A17384:3148
A commentary
A commentary: or, sermons upon the second chapter of the first epistle of Saint Peter wherein method, sense, doctrine, and use, is, with great variety of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of divinity largely discussed. By Nicholas Byfield, late preacher of God's Word at Isle-worth in Middlesex.A commentary: or, sermons vpon the second chapter of the first epistle of Saint Peter vvherein method, sense, doctrine, and vse, is, with great variety of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of diuinity largely discussed. By Nicholas Byfield, late preacher of God's Word at Isle-worth in Middlesex.
London: printed by Humphrey Lownes for George Latham, 1623London: printed by Humfrey Lownes for George Latham, 1623
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Last of all, what it is, that binds the conscience: which is to be inquired into, because men are enjoined to suffer wrongs patiently for conscience sake, even servants from their Masters.
Last of all, what it is, that bindes the conscience: which is to bee inquired into, because men are inioyned to suffer wrongs patiently for conscience sake, euen seruants from their Masters.
For the first.1 To know, what conscience is, we must look both to the Etymology of the word, and to the definition of the thing. The word conscience imports a knowledge with another, Conscientia, quasicum alia scientia: Conscience, that is, science conjoined: and the reason is, because conscience is a thing in us, that knows what we have done, and therein joins with some other thing, that knows it too; Some of our actions conscience sees within,2 and the Angels and men see them without: but for our secret thoughts, conscience is ⟨p. 752⟩only joined with God, or with our own minds as they are joined with God. Conscience is a thing within us, which God hath placed there, of purpose to be his witness or spy to discover all we think, or do: & as it is joined with the mind of man; it is the knowledge of what we know, or the thinking of what we think. To think of other things, is the understanding or mind; but to think what we think, is the conscience of a man. Or else conscience may be called so, because it is a concluding science; Conscientia, quasi concludens scientia: and the reason of the term in that sense may be thus, because, look, what discourse conscience hath with God or the mind of man, it uttereth it by way of a Syllogism, which they call a practical Syllogism; As for instance, If the conscience speak within to a murderer, it speaketh by Syllogism thus: Every murderer is in a fearful case; but thou art a murderer, therefore thou art in a fearful case. Now, that that reason, which concludes thus in him, is his conscience, is most apparent: For, the mind gives only the first part of the Syllogism, which is, that a murderer is in a fearful case: or that the mind sees either by the natural principles planted in it, or by the Scriptures. The other branch the conscience takes out of the memory, that is, that thou hast committed murder: now the concluding of both and applying them to the murderer, is the proper work of conscience, and conscience is that within us, that so concludes upon our actions.