe nothing but sinne: his very eating and drinking, his sleeping and waking, & al he doth, turnes to sinne: the coscience must first be good before the action can be good: if the roote be corrupt, the fruits are answerable. IV. An euill conscience is the greatest enemie a man ca haue, because it doth execute all the parts of iudgement against him. It is the Lords sergeant. God neede not send out processe by any of his creatures for man: the conscience within man will arrest him, and bring him before God. It is the gayler to keepe man in prison in bolts & irons, that he may be forth-comming at the day of iudgement. It is the witnes to accuse him, the iudge to condemne him, the hangman to execute him, and the flashings of the fire of hell to torment him. Againe, it makes a man to be an enemie to God: because it accuseth him to God, and makes him flie from God as Adam did whe he had sinned. Also it makes a man to be his owne enemie, in that it doth cause him to lay violent hands vpon himselfe, and become his owne hangman, or his owne cut-throat. And on the contrarie, a good conscience is a mans best friend: when all men intreat him hardly, it wil speak faire and comfort him: it is a continual

feast, and a paradise vpon earth. V. The scripture sheweth that they which neuer seeke for good cosci[gap]ce, haue terrible ends. For either they die blocks, as Nabal did; or they die desperate, as Cain, Saul, Achitophel, Iudas. VI. We must consider often the terrible day of iudgement, in which euery man must receiue according to his doings. And that we may then be absolued, the best way is to seeke for a good conscience: for if our conscience be euill, and condemne vs in this life, God will much more condemne vs. And wheras we must passe through three iudgemets the iudgement of men, the iudgemet of our co science, & the last iudgement of God: we shal neuer be strengthened against them and cleared in them all, but by the seeking of a good coscience.

After that man hath got good conscience, his second dutie is to keepe it. And as in gouerning the shippe on the sea, the pilot holding the helme in his hand, hath alwaies an eye to the compasse: so we likewise in the ordering of our liues and conuersations, must alwaies haue a speciall regard to the conscience.

That we may keepe good conscience, we must doe two things; auoide the impediments thereof, and vse conuement preseruatiues.

Impediments of good conscience, are either in vs or forth of vs. In vs, on[gap] owne sinnes and

corruptions. When mens bodies lie deade in the earth, there breed certaine wormes in them whereby they are consumed. For of the flesh come the wormes which consume the flesh: but vnles we take great heed, out of the sinns & corruptions of our hearts, there wil breed a worme a thousand folde more terrible, euen the worme of conscience that neuer dieth, which wil in a lingering maner wast the conscience, the soule, & the whole man, because he shal be alwaies dying & neuer dead. These sinnes are specially three; Ignorance, vnmortified affectios, worldly lusts.

Touching the first, namely ignorance, it is a great and vsuall impediment of good conscience. For when the minde erreth or misconceiueth, it doth mislead the conscience, and deceiue the whole man. The way to auoide this impediment is, to doe our indeauour that we may daily increase in the knowledge of the word of God, that it may dwell in vs plentifully. To this ende we must pray with Dauid, that he would open our eyes, that we might vnderstand the wonders of his law: and withall we must daily search the scriptures for vnderstanding, as men vse to search the mines of the earth for gold ore, Prov. 2. 4. Lastly, we must labour for spiritual wisedo, that we may haue the right vse of Gods word in euery particular actio: that

being by it directed we may discerne what we may with good conscience do or leaue vndone.

The second impediment, is vnsta[gap]ed and vnmortified affections, which if they may haue their swinge, as wild horses ouerturne the chariot with men and all, so they ouerturne & ouer carrie the iudgement & conscience of man: and therfore when they beare rule, good coscience takes no place. Now to preuent the danger that comes hereby, this course must be followed. When we would haue a sword or a knife not to hurt our selues or others, we turne the edge of it. And so, that we may preuent our affections from hurting and annoying the conscience, we must turne the course of them, by directing them from our neighbours to our selues & our owne sinnes, or by inclining them to God and Christ. [gap] example: choller and anger directs it selfe vpon euery occasion against our neighbour, and thereby greatly indamageth the conscience. Now, the course of it is turned, when we begin to be displeased and to be angry with our selues for our owne sinnes. Our loue set vpon the world is hurtfull to the conscience, but when we once begin to set our loue on God in Christ, and to loue the blood of Christ aboue all the world, then contrariwise it is a furtherance of good conscience.

The third impediment is worldly lustes, that is, the loue and exceeding desire of riches, honors, pleasures. Euery man is as Adam, his good conscience is his paradise; the forbidden fruite is the strong desire of these earthly things; the serpent is the olde e[gap]my the deuill: who is hee may be suffered to intangle us with the loue of the world, will straight way put us out of out paradise, and barre vs from all good conscience. The remedy is to learne the lesson of Paul, Philip. 4. 12. which is, in euery estate in which God shall place vs, to be content; esteeming euermore the present condition the best for us of all. Now that this lesson may be learned wee must further labour to be resolued of Gods speciall prouidence towards vs in euery case and condition of life: and when we haue so well profited in the schoole of Christ, that we can see and acknowledge Gods providence and goodnesse, as well in sicknesse as in health, in pouerty as in wealth, in hunger as in fulnes, in life as in death, we shall be very well content, whatsoeuer any way befalls unto us.

The preseruatiues of good conscience are two. The first is to preserue and cherish that sa[gap]g faith whereby we are perswaded of our reconciliation with God in Christ, for this is the roote of good conscience as hath bene shewed: